PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.

In this little book I have endeavoured to present, in a written form, that course of instruction in elementary Latin Syntax which I have been accustomed for a long time to give to Pupils, both privately and in schools.

It will be observed that the peculiar features of my system are the following:

1. Together with each new Inflexion the Pupil learns its practical use in the composition of sentences.

2. Considerable familiarity with the 3rd Persons of Active Verbs is attained before the 1st and 2nd Persons are learned.

3. The Pupil is taught to form the Inflexions by General Rules, instead of learning models by rote.

4. The Latin Idioms are learned by altering the English Idioms before translating.

5. The Pupil is thoroughly exercised in Inflexions and Constructions, with the least possible amount of mere dictionary-work.

For many years I have adopted these principles in teaching young boys, and have invariably found their

usefulness. Most especially has the plan of "declaring" the English before translating proved successful, conveying as it does to boys some idea of "the genius of the language," and often enabling them to construe complicated passages in Latin authors, which, by their own confession in some cases, they could not otherwise have understood.

I do not trouble beginners with the subject of the order of words, or with any matters of mere elegance. The Latin is to be written by them, in general, in the order of the "declaring," except that an Adjective should come after its "independent variable," the Noun, with which it is thus more likely to agree. Advanced Pupils may profitably study elegance, both in the choice of constructions and phrases, and in the arrangement of words; but the whole attention of beginners should, I think, be confined to the attainment of accuracy in ordinary constructions.

I have endeavoured to make the "Tutor's Companion" useful to three classes of persons: first, to any Teachers who may adopt my system; secondly, to Adult Students "teaching themselves Latin"; and thirdly, to Mothers or Governesses who wish to teach

The "Grammar" was thus named in the First Edition.

very young boys the first steps in Latin, but have not learned the language themselves.

The Exercises may be either written, or said in class vivá voce; and the sentences are purposely made very like one another, in order that boys may not remember the Latin by rote, which is possible where peculiar words or phrases occur as landmarks. Also it will be very

easy for a Teacher to propose other sentences of his own invention, involving the same sets of words and the same constructions.

The very first step in my system, viz., that represented by Exercises No. 1, is borrowed from " Henry's First Latin Book," by the late Rev. T. Kerchever Arnold: but after that first step I have taken a line of my own. Words and ideas for Exercises, such as "holding dragons," I have freely borrowed from the same source.

Exercises No. 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25, are miscellaneous, upon the subjects of the four sets preceding.

My system extends in MS. to No. 55. Whether the remaining part is ever published will depend upon the reception given to that to which I am now inviting the attention of my fellow-teachers.

A. M. W.