From Jānua (Iānua) linguārum reserāta (The Gate of Languages
Unlocked) by Comenius, first published in 1631. The image shows the English
publication of 1643.
The very first chapter uses two verb forms we have already
covered: [i] the imperative i.e. the command form telling you to do something
and [ii] the future tense of the first and second conjugations:
Venīte puerī │ Come children
Discite latīnam linguam │ Learn the
Latin language
Pulchram et ēlegantem │ Beautiful and elegant
Comprehendite │ Understand it
Prō vestrō captū │ According to your capacity
Et variās rēs │ and various things
Sapientiæ sēmina │ the seeds of wisdom
Deus vōs iuvābit │ God will help you
Praeceptōrēs amābunt │ Teachers will
love you
Aliī laudābunt │ Others will praise you
Ipsī gaudēbitis │ You yourselves will
rejoice
Sī prīncipium difficile │ If the beginning is hard
Medium erit facile │ The middle will
be easy
Fīnis iūcundus │ The end pleasant
***
You might want to remember those last three lines from a
17th century Latin teacher.
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