How to parse. ...

124

TIHE SUBJUNCTIVE.

[Par. 188.

a monstrous stork to be their king. He began by
gobbling up a dozen of the noisiest frogs, and ordered
that no frog should I croak in any part of the pond
while he was asleep. This pleased the rest, who said,
"Now we shall have order: it is worth while having a
strong king that we may have peace and quiet." But,
when they came swimming round him next morning,
to pay their respects, and to ask him to judge their
disputes, he would not hear them, but ate tliem up by
scores, quiet and noisy alike, choosing the fattest. So
now the frogs saw they had made a mistake, and they
said, " If we were once rid of King Stork we would not
find fault with King Log, and indeed we could be content to have no king at all."
4
i88 The Indefinite Subjunctive.
Sometimes " should " is used where a Condition
is implied rather than expressed: -
(1) "It would be unjust that I should suffer for
other people's misconduct."
This is really equivalent to -
(2) " It would be unjust if I should suffer," &c.
But it is more difficult to explain why we say(3) " It is a shame that I should be thus insulted,"
i.e. " am thus insulted."
(4) " I am sorry that my son should thus misconduct
himself," i.e. " thus misconducts himself."
(5) " To think that he should have so far disgraced
himself! " i.e. "has so far disgraced himself."
In the last three examples facts are spoken of:
why then is the Subjunctive used?
1 "Should croak," notion of Purpose.