 which was no
uncommon thing, through ignorance of the Latin tongue, baptized a child of
Tom-o'Stiles, in nomino patriæ &amp; filia &amp; spiritum sanctos, - the baptism
was held null - I beg your pardon, replied Kysarcius, - in that case, as the
mistake was only in the terminations, the baptism was valid - and to have
rendered it null, the blunder of the priest should have fallen upon the first
syllable of each noun - and not, as in your case, upon the last. -
    My father delighted in subtleties of this kind, and listen'd with infinite
attention.
    Gastripheres, for example, continued Kysarcius, baptizes a child of John
Stradling's, in Gomine gatris, etc. etc. instead of in Nomine patris, etc. - Is
this a baptism? No, - say the ablest canonists; inasmuch as the radix of each
word is hereby torn up, and the sense and meaning of them removed and changed
quite to another object; for Gomine does not signify a name, nor gatris a father
- What do they signify? said my uncle Toby - Nothing at all - quoth Yorick -
Ergo, such a baptism is null, said Kysarcius - In course, answered Yorick, in a
tone two parts jest and one part earnest -
    But in the case cited, continued Kysarcius, where patrim is put for patris,
filia for filij, and so on - as it is a fault only in the declension, and the
roots of the words continue untouch'd, the inflexions of their branches, either
this way or that, does not in any sort hinder the baptism, inasmuch as the same
sense continues in the words as before - But then, said Didius, the intention of
the priest's pronouncing them grammatically, must have been proved to have gone
along with it - Right, answered Kysarcius; and of this, brother Didius, we have
an instance in a decree of the decretals of Pope Leo the IIId. - But my
brother's child, cried my uncle Toby, has nothing to do with the Pope - 'tis the
plain child of a Protestant gentleman, christen'd Tristram against the wills and
wishes both of its father and mother, and all who are a-kin to it -
    If the wills and wishes, said Kysarcius, interrupting my uncle Toby, of
those only who stand related to Mr. Shandy's child, were to have weight in this
matter, Mrs. Shandy, of all people, has the least to do in it - My uncle Toby
lay
