Fiat Lux

Grice's first language was, really, Greek.

Then, Latin.

Then, English.

That type of schoolboy or public school-boy I am so familiar with come to think, as I did, that Greek is the logical language par excellence -- we are not one of those Frenchies who think otherwise (Baroness D'Arczy).

Then comes Latin. Although perhaps 'logical' is not the word to describe Greek. Greek is _the_ language, _simpliciter_.

Latin comes second-best, and it's best at being second. There are good things you can say in Latin that you cannot say in Greek, "carpe diem" for example.

Then comes English or your modern Romance, if you are never so lucky.

Hence the emphasis by Grice when he taught Classics at Rossall (for one year -- more than enough is too much). "Fiat lux" for example.

"God shaves the Queen".

Surely no 's' needed there: it's subjunctive. The ideas of the optative, volitional, subjunctive, middle voice, etc. were topics that fascinated the Grecian in the Gricean (vide Grice 2001) as they should.