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There was something soothing about listening to two hours of Supreme Court arguments Tuesday, as the justices distinguished the “hortatory” from the merely “precatory” and traded hypotheticals about lawn-mowing, tree-planting and war bonds.

Breyer argued the “shall” was “precatory” language, similar to other congressional measures asking people to buy war bonds or planting a tree.

As a so-called precatory proposal, it is not legally binding on the company.

The latter part of the Absolution is taken from the ancient Office, and is declaratory, the first clause being precatory.

The blessing at the end of the office should stand, as in the English Book, in the precatory form; otherwise we might have the anomaly of a benediction pronounced before the end of the service.