_The Character "&,", and Meaning of "Parse"_ (Vol. ii., pp. 230.
284.).--This character, being different from any of the twenty-four
letters, was placed at the end of the alphabet, and children, after
repeating their letters, were taught to indicate this symbol as
_and-per-se-and_. Instead of spelling the word _and_, as composed of
three letters, it was denoted by a special symbol, which was "_and by
itself, and_." Hence the corruption, an _ampussy and_.
The word _parse_ is also derived from the Latin _per se_. To _parse_ a
sentence is to take the words _per se_, and to explain their grammatical
form and etymology.