It's definitely Twain & German, but it may be "drink" not "beer". I remember reading it recently. Based on what I've been reading lately I think it's in his (Cal. edition) notebook written while he was on his _Tramp Abroad_ tour. larry marshburne [log in to unmask] >>> Stephen Railton <[log in to unmask]> 01/10/00 12:36PM >>> 'I would rather decline a beer than a Latin noun.' Could you verify/correct this quote? It rings a bell (though I wonder if it wasn't about German rather than Latin?) but I can't say for sure if it's the real McTwain.