Do quod vis; et me victusque
volensque
remitto.
Latin - Elements of Latin Prosody and Metre Compiled with Selections
Ennius. 0 Tile, tute Tati tibi tanta tyranne tulisti.
Terent. Nostrdpte culpa facimus, ut malos exfiediat esse.
FINAL I AND Y.
I firoduc. Brevia Nisi cum Quasi, Grtecaque cuncta.
Jure Mihi varies, T\b\que, et Sibi; queis Ibi, \Jb\que
a The adjective impunis occurs in Solinus, c. 27. " Impunis retliit. "
This reading has been controverted by many, but is defended by Salmasius.
r The lengthening of monosyllables which consist of, or terminate in a
vowel, depends upon an established principle of metrical harmony, since
they would be nearly lost in the reading, if the voice did not dwell upon
them and make them necessarily long. In tbe case of enclitics and syllables
however, this principle does not apply. These are connected so closely with
the preceilin>> word, that (hey form but one word with it in the rapidity of
pronunciation, and are no longer considered as separate monosyllables.
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? FINAL SYLLABLES.
39
Junge, et Uti. Ciii corrijiiaa dissyllabon ; atqui
Cui filerumque solet monosyllabon esse poetis.
The final I is for the most part long; as Si, clasai, fieri. ,
ettnavi, audiri. "
Mart. Si gaudet, siflet, si tacet, hanc loquitur.
Virg. Sicfatur lacrymans, classique immittit habenas.
Idem. Pastores! mandat fieri sibi talia Daphnis.
Exception I. --The final I is short in Nisi and quasi.
Ovid. Quid nisi Pierides, solatia frigida restant ?
Idem. Quoque sit armento, veri quasi nescia quari.
Quasi occurs with the I long in Lucretius, 2. 291, and in
Avienus, Phaen. 554, 1465, 1567, 1654; but the final vowel,
in all these instances, is lengthened by the caesura. . Nisi
also has the I long in the following line from Statius, Silv.
4; 3, 59 :--
His parvus, Lechite nisi vetarent,
As however, in this line, the caesura cannot with equal
probability be supposed to have operated, it seems better to
adopt a different reading than make the verse as it has just
been given, a solitary instance of the I in JVisi being long.
The Bipont edition reads it thus :--
His parvus, Lecheo nihil vetante,
Exception II. --T'ie final I and Y are short in Greek
neuters ; as Gummi, sinafii, moly--in the dative singular of
Greek nouns ; as Palladi, ThttiHi, Phyllidi--in Greek vo-
catives; as Adoni, Alexia Tifihy, chelij, Tethy, (but not in
Tetliy, the contracted dative for Tethyi)--and in datives and
ablatives plural in SI; as Hero'nt, Dryasi, Troasi}
Ovid. Moly vacant superi: nigra radice tenetur.
Stat. Palladi litorea celebrabat Scyros lionorem.
Ovid. Semper, Adoni, mei, repetitaque mortis imago.
Idem. Quid tibi cum patrid, navita Tiphy, med.
Idem. Troasin invideo, que si lacrymosa suarum. "
s The long t in Latin is a contraction from EI. The old orthography
was, puerei, illei, meiles, meilitia, eironeia, &c.
t The I and Y are short in all these exceptions, because answering to the
final ( and u in Greek, which are in general short.
u In this 'example, the n added to Troasi, is placed there merely to
prevent the hiatus at the meeting of the two vowels, and makes no differ-
ence whatever in the quantity. It is like the v i*<<\xv3-t/kov of thfi
Greeks.
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? FINAL STLLABLES.
Exception III. --Mihi? tibi, sibi, ubi, and ibi, have the
final vowel common.
Tibul. Non mihi pigra nocent hibernx frig era noctis.
Horat. Tecum mihi discordia est.
Virg. Sparge marite nuces, tibi deserit Hesperus Oetam.
Id. Cat. Datur tibipuella, quam petis, datur.
Juv. Dum sibi nobilior Latona gente videtur.
Sen. Sibique melius quam Deis notus, negat.
Luc. Venalesque manus : ibi fas, ubi maxima metres.
Horat. Instar verts enim vultus ubi tuus.
Virg. Ter conatus ibi collo dare brachia circum.
The quantity of the final vowel in Uti, is involved in some
uncertainty. Most prosodians make it long, a quantity which
we often find it to possess. If however any stress is to be
laid upon the fact, that the I is short in Utinam and Utigue,
and if the reading be correct in the following lines, it ought
rather to be regarded as common.
Lucil. Sic uti mechanics cum alto exsiluere petauro.
Ennius. Sic uti siqui' ferat vas vini dimidiatum.
Lucr. Sic uti quadrupedum cum primis esse videmus.
Idem. Sic uti summarum summa est (Sterna, neque extra. ?
In Sicubi, necubi, and sicuti, the final I is said to be always
short; but if we are to be guided by the quantity of the
final letter in ubi and uti, we shall be more correct in calling
it common; though it would be difficult to find examples
where it is other than short.
Exception IV. --Cut, when a dissyllable, generally has
the I short.
Sen. Mittat et dnnet cuicumque terra.
Mart. Sed norunt cui serviunt leones.
Idem. Drusorum cui contigere barbae.
Idem. Et credit cui Postumilla dives.
x The contracted dative Mi, formed by crasis from mihi, is necessarily
long. But MV formed by apocope, remains short, as in the following lino
>>f Ennius:--
" Ingem cura mi' cum concortlibus xquiparare.
y The two lines quoted from Lucretius, occur 2. 536. and 3. SIT- In
the first, Bentley proposes Sicut in place of' Hie uti. Wakefield approves
of the emendation, but, as it is sanctioned by no previous edition, (lots not
admit it into the text. In the other line, Wakefield reads, as in the first,
Sic uti, while four of the principal editions, including that of Aldus, hare
Sicuti, and the Bipont, <<Sieuf.
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? FINAL SYLLABLES.
41
Cui is commonly considered as forming a monosyllable in
poetry. Instances however occur, in which it may be re-
garded as a dissyllable, even in hexameter verse, without
any violation of the metre, and with advantage to the smooth-
ness and harmony of the line; as in the following, among
others:--
Juv. Cantabat patriis in monlibus: et cui non tunc.
Virg. At puer Ascanius, cut nunc cognomen Iulo.
Idem. Munera vestra cano. Tuque 0 cui prima frementem,
Idem. Incipe parve puer, cui non risere parentes.
The same remark is applicable to huic.
Virg. Tantus in arma palet: latos huic hasta per armoe.
Paulin. Obsequio condigna Dei conjux huic alma.
finaL o.
O datur ambiguis. Grteca et motiosyllaba firoduc,
Ergo firo cauia, ternum sextumque secunda,
Queis etiam jungas adverbia nomine nata.
At Cito corrifiies, atque Immd. Sed htec variantur,
Postremo, Sero, Subito, Porro, Modo, Retro.
Idcirco, atque Ideo, simul his conjunctio Vero.
O final is common ;2 as Quando, duo, virgo, cafito. *
Ilorat. Quando pauperiem, missis ambagious, Jiorres.
Mart. Quando mora dulces, longusque a Cxsare pulvis.
Auson. Europamque Asiamque, duo vel maxima terra.
Virg. Praterea dud, nec tutd mihi valle reperti.
Mart. Capto tuam, pudet heu ! sed capto, Pontice, camam.
z According toCliarisius and Diomedes, the final 0 in Latin was originally
long in all words. Its being subsequently regarded as common in so many
instances, seems to have ar isen from this circumstance, that, as the Latin a
stood both tor the o-micron and o-mtga of the Greeks, and hence had a
double quantity under one and the s;une form, the poets dexterously
availed themselves of this ambiguity, ami in many words made the final o at
one time short and at another long, just as it was fuuod conducive to their
purpose.
a The more polished writers of the Augustan age rarelv made the final
0 in verbs short. Thus, in Virgil, scio, Eel. 8, 43. and Ma. 3, 602. with
spondeS, ^Hn. 9, 296. and a few others, alone occur. On the other hi. nd,
Stf. tius, Martial, and their contemporaries and successors, very frequently
made it short.
D2
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? 42 FINAL SYLLABLES.
Exception I. --All cases in O, of Greek nouns, written
in the original with an O (mega), are long; as, nominative,
Id, Ind, Clio; genitive, Androgeo ; accusative, Athd, Cta-
thd: as is likewise ergo, when it signifies "for the sake," or
f* on account of," and governs a genitive case, it being then
derived from the Greek e(yq>.
Prop. Id, versa caput, primos mugiverat annos.
Virg. Inforibus letum Androgeo : tum pendere pmnas.
Pedo. Quondam ego tentavi Clothdque duasque sorores.
Exception II. --Monosyllables in O are long; as O, do,
at6, firo, firdh.
Virg. O decus, o fame merilo pars maxima nostra.
Idem.
Do quod vis; et me victusque volensque remitto.
Idem. Pro molli viola, pro purpurea narcisso.
Idem. Prdh scelus ! ecce etiam Trojanis matribus actis.
Exception III. --O final is long in the dative and ablative
singular of the second declension ; as Domino, fiuerd, vento,
aurd. b
Ovid. Nutritur vento, vento restinguitur ignis.
Prop. Aurd pulsa fides, aurd venaliajura.
The gerund in DO (which in reality is the dative or abla-
tive of the second declension) is most commonly found with
the O final long: instances however occur, where the final
letter is short; but these are extremely rare, and for the
most part of very doubtful authority. The following are the
principal lines in which the latter quantity is found :c
Juv. Plurimus hie ager moritur vigilando: sed ilium.
Ovid. Fnrtunam vultus fassa tegendo suns.
Tibul. Aufer et ipse meum pariter medicando dolorem.
Ter. Maur. Sic varios tam longa divs renovando doldres.
Exception IV--Adverbs formed from adjectives have
the final O for the most part long; as Multo, raro, tutd.
h The final o in the dative and ablative singular of the secopd declension,
ii long, because contracted from oi. Thus, Domino was anciently dominui;
auro, auroi, fcte.
o The line from Juvenal (3, 232. ) is given by Ruperti, as above (|Uoted,
without comment, or reference to any different reading. But in the line
iVom Tibullus (3, 6, 3. ) and also in that from Ovid (Ep. 9, 126. ) the variotL>>
rrariingj throw great suspicion upon the purity of the text.
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? FINAL SYLLABLES.
Juv. Poena autem vehemens et muUo savior Mis.
Ovid. Adde quod iste tuus, tam raro prcelia passus.
But the final letter is short in Citd and Immo, and com-
mon in Modo,d with its compounds, Dummodo, fiostmodo,
&c. as also in Poscremo, sero, subitof fiorro, retro, idcirco,
and the conjunction vero.
Ovid. Quo levis a nobis tam citd fugit amor ?
Mart. Vendere : nil debet: foznerat immo magis.
Prop. Fortunata domus, modo sit tibijidus amicus.
Sen. Qua fama modo venit ad awes ?
Juv. Et Scauros, et Fabricios ; fiostremo severos.
Lucr. Postremo, quoniam incultis firastare videmus,
Claud. Imfie. rium tihi sero datum : victoria velox.
Phaedr. Sero domum est reversus titubanti fiede.
Sen. Cum subito, thalami more. , firaceduntfaces.
Idem. Cum subito nostras Hector ante oculos stetit.
Phaedr. Parvum tigillum, missum quod subito vadis.
Juv. Fester fiorro laborfecundior, historiarum.
Luc. Quid fiorro tumulis ofius est? aut ulla requiris.
Sen. Unde retro nemo. Tulimus Oceani minas.
Phaedr. Ferroque viso, rettulit retro fiedem.
Ter. Maur. Idcirco gemellum vocitdrunt choriambon.
Virg. Idcirco cerlis dimensum fiarlibus orbem.
Val. Flacc. Quod fietimus : sin verb fireces et dicta su-
ficrbus.
Virg. Pascuntur vero silvas, et summa Lyceei.
Ideo has likewise the O common. Adeo frequently occurs
with the O long, but from its affinity to ideo, we should no
doubt be more correct in calling it common also.
Mart. An ideo tantum veneras, ut exires?
Claud. Vulneribus quasila meis: idedne tot annos.
d In most systems of Prosody, the final o in modo, and its compounds, is
said to be short. It is in fact most generally found with this quantity, but
not always. The nnaptestic line from Seneca (Octav. 273. ) clearly proves
that it must in strictness be regarded as common. In addition to this au-
thority, the two following may be mentioned. " At tu, si qua modo turn
adspernenda putabis. " Calpurnius, 4, 157. --"Hoc quid putcmus esse?
qui modo scurra. " Catullus, US, 12. --If the final letter in modo be consi-
dered common, consisleucy will require us to extend this epithet to its
compounds.
e The final letter of subito is short according to most prosodians. The
lines however, quoted above from Seneca (Troas. 1132 and 443. ) prove it
to Uave been eommon.
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? 44
FINAL SYLLABLES.
Luc. Usque adeone times, quem tu fctcis ipse timendum ?
Profccto and illico are found with the final O short.
Ter. Maur. Addas, hexameter profecto jiet.
Sid. Apoll. Illico barbaries: necnon sibi capta videri.
Their derivation however (firo facto--in loco) seems to
countenance the idea, that the O in these should be re-
garded as common, since it could not be naturally and con-
stantly short.
Ego and homo have the final letter common, though more
frequently short than long.
Virg. Ille ego qui quondam gracili modulatus avend.
Plaut. Sed nunc rogare ego vicisaim te volo.
Lucr. Ncc tota pars, homo terrai quota totius units.
Mart. Miraris Aule ? semper bonus homo tiro est.
FINAL U, B, D, T.
U firoduc. B, D, T flurum, corrifie semfier.
U final is generally long; as Manu, cornu; and such
Greek vocatives as Pant hit, Melamfiit, Etc/
Virg. Tela manu miserijactabant irrita Teucri.
Ovid. Nec mora, curvavit cornit, nervoque sagittam.
Virg. Quoressumma loco, Panthu? quamprendimusarcem?
Stat. Quidfurtimlacrymas? Ilium venerande Melampu.
Exceptions. --Indu and nenus have the U short. It
continues short also in those words which naturally end in
f Well ending in u are long, in consequence of the broad and full
sound given to that vowel in Latin, like the double o or broad w in English.
The sound of the Latin u may be ascertained from the following passage in
Plautus, Mtn. i, 2, BO. where the parasite makes an allusion to the cry o?
the owl:--
Pe. Tu, Tu ittic, inquam, wV afferri noctuam,
Quit, Tu, Tu, usque dicat tibi? nam nosjam not defessi sumus.
In such vocatives as Panthu, Melampu, ccc. the final letter is long, because
written in the original with the diphthong cu.
g Indu is the old Latin form for in, and nenu for non. The former ap-
peal s to have come from the Greek M<fon> the latter is said to have been
thi- parent of the Latin lion. They hot! ) occur in the older Latin writers,
and also in Lucretius. According to Wakefield, the more correct ortho-
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? EINAL SYLLABLES.
short US, and are only deprived of the S by the ancient
mode of pronunciation, in order to preserve the syllable
from becoming long by its position before a consonant at the
beginning of the following word; as Plenit' for filaius. ,
bonu' for bonus, &c. h
Lucr. Nec jacere indu manus, vie? qua munita fidei.
Idem. JVenu queunt rafiidei contra constare leones.
'Ennius. Suavis homo, facundii', suo contentu', bealus.
Idem. Ills vir baud magna cum re scd filenu' Jtdei.
Final syllables ending in B or D are short; as ctb, ad,
quid, Mud ; and also those ending in T pure, that is, T im-
mediately preceded by a vowel; as et, at, amat. But if
preceded by another consonant, as dst, ancdnt, or by a diph-
thong, as aut, the syllable must of course remain long: so
likewise must baud.
Ovid. Ifise decet quid agam. Fas est et ab hoste doceri.
Tibul. Luce sacra requiescdt humus, requiescdt arator.
Ovid. Ast ubi blandiliis, agitur nihil horridus ira.
Virg. Aut onera accifiiunt venientum, aut agmine facta.
Idem. Hand obscurd cadens mittet tibi signa Bootes,
Exception.
