Parvamne Iolcon,
Thessala
an Tempi petam ?
Latin - Elements of Latin Prosody and Metre Compiled with Selections
h Puta is short only when taken adverbially; when it stands as an im-
perative, the a is long. Great doubt however, has been attempted to be
thrown upon the quantity of the final letter in puta when an adverb. It is
found in Fersius, i. 10. and in Martial, 5. 26. ; but, in both instances, the
text has been considered by many to be corrupt, and puto has been substi-
tuted. Whatever may be the opinion of critics with respect to the true
reading in these two particular instances, it is conceived that the authority
of Servius should be deemed decisive on thb general question, who, itrhis
comments on the 1AJH:\ after observing that adverbs in a are long, ex-
pressly excepts puld and ilit.
i Some prosodians maintain, that when the a in postea is short, the
word should be separated, and read post ea. This mode of writing it, is in
fact adopted toy Burmann, in the line from Ovid above quoted, Fast. 1. 105,
and also in 2. 255, though without any comment in either case. Others think
that the a in postea is always long; and thit when said to be short, the ea
is in fact made one long syllable by synseresis, as aurea, Virg. JEn. 1. 698,
It is simplest, however, to terra the a in postea common; although, if called
on'to decide merely between the two positions which have just been men-
tioned, the second would appear to be more correct than the first, the in-
stances of synxrcsis in the case of Is and its compounds being very fre-
quently met with- ,
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? Increment of verbs.
35
Plaut. St auctoritatem floated defugeris.
Horat. Et quia desfieres invicti membra Glyconis.
Phaedr. Ego firimam tollo, nominor quid leo.
The final A is likewise short in all cases of nouns, except
the ablative singular of the first declension,* and Greek vo-
catives from nominatives in AS; as Anchord, de firord,
JEned, PaUd.
Virg. Anchora de firord jacitur, at ant littore flufiflea.
Idem. Quid miserum, JEned, laceras ? jam fiarce sefiulto.
Greek nouns in ES and E, are frequently changed by the
Latins into A; as Atrida for Atrides, Oresta for Orestes,
Circa for Circe. In nouns of this class, the final A, in the
vocative, is short. Anchisa (Mti. 3. 475. ) comes from a
Doric nominative in AS, and therefore falls under the pre-
ceding rule.
Horat. JVe quia humaaae velit Ajacem, Atrida, vetas cur ?
Ovid. Feceruntfuricc, tristis Oresta, tu&.
The numerals in GINTA have the A common, but more
frequently long than short.
Virg. Trigintd cafiitum fatus enixa jacetit.
Manil. Ter trigintd quadrum fiartes fief sidcra reddant.
Petron. Sanguine Romano, sexagintdque triumfihist
Mart. Sexaginta teras cum limina mane senator.
Contra,1 and Juxta, are usually long in the more polished
writers, though sometimes found short.
Virg. Contra non ulla est oleis cultura nec ilia.
k The final a, in the ablative singular of the first declension, is long,
because contracted from ai. The ablative is a case peculiar to the Latin
language, and derived its origin from the dative. The Latins originally had
no ablative, but, like the Greeks, made use of the dative to supply its place.
In process of time, however, a division was made, and the dative retained
its name only when standing alone; whereas, when it was governed by a
p'reposition expressed or understood, it was styled the ablative. A gradual
change of termination in the latter case, contributed still farther to distin-
guish it from its parent source, until in some words the resemblance became
scarcely perceptible.
I Vossius, A. G. 2. 24, quotes the following line from ManiKus, in which
he contends that the a in contra is short: " Contra jacens cancer pauUwm
distentus in alvum. n The remark is an incorrect one. The a in contra
is elided, and jacens pronounced fScens, of three syllables. Thus Calpur.
nius, Eel. C. 50, " Genus est ut scitis equarum JVon fugale mihi;" a>>d
Seneca, Hipp. 289% " Si gua/erventi s&bfictacancro est. "
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? 36 INCREMENT OF VERBS.
Idem. Tngens arafuit,juxtdgue veterrima laurits.
Ennius. Qms fiater aut cognatu' volet vos contrS, tuerl. *i
Catull. Lamina, Callitto juxta Lycamida.
The final A is short in the names of the Greek letters;
as Alfiha, Beta, &c.
Sedul. Princifiium at Jinem hunc simul Alpha videritr
hunc tt.
Juv. Hoc discunt omnes, ante Alpha et Beta, fiuellx.
FINAL Z.
E brevia. Prim* quintteque vocabula firoduc,
Atque Ohe, Fermeque, Fereyac, F&meqve, Doceyue
Et sociot; filurale Mele, Tempe, Pelageyuf,
Et Cete ; nec non adverbia cuncta secundte,
Excefitis Inferne, Superne, Bene ac Male. Prater
Encliticat et syllabicas, monosyllaba firoduc.
E final is for the most part short 5 as Mate", fuge, pane,
iiemfie, quoqui, fiotnS. ^
Virg. Heufuge, nate Ded, teq; bit, ait, erifie flammis.
Idem. Pane simul tecum solatia rafita Menalca.
Exception I. --E final is long in all cases of the first and
fifth declensions;TM as Anchisiadi, CaUiofie; re,die, with their
compounds, Quari, hodii, firidie, quotidii. Under this ex-
ception also, falls the ablative fame, the noun fames having
been, according to Aulus Gellius, (9. 14. ) originally of the
fifth declension, fames, famei, like filches, filebei. "
m The final e is long in all cases of nouns of the first declension, because
answering to the Greek s% It is long in the ablative singular of the fifth
declension, because contracted from Hi and consequently also in the con-
tracted genitive and dative of the same declension 1 as fid*, die, for fidei,
iiiei.
n The vocatives, Ulysse and Achille, have also the final e long. These
are Greek forms. The jfcolo-Doric tribes changed the termination ? yj into
and said Og<p>>c for Og^ii/;, OSwmt for Ofvmvi, A^uxnc for
A%lkKti)f, etc. The Latins, in imitation of these, used Ulysses and Achil-
les, with some others, as nouns of tbe third declension, making in the voca-
tive Ulysse, Achille, &c. with the e final long, because answering to the
Greek >>. Another Latin form, and one of more frequent recurrence hi
poetry, is that in ettt, of. the second declension; as Ulyssetis, AehilleiiSi
making in the genitive, Ulysse'i, Achille'ii contracted into XJlyssi, Achilli.
Instances of this form may be seen in Virgil, Eel. 8. TOi Ala, 1, 30. 3, V7
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? FINAL SYLLABLES.
37
Virg. Tros Anchisiade, facilis descensus Averni.
Mart. JVon venias quart tam longo temfiore Romtttn.
Virg. Objicit; Me fame, raflida tria guttura flanderit.
Ohe,ferme, and fere, likewise make the final E long,
though fere is found short in Ausonius.
Mart. Ohejarii satis est, ohe libelle.
Juv. Mobilis et varia estferme natura malorum.
Seneca. Paries fere nox alma transierat duos.
Exception II. --Verbs of the second conjugation, have E
final long, in the second person singular of the imperative
active ; as Doce, mone, vide, resfionde, cave, &c. ?
Horat. Obsequio grassare : mone si increbuit aura.
Ovid. Nate cave, dum resque sinit tua corrige vota.
Cave, vide, vale, resfionde, are also found short; but in
these instances, we must consider them as coming from ob-
solete verbs of the third conjugation. ?
Tib. Tu cave nostra tuo contemnas carminafastu.
Ovid. Idque quod ignoti faciunt, vale dicere saltem.
Pers. Auriculas ? Vide, sis, ne majorum tibi forte.
Phaedr. Vide, ne dolone collum compungam tibi.
Mart. Si, quando veniet? dicet; responds poeta.
Exception III--E final is long in Greek neuters plural,
such as Mete, Temfie, fielage, cele, cacoetke, &c. the final
vowel in these, answering to the Eta (or long E) in Greek.
6, 839. and in Horace, Oil. 1, 6, 7. Epod. 17,14. and 16. The vocative of
>>uch a form will be UlyssU, Jtchiilii. We may suppose Jlchilll in Pro-
pertius, 4, 12, 40. to be formed from it by Apocope.
o The second person singular of the present imperative active, in verbs
of the second conjugation, is, like the corresponding tense in verbs of the
first, a contracted form. Thus, docil, dote ; monii, moni ; &c.
p Some are inclined to consider these as instances of Systole. In Ti-
bullus however, 1, 4, 73. we have caverim with a short penult, evidently
from cava, ire, of the third conjugation. Scaliger, in commenting on the
line, expressly asserts that the text had been changed by some, from an
ignorance of the conjugation to which cavtrem properly belonged, and
cantrcm substituted in its place. In like manner, Servius, JEn. 4. 409.
observes, that verbs of the second conjugation frequently drop e before o,
and puss into the third; as fulgeo, fulgo ; ferveo, fervo. He then quotes
cava, cuvis, and refers to Catullus (an error, according to Scaliger, for
Tibullus,) for an instance ^>f the use of cavtre. The strongest fact how-
ever, is the actual use of retpondere by Manilius, 5. 737.
" Sic etiam tkagno qutedam respondtre mundo
Jfac natura facit, que cwK condidit orbem. "
D
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? S3
FINAL SYLLABLES.
Lucr. Et cycnea mele, Phaeheaque, dadala chordis.
Seneca.
Parvamne Iolcon, Thessala an Tempi petam ?
Lucr. At pelage mulla, et late substrata videmus.
Exception IV. --Adverbs in E, formed from adjectives
of the second declension, have the final ? long ; as Placidi,
. valde from validi, maximi, minimi, &c. except Bene,
male, inferni, sufierne.
Mart. Excipe sollicitos placidi, mea dona, libellos I
Idem. Hoc valdi vitium periculosum est.
Virg. Quod minimi reris Graid pandetur ab urbe.
Mart. Nil bene cum facias, facis uttamen omnia belle.
Hor. Et male lornatos incudi reddere versus.
But adjectives neuter of the third declension, used as ad-
verbs, retain the final E short; as Sublime, suave, dulce,
facile, difficile, imftunefl Sec.
Virg. Cantantcs sublime ferent ad sidera eyeni.
Idem. Ipse sed in pratis aries, jam suave rubenti.
Exception V. --Monosyllables in E are also long; as
He, mi, ti, si, and ni (Jest or not); except the enclitics,
Que, ve, ne, and the syllabic additions, Pte, ce, te, de, as in
Sudfite, nostrdfite, fiosce, tute, quamde. "
Virg. Te veniente die, ti decedente canebat.
Idem. Ne, pueri, ni tanta animis adsuescite bella.
Idem. Arma virumque cano, Troja qui primus ab oris.
Idem. Tantane vos generis tenuit fiducia vestri ?
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.
