Miltiades summa aequitate res Chersonesi constituit, Miltiades settled the affairs of the Chersonesus with the greatest equity' (i. e. that was the way or manner of his administration).

Apis more modoque carmina fingo, 'I mould my poems after the manner and practice of a bee.'

More Carneadeo disputare, 'to dispute in the manner of Carneades.'

Fieri nullo modo (pacto) potest, it cannot be done in any way.'

(d) The ablative determines the reference or relation under which an action is considered; as

Atticus usum pecuniae non magnitudine, sed ratione metiri solitus est, Atticus was accustomed to estimate the use of money not in reference to its amount, but in reference to its application.'

Natura tu illi pater es, consiliis ego, 'you are his father by (in regard to) nature, I with reference to my counsels.'

Contremisco tota mente et omnibus artubus, 'I tremble in (as to) my whole mind and all my limbs.'

Obs. 1 It will be observed that this usage corresponds exactly to one form of the accusative of reference (above, 146 (b), Obs.), which is used by the poet; and it has been mentioned that Virgil has both cases in one line: micat auribus et tremit artus.

Obs. 2 The ablative of reference is found in the limiting phrases, ea lege, ea conditione, tua pace dixerim, bona tua venia, meo jure, optimo jure, mea quidem sententia, more majorum, omnium judicio; also in expressions like cognomine Barcas, natione Syrus, natu major, natu minimus, &c.

(e) The ablative determines the comparison, in regard to which a certain degree of a quality is predicated; in other words, it is used after adjectives in. the comparative degree instead of the subject connected with the comparative by the particle quam. This usage is in fact only a special application of the ablative of reference, which has just been mentioned; for amoris simulatio est pejor odio means, the pretence of love is worse in reference or relative to hatred.' Thus we have

Nihil est otiosa senectute jucundius, 'nothing is more pleasant than tranquil old age.'

Tullus Hostilius fuit Romulo ferocior, 'Tullus Hostilius was more savage than Romulus.'

Nullum officium referenda gratia magis est necessarium, ‘no duty is more necessary than that of returning a favour.'

Obs. 1 The explanation of the ablative of comparison as an ablative of reference is best shown by its use in relative propositions; e.g. Hortensius quo nemo fuit doctior, 'Hortensius, in relation to (in comparison with) whom no one was more learned.' Attalus Attalus quo graviorem inimicum non habui, Attalus, in relation to whom I never had a bitterer enemy.' Avaritia qua nulla major pestis humano generi inferri potuit, avarice, as compared with which no greater pest could have been inflicted on the human race.'

Obs. 2 As the word, which stands in the ablative of comparison, must be the subject, as distinguished from the predicate of a proposition, this construction is admissible only in the following cases:

(a) The object compared may be in the nom., voc., or accus. with the infinitive, as O matre pulcra filia pulcrior, or nemo dubitabit solem esse majorem luna, where we might have majorem quam lunam.

(B) The object compared may be an accusative with an adjective in the comparative degree; as nunquam ego vidi hominem Phormione callidiorem, because we could resolve this into qui fuerit callidior quam Phormio. But when a gen. or dat. is used with such an adjective, the construction with quam is more common; as haec sunt verba Varronis, quam fuit Claudius doctioris, rather than Varronis doctioris Claudio. Horace, however, writes: Pane egeo, jam mellitis potiore placentis, 'I need bread, now more desirable than honied cakes.'

(7) The ablative of comparison stands regularly after comparative adverbs; as opinione celerius, dicto citius, justo longius, plus aequo, solito tardius; also in such phrases as nemo te melius intelligit.

(8) The ablative of comparison may follow plus, minus, amplius, but generally the numerical expression is appended without quam; thus we have Amplius sunt sex menses, 'they are more than six months.' Quid si tandem amplius biennium est? 'what if it is more than two years?' Plus quingentos colaphos infregit misero mihi, 'he inflicted more than 500 buffets on poor me!' Quis dubitat, exarsisse Romanos quum plus ducentorum annorum morem solveremus? who doubts that the Romans were exasperated when we broke up a custom of more than 200 years?'

Obs. 3 The ablative of comparison cannot be used when two predicates are compared; thus we must say pestis fuit minacior quam periculosior, not minacior periculosiore; nor can it be used in a comparison of two subjects in the genitive or dative; thus we may say, Miltiades amicior fuit civium libertati quam suae dominationi, not sua domi

natione.

(f) The ablative determines the quantity by which one thing exceeds another; as

Turres denis pedibus, quam muri, altiores sunt, the towers are higher by ten feet each than the wall.'

Pompeius biennio quam Cicero major fuit, 'Pompey was older than Cicero by two years.'

Obs. This ablative of quantity is found regularly in the adverbial expressions, quo, 'the more,' eo, by that,' quanto, by how much,' tanto, by so much,' multo, by much,' aliquanto, by something considerable,' paullo, by a little,' nihilo, by nothing.' The last will only express the ablative of quantity; if we wish to express the cause we must use the phrase nulla alia re or in nulla alia re.

(g) The ablative determines the price, when it is expressed by a substantive, and in connexion either with verbs of buying, selling, &c., or with adjectives like carus, vilis, venalis; as

Viginti talentis unam orationem Isocrates vendidit, 'Isocrates sold one speech for 20 talents.'

Multorum sanguine et vulneribus ea Poenis victoria stetit, that victory cost the Carthaginians the blood and wounds of many men.'

Quod non opus est asse carum est, 'that which you do not require is dear at a penny.'

Obs. 1 It is to be observed that this rule applies to the price as distinguished from the value, which is expressed in the genitive; as emere denario quod mille denarium est, 'to buy for a denarius that which is worth 1000 denarii.'

Obs. 2 The general expression of the price is given in the adverbs care, carius, carissime, vilissime, or by the ablatives magno, permagno, plurimo, parvo, vili, nimio, minimo, dimidio; but in some cases have the genitive, as in quanti, tanti, pluris, minoris, tantidem (see above, 156).

(h) The ablative, accompanied by an adjective, determines the quality of a thing; and is either connected immediately with the subject which it describes, or predicated through the copulative verb; thus we have,

Caesar traditur fuisse excelsa statura, calore candido, nigris oculis, valetudine prospera, 'Cæsar is said to have been of lofty stature, fair complexion, black eyes, and sound constitution.'

Obs. On the genitive of quality see above (149). The ablative is more common, because the genitive is sometimes ambiguous. In adjectives of the third declension the ablative is, on this account, so much more common than the genitive, that it even follows a genitive of quality in the same sentence, when there is a change of declension; thus we have Thyus, homo maximi corporis terribilique facie.

(B) Ablative of Circumstance.

164 The ablative of circumstance, or ablative absolute, as it is commonly called, is a construction in which both subject and predicate stand in the ablative case without any conjunction or copula, and which defines a concomitant or antecedent circumstance of time, cause, condition or assumption. In order to use this ablative of circumstance the following rules must be observed:

(a) The predicate of the ablative sentence must be a substantive, an adjective, or a participle; in other words, if the subordinate sentence represented includes the primary predicate in a verb, it must be changed into the corresponding participle; thus,

for quum puer essem, 'when I was a boy,' we may write me puero, 'I being a boy.'

for quum caelum serenum est,' when the sky is clear,' we may write caelo sereno, 'the sky being clear.'

for quum natura reluctatur, 'when nature resists,' we may write natura reluctante, 'nature resisting.'

for postquam Augustus mortuus est,' after Augustus was dead,' we may write Augusto mortuo, 'Augustus being dead.'

for quum Caesar profecturus esset, 'when Cæsar was about to start,' we may write Caesare profecturo, 'Cæsar being about to

start.'

(b) The subject of the ablative sentence must not appear in the main sentence, either as subject, or in an oblique case.

may say,

Thus we

Augustus natus est Cicerone et Antonio consulibus; iisdem consulibus Catilinae conjuratio erupit, 'Augustus was born, Cicero and Antonius being consuls (in their consulship); the same men being consuls (in the same consulship) the conspiracy of Catiline broke out,'

because Augustus, the subject of the first sentence, and conjuratio, the subject of the second, are different respectively from Cicero and Antonius, who are the subjects of the first absolute sentence, and from iidem, which is the subject of the second absolute sentence.

On the other hand we could not render the sentence, 'as Dionysius feared the rasor of his barber, he burnt off the hair with red-hot

coals,' by Dionysio cultros tonsorios metuente, candenti carbone sibi adurebat capillum, because Dionysius is the subject of adurebat no less than of metuo, implied in metuente. We must therefore express the circumstance either by Dionysius, quod cultros tonsorios metuebat, or Dionysius, cultros metuens tonsorios, candenti carbone sibi adurebat capillum.

Similarly, if the subject of the dependent sentence appears before in an oblique case, we cannot use the ablative of circumstance; thus, if we had to express in Latin, after Cæsar was dead the greatest honours were paid to him,' we could not render this by, Caesare mortuo, summi ei honores habiti sunt, but must write, Caesari mortuo summi honores habiti sunt.

If, however, the subordinate sentence, though it has the same subject as the main verb, can be expressed passively, so that its object becomes its subject, the subject will of course be different, and the ablative of circumstance may be employed; thus the sentence, 'Xerxes, having carried on the war in Greece unprosperously, began to be an object of contempt even to his own subjects,' may be rendered either by Xerxes, quum bellum in Graecia infeliciter gessisset, or, bello in Graecia infeliciter gesto, etiam suis contemptui esse coepit.

Obs. 1 The predicate of the ablative absolute is most frequently expressed by a participle; but as the Latin language has no present participle of the substantive verb, a noun representing the primary predicate is often appended without any copula, as in Cicerone et Antonio consulibus, te auctore, duce Cicerone, caelo sereno, aestu magno, summa hominum frequentia, &c.

Obs. 2 A negative may be attached to the predicate; as me non invito, when I was not unwilling.'

Obs. 3 The participles of impersonal verbs may be used in the ablative of circumstance without any subject; thus from auditum est, cognitum est, we may have audito, 'it having been heard,' cognito, 'it having been known' (see below, 182, (e), Obs. 1).

(C) Ablative of the Object.

165 (a) An ablative of the object is used with the adjectives, dignus, 'worthy,' indignus, 'unworthy,' contentus, 'contented,' fretus, relying,' praeditus, 'endued;' as

Dignus es odio, 'you are worthy of hatred.'