CHAPTER LXVI.

PREPOSITIONS IN COMPOSITION.

[§ 325.] THE majority of the prepositions are used also to form compound words, especially verbs, modifying, naturally, by their own meaning that of the words to which they are joined. The prepositions themselves often undergo a change in their pronunciation and orthography, on account of the initial letter of the verb to which they are prefixed. But the opinions of ancient as well as modern grammarians differ on no point so much as upon the detail of these changes, some taking into account the facility of pronunciation, and assimilating the concurrent letters of the prepositions and the simple verb accordingly, others preferring to leave the prepositions unchanged, at least in writing, because the former method admits of much that is arbitrary. Even in old MSS. and in the inscribed monuments of antiquity the greatest inconsistency prevails, and we find, e. g., existere along with exsistere, collega along with conlega, and imperium along with inperium, in the same book. In the following remarks, therefore, as we must have something certain and lasting, we can decide only according to prevalent usage, but there are some points which we must determine for ourselves as well as we can.

Ad remains unchanged before vowels, and before the consonants d, j, v, m; before other consonants it undergoes an assimilation, that is, the d is changed into the letter which follows it, and before qu into the kindred c, as in acquiro, acquiesco. Before gn the d is dropped, as in agnatus, agnosco. But grammarians are not agreed as to whether the d is to be retained before l, n, r, s, and still less as to whether it may stand before f. Even the most ancient MSS. are not consistent, and we find in them, e. g., adloquor, adfecto, adspiro, and, on the other hand, allicio, affligo, assuetus, aspectus, ascendo. Our own opinion is in favour of the assimilation, and we make an exception only in the case of adscribo, on account of the agreement of the MSS. on this point. The signification of ad remains the same as usual, as in adjungo, assumo, affero, appono, alloquor. In approbo and affirmo it either expresses a di

rection towards, or merely strengthens the meaning of the simple verb.

Ante remains unchanged; in anticipare and antistare alone the e is changed into i, though antesto also is approved of. Its meaning is "before," as in antepono, an teféro.

Circum remains unchanged, and retains, in writing, its m even before vowels, although in pronunciation (but without the elision of the vowel preceding) it was lost. Only in circumeo and its derivatives the m is often dropped; as, circueo. Its meaning is "around," "about," as in circumago, circumdo, circumfero.

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Inter remains unchanged, except in the word intelligo. Its meaning is "between" or among," as in interpono. Ob remains generally unchanged, and undergoes the assimilation only before c, f, g, and p. In obsolesco, from the simple verb oleo, and in ostendo, from tendo, we must recognise an ancient form obs, like abs for ab. Its meaning of "against" or "before" appears in oppono, offero, occurro, oggannio.

[§ 326.] Per remains unchanged even before 7, though some think otherwise; in pellicio, however, it is universal ly assimilated. The r is dropped only in the word pejero, I commit a perjurium. Its meaning is "through," as in perlego, perluceo, perugo. When added to adjectives it strengthens their meaning (§ 107), but in perfidus and perjurus it has the power of a negative particle.

Post remains unchanged, except in pomoerium and pomeridianus, in which st is dropped; its meaning is “after," as in postpono.

Praeter remains unchanged, and signifies "passing by," as in praetereo, praetermitto.

Trans remains unchanged before vowels, and for the most part also before consonants. In the following words the ns is dropped: trado, traduco, trajicio, trano, which forms are more frequent than transdo, transduco, transjicio, transno, though the latter are not to be rejected. When the verb begins with s, the s at the end of trans is better omitted, and we should write transcribo, transilio. Its meaning, "through," "over," or "across," appears in transeo, trajicio, and transmitto, I cross (a river); trado, surrender.

[§ 317.] A, ab, abs, viz.: a before m and v; ab before

vowels and most consonants, even before f, though afus exists along with abfui; in aufero (to distinguish it from affero) and aufugio, ab is changed into av or au; abs occurs only before c and t, but appears mutilated in asporto and aspernor. Its meaning is " from," or away," as in amitto, avehor, abeo, abjicio, abrado, aufero, abscondo, abstineo.

De, "down," or "away from," as in dejicio, descendo, detraho, detero, rub off; despicio, look down upon, despise. In some compounds, especially adjectives, it has a negative power, as in decolor, deformis, demens, desipio, despero; in demiror, deamo, and dejero, on the other hand, it seems to strengthen the meaning.

E and ex, viz.: ex before vowels, and before consonants sometimes e and sometimes ex: ex before c, p, q, s, t, ex cept in escendo and epōto; before ƒ it assimilates to it; e is used before all the other consonants, except in exlex. We, therefore, should write exspecto, exsilium, exstinguo, out the ancient grammarians, as Quintilian and Priscian, are for throwing out the s, and in MSS. we usually find extinguo, extruxi, exequor, and expecto, exul, exilium, notwithstanding the ambiguity which sometimes may arise. Its meaning "out of," or "from," appears in ejicio, emineo, enato, eripio, effero (extuli), excello, expono, exquiro, extraho, exaudio, exigo, exulcero, &c. The idea of completion is implied in several of these compounds, as in efficio,

enarro, exoro.

[§ 328.] In is changed into im before b and p and another m, and it is assimilated to 1 and r. Its meaning is "in" or "into," as in incurro, impono, illido, irrumpo. When prefixed to adjectives and participles, which have the signification of adjectives, it has a negative power, and does not appear to be the preposition in, but equiva lent to and identical with our in or un; e. g., indoctus, in cautus, ineptus (from aptus), insipiens, improvidus, imprudens, imparatus, the negative of paratus, because there is no verb imparo. Some other compounds of this kind have a double meaning, since they may be either negative ad jectives, or participles of a compound verb; e. g., indictus, unsaid, or announced; infractus, unbroken, or broken into; invocatus, uninvited, or accosted, called in. The participle perf. passive, when compounded with in, often ac quires the signification of impossibility; e. g., invictus, un

conquered and unconquerable; indefessus, indefatigable; infinitus, immeasurable.

Prae remains unchanged, but is shortened when a vowel follows. (See above, § 15.) Its meaning is "before," as in praefero, praecipio, praeripio. When prefixed to adjectives, it strengthens their meaning. (See § 107.)

Pro remains unchanged, but in many words it is shortened even before consonants. (See above, § 22.) For the purpose of avoiding hiatus, a d is inserted in prodeo, prodigo, and in those forms of the verb prosum in which the initial e would cause hiatus; as, prodes, prodest, proderam. (See above, § 156.) Its meaning, "forth," or forward," appears in profero, procurro, prodeo, projicio, prospicio.

[§ 329.] Sub remains unchanged before vowels (but sūmo seems to be formed from subimo, as demo and promo are formed from the same root), but undergoes assimilation before c, f, g, m, p; not always before r, for we have surripio, and yet subrideo, where, however, the difference in meaning is to be taken into account. In suscipio, suscito, suspendo, sustineo, and the perfect sustuli, an s is inserted instead of the b, whence an ancient form subs is supposed to have existed analogous to abs and obs. The b is dropped before sp, but before sc and st it is retained. Its meaning is "under," as in summitto, suppono, sustineo; or from under," as in subduco, summoveo, surripio; an approach from below is expressed in subeo, succedo, suspicio, look up to, esteem; and to do a thing instead of another person, in subsortior. It weakens the meaning in such verbs as subrideo, subvereor, and in adjectives, such as subabsurdus, subtristis, subrusticus, subobscurus.

Super, "above," as in superimpono, supersto, supersedeo, set myself above, or omit.

Subter, "from under," as in subterfugio.

Com, for cum, appears in this form only before b, p, m; before 1, n, r, the final m is assimilated to these letters, and before all other consonants it is changed into n. Before vowels the m is dropped, e. g., coëo, cohaereo, and in addition to this a contraction takes place in and cogito (from coago, coagito.) The m is retained only in a few words; as, comes, comitium, comitor, comedo. It signifies with," or 'together," as in conjungo, consero, compono, collido, colligo, corrado, coëo, coalesca cohaereo. In some

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cogo

verbs and participles it merely strengthens the meaning; as, corrumpo, concerpo, confringo, consceleratus.

[§ 330.] Note.-We must not leave unnoticed here what are called the inseparable prepositions (among which con is reckoned, although it is only a different pronunciation for cum); that is, some little words, which are never used by themselves, but occur only in compound verbs and adjec tives, where they modify the meaning in the same way as the above-men ioned separable prepositions. The following is a list of them:

Amb (from the Greek ȧuoí), "around," "about," as in ambio, ambūro (am bustus), ambigo, ambiguus. In amplector, amputo, the b is dropped on account of the p; before palatals amb is changed into an; e. g., anceps, anquiro, and also before f, in the word anfractus.

Dis or di, denoting separation, as in digero, dirimo, dijudico, dispono, dis sero, distinguo, dimitto (to be distinguished from demitto). It strengthens the meaning in discupio. Before c, p, q, t, dis is retained entire; before j, we sometimes have dis, as in disjicio, disjungo; and sometimes di, as in dijudico. Before s, with a consonant after it, di is used, and dis when the s after it is followed by a vowel: di-spergo, di-sto, dis-socio, dis-suadeo; diser tus, however, is formed from dissero. Before f, dis is changed into dif, as in differo. Di is used before all other consonants.

Re signifies "back," remitto, rejicio, revertor. Before a vowel or an ha d is inserted, redeo, redigo, redhibeo; this is neglected only in compounds formed by late and unclassical writers; e. g., reaedifico, reagens. The d in reddo, I give back, is of a different kind. Re denotes separation in resolvo, revello, retego, recingo, recludo, refringo, reseco; and in relego, rebibo, and oth ers, it denotes repetition.

Se, "aside," "on one side," seduco, sevoco, secubo, sepono, sejungo. In adjectives it signifies "without," securus, sobrius for sebrius (non ebrius), socors for secors. Seorsum is contracted from sevorsum, aside. A d is inserted in seditio, separation, sedition, from se and itio.

The prefixes ne and ve are of somewhat different nature; ne has negative power, as in nefas, nemo (ne hemo, obsolete for homo), nescio. Ve is likewise negative, but occurs in a much smaller number of words, viz., in vesanus and vecors (vecordia), senseless. In vegrandis and vepallidus it seems to denote ugliness.

CHAPTER LXVII

CONJUNCTIONS.*

[§ 331.] 1. CONJUNCTIONS are those indeclinable parts of speech which express the relations in which sentences stand to one another. They therefore are, as it were, the links of propositions, whence their name conjunctions.

Note 1.-Some conjunctions, and more particularly all those which form the first class in our division, connect not only sentences, but single words. This, however, is in reality the case only when two propositions are contracted into one, or when one is omitted, as in Mars sive Mavors bellis praesidet; here sive Mavors is to be explained by the omission of sive is Mavors appellandus est, which phrase is, in fact, not unfrequently used. The propositions vive diu ac feliciter and ratio et oratio homines conjungit, again, may be divided each into two propositions, joined by the conjunctions vive diu

*

[Compare Crombie's Gymnasium, vol. i., p. xlv., seq.]--Am. Ea