Quibus ipse cúm beatis sémet comitantibus, 'Et in crypta súum prope cúrent corpus ponere. In these imitations of the trochaic Septenarius it will be observed that the ictus always corresponds to the accent (above, 3, (6)), except in the word ducebant. An approximation to this kind of versification is cited as early as the time of Julius Cæsar, whose soldiers, according to Suetonius (Jul. Caesar, 51), sang thus at his triumph over the Gauls: 'Urbani serváte uxores moéchum calvum addúcimus. Aúrum in Gallia effútuisti: at híc sumpsisti mútuum. Here also the accent corresponds to the ictus except in the first word. 273 (b) The tendency to homoeoteleuton or rhyme, which was common enough in the oldest Latin verse (see Ennius, apud Cic. Tusc. 1. 35, 44; de Offic. 1. 12; Anonym. ap. Cic. Tusc. I. 28; Orat. III. 38; Plaut. Capt. 1. 1. 17; Cas. II. 7. 1; Cistell. II. 1. 48; Mil. Glor. II. 1. 1), and which the classical poets generally, but not always, avoided, was allowed to prevail, when accent had superseded quantity, and Christian poets in the middle ages used this substitute for the resources of the old metrical system with no inconsiderable success. The following stanzas from the celebrated hymn de Novissimo judicio, by Thomas of Celano, a Minorite of the 13th century, furnish one of the most pleasing specimens: Júdex ergo quúm sedebit Quidquid latet, apparebit Quid sum miser túm dicturus? Quúm vix justus sit securus? Occasional practice in writing these rhyming trochaics will contribute to extend the student's command over the Latin language, if he is careful to observe the classical usages of quantity and metre, which are signally neglected in most of these sacred Latin poems. § 7. Poetic Style as connected with Metre. 274 Elaborate treatises have been written on the style, diction, and idiom of Latin poetry. The most important of these works is Jani's (Artis Poeticae Latinae Libri IV. Hala, 1774), which has also appeared in an English adaptation (Art of Latin Poetry. Cambridge, 1828). And the student, who wishes to pursue the subject, may have recourse to one of these books. Most of the grammatical forms peculiar to poetry, have been noticed in their proper places. Here it will be sufficient to adduce a few particulars respecting those forms and constructions, which are adopted to obviate some difficulty of metre. (a) Obsolete forms are sometimes used to help the scansion; thus we have genitives in a for ae; imperf. in -ibam for -iebam, and even in -ibo for -iam, and infinitives in -ier for -i; olli for illi; and indu- for inin compounds, as induperator for imperator. These and other archaisms are generally confined to epic verse. (b) Syllables are contracted when the metre requires it; thus we have always ↑ for ii in dî for dii, and in the gen. sing. of substantives in Virgil and Horace; and um is written for either -orum or for -ium in the gen. plur.; u is written for ui and e for ei, as in constantis juvenem fide; parce metu; we have -asse, -assem, -esse, -essem for -avisse, -evisse, -avissem, -evissem; also -aro, -oro for -avero, -overo; and in particular words we have contractions of contiguous short syllables, as reice for rějice, compostus for compositus, puertia for pueritia, and even when the second syllable is long, as aspris for asperis (Virg. Æn. II. 379). On the contrary, we have resolutions, as navita for nauta, silua for silva, alituum for alitum. (c) Prepositions are separated from their cases; as argutos inter strepere anser olores (Virg. Ecl. IX. 36); and prepositions and other separable words are divided by what is called tmesis from the rest of the compound, as inque salutatum linquo (Virg. Æn. IX. 288); argento post omnia ponas (Hor. 1 Serm. 1. 86); septem subjecta trioni (Virg. Georg. III. 381); quae me cunque vocant terræ (Virg. En. 1. 614). (d) Græcisms are occasionally introduced; thus the gen. is used as an ablative (above, 153, Obs. 4), and the participle is used as an infin. in an objective sentence, e. g. sensit medios delapsus in hostes, Virg. En. II. 377 (cf. above, 177, Obs. 1). (e) The order of the words, in Latin as in other poetry, is often affected by the exigencies of the metre, but a study of the best authors will correct the natural tendency to take undue liberties in this respect. APPENDIX I. CLASSIC AUTHORS. THE best writers of Latin are called auctores classici, i. e. 'authors of the first class,' a phrase derived from the comitia centuriata, which divided the Roman people into classes according to their wealth (Aul. Gel. XIX. 8). They are also subdivided, according to the old mythological arrangement, into authors of the golden and silver age respectively. The period during which the Latin language flourished in full perfection was little more than three hundred years, that is, from about 200 B.C. to about 100 A.D. The Christian æra indicates the line of demarcation between the golden and silver ages of Latinity. A. Golden Age. T. Maccius Plautus (254-184 B. C.); b. at Sarsina in Umbria: 20 Comedies. P. Terentius Afer (195-159 B.C.); b. at Carthage: 6 Comedies. M. Terentius Varro (116-28 B.C.); b. at Rome: 3 books on Agriculture; 6 books on the Latin Language. M. Tullius Cicero (106-43 B.C.); b. at Arpinum, in the Volscian territory: Rhetorical and Philosophical Works; Orations; Epistles. C. Julius Cæsar (100-44 B.C.); b. at Rome: History. T. Lucretius Carus (95-52 B.C.); b. at Rome: Philosophical Poetry. Cornelius Nepos (? -30 B.C.); b. at Verona: Lives of Cato and Atticus. The other biographies ascribed to him were written by Æmilius Probus in the reign of Theodosius. C. Sallustius Crispus (86-34 B.C.); b. at Amiternum, in the Sabine territory: histories of the rebellion of Catiline and the war with Jugurtha. P. Virgilius (or rather Vergilius) Maro (70-19 B.C.); b. at Andes near Mantua, in Cisalpine Gaul: 10 books of Bucolics, 4 of Georgics, and 12 of the Eneid. Q. Horatius Flaccus (65-8 B.C.); b. at Venusia in Apulia: 4 books of Odes, 1 book of Epodes, 2 of Satires, and 2 of Epistles in verse. Albius Tibullus (54 -18 B.C.); b. at Pedum near Tibur in Latium: Ele giac Poetry. Sex. Aurelius Propertius (51 1-19 BC.); b. in Umbria: Elegiac Poetry. Titus Livius (59-19 B.C.); b. at Padua in Cisalpine Gaul: History. P. Ovidius Naso (43 B. C.-18 A.D.); b. at Sulmo, in the territory of the Peligni: Elegiac Poetry, and Mythology in verse. M. Vitruvius Pollio (?); Architecture. M. Manilius (also Manlius or Mallius) (?): Astronomy in verse. T. Phædrus (?): Fables. B. Silver Age. M. Annæus Seneca, father of L. Seneca, and grandfather of Lucan (60 B.C.-30 A.D.): Rhetoric. Velleius Paterculus (killed A.D. 31): History. L. Julius Moderatus Columella (?): Agriculture. C. Valerius Flaccus (ob. A.D. 88): Epic Poetry. Q. Curtius Rufus (?): Life of Alexander the Great. M. Fabius Quintilianus (ob. A.D. 88): Rhetoric. P. Papinius Statius (ob. A.D. 95): Poetry of various kinds. M. Valerius Martialis (?): Epigrams. D. Junius Juvenalis (about A.D. 95): 16 Satires. L. Annæus Florus (do.): History. C. Cornelius Tacitus (cos. A.D. 97): History, Biography, and Rhetoric. C. Plinius Cæcilius Secundus, nephew of the older Pliny (about A.D. 95): Epistles and Oratory. C. Suetonius Tranquillus (do.): Biographies. Pomponius Mela (?): Geography. The nature of the ancient Roman language, before the classical age, may be seen from the subjoined short specimens of old Latinity. (a) Royal Laws. Romulus; about 750 B.C. Sei parentem puer verbesit, ast ole plorasit, puer diveis parentom sacer estod. (Si parentem puer verberarit, ast ille ploraverit, puer Divis parentum sacer esto.) Numa; about 700 B.C. Sei qui hemonem læbesum dolo sciens mortei duit, pariceidas estod. (Si quis hominem liberum dolo sciens morti det, parricida esto.) (b) Tribunitian Law; 493 B.C. Sei qui aliuta faxit, ipsos Jovei sacer estod; et sei qui im, quei eo plebei scito sacer siet, ocisit, pariceidas ne estod. (Si quis aliter fecerit, ipse Jovi sacer esto; et si quis eum, qui eo plebis scito sacer sit, occiderit, parricida ne sit.) (c) XII. Tables; 450 B.C. Sei qui in jous vocatus nec it, antestamino; igitur im capito; si calvitur pedemve struit, manum endo jacito. (Si quis in jus vocatus non it, antestare; inde eum capito; si moratur fugitve, manum injicito.) (d) Tiburtine Inscription; about 320 B.C. Nos animum nostrum non indoucebamus ita facta esse, propter ea quod scibamus ea vos merito nostro facere non potuisse: neque vos dignos esse quei ea faceretis, neque id vobeis neque rei poplicæ vestræ oitile esse facere. (Nos animum nostrum non inducebamus ita facta esse, propterea quod sciebamus ea vos merito nostro facere non potuisse: neque vos dignos esse qui ea faceretis, neque id vobis neque reipublicæ vestræ utile esse facere.) (e) Epitaph on L. Cornelius Scipio; about 260 B.C. L. Cornelio' L. F. Scipio. Aidiles. Cosol. Cesor. Lúciom Scípiónem. | Fíliós Barbáti Cósol Cénsor Aidíles | híc fúet apúd vos. Dédet témpestátebus | aídé' meréto. (L. Cornelius L. F. Scipio Ædilis, Consul, Censor. D. L. G. L. Scipionem. Filius Barbati Consul, Censor, Edilis hic fuit apud vos. 30 |