Caesar uno die fecit, Caesar finished in a single day the work which the Helvetii had with the greatest difficulty completed in twenty days. Mane haec scripsi, I wrote this in the morning. Heri vesperi apud me Hirtius fuit, Hirtius was at my house last evening. Qui non est hodie, cras minus aptus erit, He who is not fit (for the work) to-day will be less fit to-morrow.-Ov. Postero die Helvetii castra ex eo loco movent, The Helvetii march away from that position on the following day. Postridie ejus diei Caesar Rhenum transire constituit, Caesar determines to cross the Rhine on the following day. Pridie quam has litteras dedi, The day before I wrote this letter. Quotidie magis id perspicio, I see that more clearly every day. NOTE 1.-To express every day literally, the Latins used in singulos dies; thus Cicero writes Quotidie, vel potius in singulos dies, breviores litteras ad te mitto. - NOTE 2. Quotidie is often, and more correctly, written Cotidie. TEMPORAL CONJUNCTIONS. 136. 1. Dum in the sense of while, and donec in the sense of as long as, usually take the Indicative— Lacedaemoniorum gens fortis fuit, dum Lycurgi leges vigebant, The Spartans were brave, while the laws of Lycurgus were unimpaired. Donec eris felix, multos numerabis amicos, So long as you are prosperous you will reckon many friends.—Ov. 2. Dum and donec, in the sense of until, in reference to an action not yet completed, take the Subjunctive— Expectabo dum mihi litterae tuae veniant, I will wait till your letter reaches me. Rusticus expectat dum defluat amnis, The countryman waits till the river shall run dry.-HOR. Te expectabo donec ad hunc locum venias, I will await your arrival at this place. 3. Dum, while, is often found with the Imperfect Present even when past events are referred to― Dum ea ibi Romani gerunt, Antemnatium exercitus in fines Romanos incursionem fecit, While the Romans were thus engaged in that quarter, an army of the Antemnates made a raid on the Roman border-land. 4. Ut, when, is often used with the past tenses of the Indicative Ut primum a tuo discessu Romam veni, On my first visit to Ut primum in illud oppidum venit, On his first arrival in that town. 5. Cum (often, but incorrectly, written quum), when, is often used with the past tenses of the Subjunctive Cum legati venissent, sese omnes flentes Caesari ad pedes Cum Alexandriae essem fuit Antiochus mecum, When me. 6. Cum, since, introducing a reason for or against a statement, is followed by a Subjunctive Quae cum ita sint, And since this is the case. Cum vita sine amicis metus plena sit, ratio ipsa monet amicitias comparare, Seeing that life without friends is full of alarm, reason itself warns us to provide ourselves with friendships. In this sense cum is rather causal than temporal, and when it merely marks the time of an action without giving any notion of cause, it takes the Indicative— Cum haec scribebam, When I was writing this letter. 7. Antequam and priusquam, before, take the Indicative when they merely mark a connexion in reference to time. Antequam tuas litteras legi, in hominem ire cupiebam, Before I read your letter I was anxious to visit the man. Priusquam de ceteris rebus respondeo, de amicitia pauca dicam, Before I reply on the other points, I will say a few words on the subject of friendship. But if one occurrence is conceived by the writer as depending in any way on the other, or as uncertain, the Subjunctive is used— Antequam venias ad campum, intrandae sunt angustiae, Before you can reach the plain you must pass through a defile. Priusquam incipias, consule, Before you begin, deliberate. 8. Postquam, after that, usually takes the Indicative, because it naturally introduces a statement of fact Undecimo die postquam a te discesseram, On the eleventh Eo postquam Caesar pervenit, obsides poposcit, When NOTE.-Bear in mind that the Indicative is the mood of Fact, and the Subjunctive is the mood of Conception. PRICE AND VALUE. 137. The price and value of things is usually expressed by the genitive, as Parvi, of little value; minoris, for less price. Te semper maximi feci, I have always held you in the highest esteem. Quanti hoc emisti? How much did this cost you? Frumentum multo minoris vendidit quam tu, He sold corn at a far lower price than you did. Sometimes by the ablative, as of the instrument, especially of definite value Viginti talentis unam orationem Isocrates vendidit, Isocrates sold a single speech for twenty talents. Multo sanguine ac vulneribus ea Poenis victoria stetit, That victory cost the Carthaginians much life-blood and (many) wounds. THE ROMAN CALENDAR. 138. The names of the months were Ianuarius, Februarius, Martius, Aprīlis, Maius, Iunius, Iulius, Augustus, September, October, November, December. These names are adjectives, mensis being understood with each. March was the first month in the year. July was so called in honour of Julius Caesar, and August in honour of Augustus Caesar; the names of these months having previously been Quintilis and Sextilis. 139. The first day of each month was called Kălendae, “the Kalends;" thus the 1st of March was called Kalendae Martiae, and on the 1st of March was in Latin Kalendis Martiis. The 7th of March was called Nonae Martiae, The Nones of March. The 15th of March was called Idus Martiae, The Ides of March. In March, July, October, May, The Nones were on the seventh day, and the Ides on the fifteenth day. In the other eight months the Nones were on the 5th, and the Ides on the 13th. Hence And Nonis Decembribus on the 5th of December, Idibus Iuniis on the 13th of June. 140. If we take the month of May as an example, the days were named on the following system : The 31st of May was called "the day before the Kalends of June." The 30th of May..... The 29th of May. The 16th of May...... The 15th of May.. The 8th of May. The 5th of May. The 2d of May.... The 1st of May... "the sixth day before the Nones of May." "the Kalends of May." 141. Thus the days of each month were reckoned backwards from the Nones and Ides of the month, and from the Kalends of the next month. In the reckoning, the day from which and also the day to which the reckoning was made were included. Thus On March 3d was 66 quinto ante Nonas Martias." On October 23d was "decimo ante Kalendas Novembres." |