1373.The ablative neuter of some perfect participles is occasionally used in agreement with a sentence or an infinitive: as,cōgnitō vīvere Ptolomaeum, L. 33, 41, 5,it being known that Ptolomy was alive. This construction is not used in old Latin, and is rare in classical Latin, but common in Livy and Tacitus. So adjectives also: as,incertō quid vītārent, L. 28, 36, 12,it not being obvious what they were to steer clear of.
1374.The ablative absolute is sometimes attended, especially in Livy and Tacitus, by an explanatory word, such asetsī,tamen,nisi,quasi,quamquam, orquamvīs: as,etsī aliquō acceptō dētrīmentō, tamen summā exercitūs salvā, Caes.C.1, 67, 5,though with some loss, yet with the safety of the army as a whole.
The Ablative of Quality.
1375.The ablative with an adjective in agreement or with a limiting genitive is used to denote quality, either predicatively or attributively: as,
(a.) Predicatively:capillō sunt prōmissō, 5, 14, 3,they have long hair, orlet their hair grow long.singulārī fuit industriā, N. 24, 3, 1,he had unparalleled activity.animō bonō’s, Pl.Aul.732,be of good cheer.ad flūmen Genusum, quod rīpīs erat impedītīs, Caes.C.3, 75, 4,to the river Genusus, which had impracticable banks. (b.) Attributively:difficilī trānsitū flūmen rīpīsque praeruptīs, 6, 7, 5,a river hard to cross and with steep banks.interfectus est C. Gracchus, clārissimō patre, avō, maiōribus,C.1, 4,Gracchus was done to death, a man with an illustrious father, grandfather, and ancestors in general(1044).bōs cervī figūrā, 6, 26, 1,an ox with the shape of a stag. Compare the genitive of quality (1239).
The Ablative of the Route taken.
1376.The instrumental ablative is used with verbs of motion to denote the route taken: as,
Aurēliā viā profectus est,C.2, 6,he has gone off by the Aurelia Road.omnibus viīs sēmitīsque essedāriōs ex silvīs ēmittēbat, 5, 19, 2,he kept sending his chariot men out by all possible highways and byways.hīs pontibus pābulātum mittēbat, Caes.C.1, 40, 1,by these bridges he sent foraging.frūmentum Tiberī vēnit, L. 2, 34, 5,some grain came by the Tiber.lupus Ēsquilīna portā ingressus per portam Capēnam prope intāctus ēvāserat, L. 33, 26, 9,a wolf that came in town by the Esquiline gate had got out through the Capene gate, almost unscathed. This construction gives rise to some adverbs: see707. The ablative of the route is sometimes used with a substantive of action (1301): as,nāvigātiō īnferō,Att.9, 5, 1,the cruise by the lower sea.eōdem flūmine invectiō,Fin.5, 70,entrance by the same river.
(B.) THE INSTRUMENTAL PROPER.
The Ablative of Instrument or Means.
1377.The ablative is used to denote the instrument or means: as,
pugnābant armīs, H.S.1, 3, 103,they fought with arms.clārē oculīs videō, sum pernīx pedibus, manibus mōbilis, Pl.MG.630,I can see distinctly with my eyes, I’m nimble with my legs, and active with my arms.iuvābō aut rē tē aut operā aut cōnsiliō bonō, Pl.Ps.19,I’ll help thee either with my purse or hand or good advice.lacte et carne vīvunt, pellibusque sunt vestītī, 5, 14, 2,they live on milk and meat, and they are clad in skins.contentus paucīs lēctōribus, H.S.1, 10, 74,content with readers few.centēnāque arbore flūctum verberat, V. 10, 207,and with an hundred beams at every stroke the wave he smites. Rarely with substantives denoting action (1301): as,gestōrēs linguīs, audītōrēs auribus, Pl.Ps.429,reporters with their tongues and listeners with their ears.tenerīs labellīs mollēs morsiunculae, Pl.Ps.67a,caressing bites with velvet lips.
1378.When the instrument is a person, the accusative withperis used: as,haec quoque per explōrātōrēs ad hostēs dēferuntur, 6, 7, 9,this too is reported to the enemy through the medium of scouts. Or a circumlocution, such asvirtūte,beneficiō,benignitāte, or especiallyoperā, with a genitive or possessive; as,deūm virtūte multa bona bene parta habēmus, Pl.Tri.346,thanks to the gods, we’ve many a pretty penny prettily put by.meā operā Tarentum recēpistī,CM.11,It was through me you got Tarentum back. Rarely the ablative of a person, the person being then regarded as a thing: as,iacent suīs testibus,Mil.47,they are cast by their own witnesses.
1379.The instrumental ablative is used with the five deponentsfruor,fungor,potior,ūtor,vēscor, and several of their compounds, and withūsus estandopus est: as,
pāce numquam fruēmur,Ph.7, 19,we never shall enjoy ourselves with peace, i.e.we never shall enjoy peace.fungar vice cōtis, H.AP.304,I’ll play the whetstone’s part.castrīs nostrī potītī sunt, 1, 26, 4,our people made themselves masters of the camp.vestrā operā ūtar, L. 3, 46, 8,I will avail myself of your services.carne vēscor,TD.5, 90,I live on meat.opust chlamyde, Pl.Ps.734,there is a job with a cloak, i.e.we need a cloak.
1380.Instead of the instrumental ablative, some of the above verbs take the accusative occasionally in old and post-Augustan Latin: thus, in Plautus, Terence, Cato, alwaysabūtor, alsofungor, except once in Terence;fruorin Cato and Terence, andperfungorin Lucretius, once each;potiortwice in Plautus and three times in Terence, often also the genitive (1292). The gerundive of these verbs is commonly used personally in the passive, as if the verbs were regularly used transitively (2244).
1381.ūtoroften has a second predicative ablative: as,administrīs druidibus ūtuntur, 6, 16, 2,they use the druids as assistants.facilī mē ūtētur patre, T.Hau.217,an easy-going father he will find in me.
1382.ūsus estandopus estsometimes take a neuter participle, especially in old Latin: as,vīsō opust cautōst opus, Pl.Cap.225,there’s need of sight, there’s need of care. Sometimes the ablative with a predicate participle: as,celeriter mī eō homine conventōst opus, Pl.Cur.302,I needs must see that man at once.
1383.Withopus est, the thing wanted is often made the subject nominative or subject accusative, withopusin the predicate: as,dux nōbīs et auctor opus est,Fam.2, 6, 4,we need a leader and adviser. Usually so when the thing needed is a neuter adjective or neuter pronoun: as,multa sibī̆ opus esse,V.1, 126,that he needed much. A genitive dependent onopusis found once or twice in late Latin (1227).
1384.ūsus estis employed chiefly in comedy, but also once or twice in Cicero, Lucretius, Vergil, and Livy. Once with the accusative:ūsust hominem astūtum, Pl.Ps.385,there’s need of a sharp man.
The Ablative of Specification.
1385.The instrumental ablative is used to denote that in respect of which an assertion or a term is to be taken: as,
temporibus errāstī,Ph.2, 23,you have slipped up in your chronology.excellēbat āctiōne,Br.215,his forte lay in delivery.Helvētiī reliquōs Gallōs virtūte praecēdunt, 1, 1, 4,the Helvetians outdo the rest of the Kelts in bravery.hī omnēs linguā, īnstitūtīs, lēgibus inter sē differunt, 1, 1, 2,these people all differ from each other in language, usages, and laws.sunt quīdam hominēs nōn rē sed nōmine,Off.1, 105,some people are human beings not in reality but in name.ūna Suēba nātiōne, altera Nōrica, 1, 53, 4,one woman a Suebe by birth, the other Noric.vīcistis cochleam tarditūdine, Pl.Poen.532,you’ve beaten snail in slowness.dēmēns iūdiciō volgī, H.S.1, 6, 97,mad in the judgement of the world.sapiunt me͡ā sententiā, T.Ph.335,in my opinion they are wise.meā quidem sententiā,CM.56,in my humble opinion.quis iūre perītior commemorārī potest?Clu.107,who can be named that is better versed in the law?
The Ablative of Fulness.
1386.The instrumental ablative is used with verbs of abounding, filling, and furnishing: as,
vīlla abundat porcō, haedō, āgnō,CM.56,the country place is running over with swine, kid, and lamb.tōtum montem hominibus complērī iussit, 1, 24, 3,he gave orders for the whole mountain to be covered over with men.Māgōnem poenā adfēcērunt, N. 23, 8, 2,they visited Mago with punishment.legiōnēs nimis pulcrīs armīs praeditās, Pl.Am.218,brigades in goodliest arms arrayed.cōnsulārī imperiō praeditus,Pis.55,vested with the authority of consul. For the genitive withcompleōandimpleō, see1293.
1387.The ablative is sometimes used with adjectives of fulness, instead of the regular genitive (1263). Thus, in later Latin, rarely withplēnus: as,maxima quaeque domus servīs est plēna superbīs, J. 5, 66,a grand establishment is always full of stuck-up slaves.et ille quidem plēnus annīs abiīt, plēnus honōribus, Plin.Ep.2, 1, 7,well, as for him, he has passed away, full of years and full of honours. So in Cicero and Caesar, once each. Also withdīvesin poetry, and, from Livy on, in prose. Withrefertus, the ablative of things is common, while persons are usually in the genitive (1263). Withonustus, the ablative is generally used, rarely the genitive.
The Ablative of Measure, Exchange, and Price.
1388.The instrumental ablative is used with verbs of measuring and of exchanging, and in expressions of value and price: as,
(a.)quod magnōs hominēs virtūte mētīmur, N. 18, 1, 1,because we gauge great men by their merit. (b.)nēmō nisi vīctor pāce bellum mūtāvit, S.C.58, 15,nobody except a conqueror has ever exchanged war for peace. (c.)haec sīgna sēstertiūm sex mīllibus quīngentīs esse vēndita,V.4, 12,that these statues were sold for sixty-five hundred sesterces.aestimāvit dēnāriīsIII,V.3, 214,he valued it at three denars.trīgintā mīllibus dīxistis eum habitāre,Cael.17,you have said he pays thirty thousand rent.quod nōn opus est, āsse cārum est, Cato in Sen.Ep.94, 28,what you don’t need, at a penny is dear.hem, istūc verbum, mea voluptās, vīlest vīgintī minīs, Pl.Most.297,bless me, that compliment, my charmer, were at twenty minas cheap.
1389.Withmūtōandcommūtō, the ablative usually denotes the thing received. But sometimes in Plautus, and especially in Horace, Livy, and late prose, it denotes the thing parted with: as,cūr valle permūtem Sabīnā dīvitiāsoperōsiōrēs?H. 3, 1, 47,why change my Sabine dale for wealth that brings more care?Similarly withcumin the prose of Cicero’s age: as,mortem cum vītā commūtāre, Sulp. inFam.4, 5, 3,to exchange life for death.
1390.The ablative of price or value is thus used chiefly with verbs or verbal expressions of bargaining, buying or selling, hiring or letting, costing, being cheap or dear. Also withaestimō, of a definite price, and sometimesmagnō,permagnō(1273).
1391.The ablatives thus used, are (a.) those of general substantives of value and price, such aspretium, (b.) numerical designations of money, or (c.) neuter adjectives of quantity,magnō,permagnō,quam plūrimō,parvō,minimō,nihilō,nōnnihilō: as,magnō decumās vēndidī,V.3, 40,I sold the tithes at a high figure. Fortantīandquantī,plūrisandminōris, see1274.
1392.The ablative is also used withdignusandindignus: as,
dignī maiōrum locō,Agr.2, 1,well worthy of the high standing of their ancestors.nūlla vōx est audīta populī Rōmānī maiestāte indigna, 7, 17, 3,not a word was heard out of keeping with the grandeur of Rome. See alsodignorin the dictionary. Similarly in Plautus withcondignē,decōrus,decet,aequē,aequos. For the genitive withdignus, see1269; for the accusative withdignusand a form ofsum, 1144.
The Ablative of the Amount of Difference.
1393.The instrumental ablative is used to denote the amount of difference.
This ablative is used with any words whatever of comparative or of superlative meaning: as,ūnō diē longiōrem mēnsem faciunt aut bīduō,V.2, 129,they make the month longer by a day, or even by two days.ubī̆ adbibit plūs paulō, T.Hau.220,when he has drunk a drop too much.nummō dīvitior, Pl.Ps.1323,a penny richer.bīduō post, 1, 47, 1,two days after.multīs antediēbus,7, 9, 4,many days before.paucīs ante diēbus,C.3, 3,a few days ago.nimiō praestat, Pl.B.396,‘t is ever so much better.multō mālim,Br.184,I would much rather.multō maxima pars,C.4, 17,the largest part by far.
1394.In expressions of time, the accusative is sometimes used withpost, less frequently withante, as prepositions, instead of the ablative of difference: as,post paucōs diēs, L. 21, 51, 2,post diēs paucōs, L. 37, 13, 6,paucōs post diēs, L. 33, 39, 2,after a few days.paucōs ante diēs, L. 39, 28, 4,diēs ante paucōs, L. 31, 24, 5,a few days before. With this prepositional construction, ordinals are common: as,post diem tertium, 4, 9, 1,after the third day, according to the Roman way of reckoning, i.e. the next day but one.
1395.(1.) When the time before or after which anything occurs is denoted by a substantive, the substantive is put in the accusative withanteorpost: as,
paulō ante tertiam vigiliam, 7, 24, 2,a little before the third watch.bīduō antevīctōriam,Fam.10, 14, 1,the day but one before the victory.paucīs diēbus post mortem Āfricānī,L.3,a few days after the death of Africanus.
1396.Sometimes in late writers, as Tacitus, Pliny the younger, and Suetonius, a genitive is loosely used: as,sextum post clādis annum, Ta. 1, 62, i.e.sextō post clādem annō,six years after the humiliating defeat.post decimum mortis annum, Plin.Ep.6, 10, 3,ten years after his death. Similarlyintrā sextum adoptiōnis diem, Suet.Galb.17,not longer than six days after the adoption-day.
1397.(2.) When the time before or after which anything occurs is denoted by a sentence, the sentence may be introduced:
(a.) Byquam: as,post diem tertium gesta rēs est quam dīxerat,Mil.44,it took place two days after he said it. Withquam,postis sometimes omitted. Or (b.) less frequently bycum: as,quem trīduō, cum hās dabam litterās, exspectābam, Planc. inFam.10, 23, 3,I am looking for him three days after this writing(1601). For a relative pronoun sentence, see1354.
1398.Verbs of surpassing sometimes have an accusative of extent (1151): as,mīrāmur hunc hominem tantum excellere cēterīs?IP.39,are we surprised that this man so far outshines everybody else?With comparatives, the accusative is rare: as,aliquantum inīquior, T.Hau.201,somewhat too hard. Similarlypermultum ante,Fam.3, 11, 1,long long before.
1399.In numerical designations of distance, the wordsintervāllumandspatiumare regularly put in the ablative: as,rēxVImīlium passuum intervāllō ā Saburrā cōnsēderat, Caes.C.2, 38, 3,the king had pitched six miles away from Saburra. So sometimesmīlle: as,mīlibus passuumVIa Caesaris castrīs sub monte cōnsēdit, 1, 48, 1. See1152.
1400.Two or more ablatives denoting different relations are often combined in the same sentence: as,
Menippus, meō iūdiciō(1385)tōtā Asiā(1346)illīs temporibus(1350)disertissimus,Br.315,Menippus, in my opinion the most gifted speaker of that day in all Asia.hāc habitā ōrātiōne(1362)mīlitibus studiō(1316)pugnae ardentibus(1370)tubā(1377)sīgnum dedit, Caes.C.3, 90, 4,seeing that his soldiers were hot for battle after this speech, he gave the signal by trumpet.
1401.Two cases, the accusative and the ablative, are used with prepositions.
1402.Prepositions were originally adverbs which served to define more exactly the meaning of a verb.
Thus,endo,in,on, the older form ofin, is an adverb, in an injunction occurring in a law of the Twelve Tables, 451B.C.,manum endo iacitō,let him lay hand on. Similarly,trāns,over, intrānsque datō,and he must hand over, i.e.trāditōque.
1403.In the course of time such adverbs became verbal prefixes; the verbs compounded with them may take the case, accusative or ablative, required by the meaning of the compound. Thus,amīcōs adeō,I go to my friends(1137);urbe exeō,I go out of town(1302).
1404.For distinctness or emphasis, the prefix of the verb may be repeated before the case: as,ad amīcōs adeō;ex urbe exeō. And when it is thus separately expressed before the case, it may be dropped from the verb: as,ad amīcōs eō;ex urbe eō.
1405.The preposition thus detached from the verb becomes an attendant on a substantive, and serves to show the relation of the substantive in a sentence more distinctly than the case alone could.
1406.A great many adverbs which are never used in composition with a verb likewise become prepositions: as,apud,circiter,īnfrā,iūxtā,pōne,propter, &c., &c. The inflected forms of substantives,prīdiē,postrīdiē(1413),tenus(1420), andfīnī(1419), are also sometimes used as prepositions. Andvicem(1145),causā,grātiā,nōmine,ergō(1257), resemble prepositions closely in meaning.
1407.A trace of the original adverbial use of prepositions is sometimes retained, chiefly in poetry, when the prefix is separated from its word by what is calledTmesis: as,īre inque gredī, i.e.ingredīque, Lucr. 4, 887,to walk and to step off.per mihī̆ mīrum vīsum est,DO.1, 214,passing strange it seemed to me.
1408.Even such words as are used almost exclusively as prepositions sometimes retain their original adverbial meaning also: as,adque adque, E. in Gell. 10, 29, 2,and up and up,and on and on, orand nearer still and still more near.occīsīs ad hominum mīlibus quattuor, 2, 33, 5,about four thousand men being killed.susque dēque,Att.14, 6, 1,up and down,topsy turvy,no matter how.
1409.On the other hand, some verbal prefixes are never used as separate prepositions with a substantive. These are calledInseparable Prepositions; they are:amb-,round,an-,up,dis-,in two,por-,towards,rē̆d-,back. Usually alsosēd-,apart(1417).
1410.The accusative is accompanied by the following prepositions:
ad,to,adversusoradversum,towards,against,ante, in composition alsoantid-,before,apud,near,at,circā,circum,circiter,round,about,cis,citrā,this side of,contrā,opposite to,ergā,towards,extrā,outside,īnfrā,below,inter,between,intrā,within,iūxtā,near,ob,against,penes,in the possession of,per,through,pōne,post, in Plautuspostid,poste,pos,behind,praeter,past,prope(propius,proximē),propter,near,secundum,after,subter,under,suprā,above,trāns,across,uls,ultrā,beyond. For the various shades of meaning and applications of these prepositions, see the dictionary.
1411.Prepositions which accompany the accusative may be easily remembered in this order:
ante,apud,ad,adversum,circum,cis,ob,trāns,secundum,penes,pōne,prope,per,post, and all in-āand-ter.
ante,apud,ad,adversum,
circum,cis,ob,trāns,secundum,
penes,pōne,prope,per,
post, and all in-āand-ter.
1412.Of the above named words some are not used as prepositions till a relatively late period.
Thus,īnfrāis first used as a preposition by Terence and once only;circāsomewhat before andcitrāabout Cicero’s time;ultrāfirst by Cato;iūxtāby Varro. In Ciceroiūxtāis still used only as an adverb, in Caesar and Nepos as a preposition.
1413.The substantive formsprīdiē,the day before, andpostrīdiē,the day after, are sometimes used with an accusative like prepositions, mostly in Cicero, to denote dates: as,prīdiē nōnās Māiās,Att.2, 11, 2,the day before the nones of May, i.e.6 May.postrīdiē lūdōs Apollinārīs,Att.16, 4, 1,the day after the games of Apollo, i.e.6 July. For the genitive with these words, see1232.
1414.The adverbvorsusorversus,wards, occurs as a post positive (1434) preposition rarely: once in Sallust,Aegyptum vorsus, J. 19, 3,Egyptwards, in Cicero a few times, twice in Pliny the elder.usque,even to, occurs with names of towns in Terence (once), Cicero, and later; with appellatives in Cato (once) and late writers.
1415.clam,secretly, is ordinarily an adverb. But in old Latin it is used often as a preposition,unknown to, with an accusative of a person. Terence has once the diminutive formclanculum,Ad.52. With the ablative only in the MSS. of Caesar, once,clam vōbīs,C.2, 32, 8,without your knowledge, and inBell. Afr.11, 4.
1416.subter,under, is used in poetry, once by Catullus and once by Vergil, with the locative ablative: as,Rhoetēō subter lītore, Cat. 65, 7,beneath Rhoeteum’s strand.
1417.The ablative is accompanied by the following prepositions:
abs,ab, orā,from,cōram,face to face,dē,down from,from,of,exorē,out of,prae,at the fore,in front of,prō,before,quomorcum,with,sine,without. In official or legal language, alsosēdorsē,without. For the different classes of ablatives with these prepositions, see1297-1300; for the various shades of meanings and applications, see the dictionary.
1418.Prepositions which accompany the ablative may be easily remembered in this order:
abs(ab,ā),cum,cōram,dē,prae,prō,sine,ex(orē).
abs(ab,ā),cum,cōram,dē,
prae,prō,sine,ex(orē).
1419.The ablativefīnī,as far as, is used in old Latin as a preposition with the ablative: as,osse fīnī, Pl.Men.859,down to the bone.operītō terrā rādīcibus fīnī, Cato,RR.28, 2,cover with loam the length of the roots. Also, as a real substantive, with a genitive (1255): as,ānsārum īnfimārum fīnī, Cato,RR.113, 2,up to the bottom of the handles. Rarelyfīne, and before the genitive: as,fīne genūs, O. 10, 537,as far as the knee.
1420.tenus,the length, was originally a substantive accusative (1151). From Cicero on, it is used as a preposition with the ablative, and standing after its case: as,Taurō tenus,D.36,not further than Taurus.pectoribus tenus, L. 21, 54, 9,quite up to the breast.hāctenus,thus far,only thus far. Also, as a real substantive, with a genitive, usually a plural, mostly in verse (1232): as,labrōrum tenus, Lucr. 1, 940,the length of the lips,up to the lips.Cūmārum tenus, Cael. inFam.8, 1, 2,as far as Cumae.
1421.The adverbspalam,in presence of,procul,apart from, eithernearorfar,simul,with, are rarely used in poetry and late prose as prepositions with the ablative.coramoccurs but once as a preposition (inscriptional) before Cicero’s time.absquewith the ablative occurs once each in Cicero and Quintilian; in Plautus and Terence only in a coordinate protasis (1701;2110).
1422.Two cases, the accusative and the ablative, are accompanied by the prepositions in, olderendo,indu,into,in,sub,under, andsuper,over,on.
1423.(1.)inandsubaccompany the accusative of the end of motion, the locative ablative of rest: as,
(a.)in cūriam vēnimus,V.4, 138,we went to the senate-house.in vincla coniectus est,V.5, 17,he was put in irons.hīc pāgus eius exercitum sub iugum mīserat, 1, 12, 5,this canton had sent his army under the yoke. (b.)erimus in castrīs,Ph.12, 28,we shall be in camp.viridī membra sub arbutō strātus, H. 1, 1, 21,stretched out—his limbs—all under an arbute green.
1424.Verbs of rest sometimes haveinwith the accusative, because of an implied idea of motion. And, conversely, verbs of motion sometimes haveinwith the ablative, because of an implied idea of rest: as,
(a.)mihi in mentem fuit, Pl.Am.180,it popped into my head, i.e. came in and is in (comparevenithoc mī in mentem, Pl.Aul.226.in eius potestātem venīre nōlēbant,V.1, 150.in eōrum potestātem portum futūrum intellegēbant,V.5, 98,they knew full well the haven would get under the control of these people). (b.)Caesar exercitum in hībernīs conlocāvit, 3, 29, 3,Caesar put the army away in winter quarters, i.e. put them into and left them in.eam in lectō conlocārunt, T.Eu.593,they laid the lady on her couch. So commonly withlocō,conlocō,statuō,cōnstituō,pōnō, and its compounds. Forexpōnōandimpōnō, see the dictionary.
1425.(2.)superaccompanies the ablative when it has colloquially the sense ofdē,about,in reference to: as,hāc super rē scrībam ad tē Rēgiō,Att.16, 6, 1,I’ll write you about this from Regium. In other senses, the accusative, but sometimes in poetry the ablative, chiefly in the sense ofon: as,ligna super focō largē repōnēns, H. 1, 9, 5,piling on hearth the faggots high.nocte super mediā, V. 9, 61,at dead of night.paulum silvae super hīs, H.S.2, 6, 3,a bit of wood to crown the whole.
1426.(1.) Two substantives are sometimes connected by a preposition, to indicate certain attributive relations (1043); such are particularly:
(a.) Place: as,illam pugnam nāvālem ad Tenedum,Mur.33,the sea-fight off Tenedus.excessum ē vītā,Fin.3, 60,the departure from life. (b.) Source, origin, material: as,ex Aethiopiā ancillulam, T.Eu.165,a lady’s maid from Aethiopia.pōcula ex aurō,V.4, 62,bowls of gold(1314). (c.) Direction of action, connection, separation: as,amor in patriam,Fl.103,love of country.vestra ergā mē voluntās,C.4, 1,your good will towards me.proelium cum Tūscīs ad Iāniculum,L.2, 52, 7,the battle with the Tuscans at Janiculum.vir sine metū,TD.5, 48,a man devoid of fear(1043).
1427.(2.) Very commonly, however, other constructions are used, even to indicate the relations above: as,
bellum Venetōrum, 3, 16, 1,war with the Venetans(1231).bellō Cassiānō, 1, 13, 2,in the war with Cassius(1233).in aureīs pōculīs,V.4, 54,in golden bowls(1233).scūtīs ex cortice factīs, 2, 33, 2,with long shields made out of bark(1314).post vīctōriam eius bellī, quod cum Persīs fuit,Off.3, 49,after the victory in the war with the Persians.
1428.Prepositional expressions are sometimes used predicatively: as,sunt omnēs sine maculā,Pl.6, 14,they are all without spot or blemish. And sometimes they are equivalent to adjectives: as,contrā nātūram,TD.4, 11,unnatural,suprā hominem,DN.2, 34,superhuman. Or to substantives: as,sine pondere, O. 1, 20,things without weight. Or to adverbs: as,sine labōre, Pl.R.461,easily.
1429.(1.) A preposition is often repeated with emphasis before two or more substantives: as,
in labōre atque in dolōre, Pl.Ps.685,in toil and in trouble. Particularly so withet . . . et,aut . . . aut,nōn sōlum . . . sed etiam,nōn minus ... quam, &c.,&c.: as,et ex urbe et ex agrīs,C.2, 21,from Rome and from the country too.
1430.(2.) A preposition is often used with the first only of two or more substantives: as,in labōre ac dolōre,TD.5, 41,in toil and trouble.incidit in eandem invidiam quam pater suus, N. 5, 3, 1,he fell under the selfsame ban as his father. Particularly when the second is in apposition: as,cum duōbus ducibus, Pyrrhō et Hannibale,L.28,with two commanders, Pyrrhus and Hannibal.