Aouns, Called Epicene, in Which Both Genders Are Implied Under One,, Or Nouns Which, Under a Feminine Termination, Signify Males
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36 QUINTILIAN. [B. I. 37 it. v.) EDUCATION OF AN ORATOR. aouns, called epicene, in which both genders are implied under sometimes in another, as, one,, or nouns which, under a feminine termination, signify Totis males, or, with a neuter termination, denote females ; as Mu- Usquc ade6 turbatur agria. rcena and Glycerium. 25. A penetrating and acute teacher will urbs habitatur, whence likewise 4 There is also a third way,* as search into a thousand origins of names; derivations which 29. Pransus also and potus have produced the names campus curritur, mare navigatur. Rufus, " red," and Longus, " long," have a different signification from that which their form indi- from personal peculiarities ; (among which will be some of cates. I need hardly add, that many verbs do not go through rather obscure etymology, as Sulla, Burrhus, Galba, Plancus, Some, too, undergo a change, Pansa, Scaurus, the whole course of conjugation. and others of the same kind ;) some also from in the preterperfect ; some are expressed only in the accidents of birth, as as fero Agrippa, Opiter, Cordus, Post humus form of the third person, as licet, piget; and some bear a some from occurrences after birth, as Vopiscus ; while others nouns passing into adverbs ; for, as we say noctu as Cotta, Scipio, Lanas, Seranus, resemblance to spring from various causes diu, so we say dictu and factu; since these words are 26. We may also find people, places, and many other things and . indeed participial, though riot like dicto and facto. among the origins of names. That sort of names among slaves, which was taken from their masters, whence Marcipores and Publipores,} has fallen into disuse. Let the tutor consider, also, whether there is not among the Greeks ground for a CHAPTER V. sixth case, and among us even for a seventh ; for when I say Necessity of correctness in speaking and writing, § 1. On single . Barbarisms hastd percussi, " I words, 2, 3. Choice of words, 4. Barbarisms, 5- 10. have struck with a spear," I do not express Faults in pronunciation, 17, the sense of an ablative case,+ nor, if I say the same thing in. in poets and other writers, 11-17. 18. On the aspiration, 19-21. The accents, 22-24. On ending Greek, that of a dative.§ a word with an acute accent, 25-30. Legitimate accentuation, 27. Different kinds of solecisms, As to verbs, who is so ignorant as not to know their 31-33. On the solecism, 34-37. kinds, qualities, persons, and numbers ? -41. No dual number in Latin, 42-44. Solecisms in various Those things belong 38 On foreign to the reading school, and to the lower departments of instruc- parts of speech, 45-51. Figures of speech, 52-54. tion. words, 55-57. Greek words, 58-64. Compound words, 65-70. But such points as are not determined by inflexion, Words proper, metaphorical, common, new, 71, 72. will puzzle some people ; for it may be doubted, as to certain all language has three kinds of excellence, to 1 words, whether they are participles, or nouns formed from the 1. SINCE and elegant, (for to speak with propriety, verb, as lectus, sapiens. 28. Some verbs look like nouns, asfrau- be correct, perspicuous, dator, nutritor. Is not the verb in Itur in antiquam silvam which is its highest quality, most writers include under of a peculiar nature, for what beginning of it can you find? . elegance,) and the same number of faults, which are the op- II Fletur is similar to it. We understand the passive sometimes posites of the excellences just mentioned, let the grammarian in one way, as, consider well the rules for correctness which constitute the first These rules are required to be observed, Panditur interea domus omnipotentis Olympi; part of grammar. 2. verbis aut singulis aut pluribus, in regard to one or more words. • Scrutabitur milk praceptor-origines nominum.] Burmann would wish to be here understood in a general read ille prceceptor, The word verbum I not liking the expression mille origines. The derivations of the proper names that follow may be ascertained from sense, for it has two significations : the one, which includes all the Latin lexicons. words of which language is composed, as in the verse of t Marcipor for Marci puer; Publipor for Publii puer. See Priscian, Horace, p. 700, ed. Putsch. Verbaque provisam rem non invita sequentwr, $ That is, of a case of taking away ; cams auferendi. And words, not unwilling, will follow provided matter;" the § Of the case of giving ; dandi casus. " ~~ That is, what fire person singular; eor not being in use. * Namely, when neuters and intransitives, which properly have no passive voice, assume the nature of transitives, by being joined with a -- o-- -- ; , + l,p niucive. &aldinq. 38 QUINTILIAN, tt. V.1 EDUCATION OF AN ORATOR. 39 other, under which is comprehended only one part as lego, scribo; rB But though these the, terms to avoid which ambiguity some have preferr bles, aspiration, or other faults of sound ? 7. votes, dictiones, locutiones. e d may be small matters, boys are still to be taught, and' we put singly, are either our own, or foreign, 3. words, considered grammarians in mind of their duty. If any one of them, how- proper or metaphorical, in common use or newly invented ou'~d ever, shall not be sufficiently accomplished, but shall have just A word taken singly is oftener objectionable than fault. entered the vestibule of the art, he will have to confine himself less;* for however we may express an thing within those rules which are published in the little manuals of priety, elegance, and sublimity, none of these qualities arisepro- professors ; the more learned will add many other instructions, from anything but the connection and order of the discourse ; the' very first of which will be this, that we understand bar- One, with reference to thesince matter. we commend single words merely as being well suited to barisms as being of several kinds. 8. country, such as is committed when a person inserts an African in them, is theirThe only good quality, which can be remarked vocalitas, or Spanish term in. Latin composition ; as when the iron ring, ` euphony - " , so to speak, called which depends upon selectiou,t when of twosu9wp,,, words, with which wheels are bound, is called canthus,* though Persius which have the same signification, and are of equal force, w uses this as a received word ; as when Catullus f got the word make choice of the one that has the better sound. e 5. ploxenum, " a box," on the banks of the Po ; and in the speech of First of all, let the offensiveness of Labi'enus, (ifit be not rather the speech of Cornelius Gallus,)'* solecisms be put away. barbarisms and But as these faults are sometimes the word casnar, "a parasite," is brought from Gaul § against excused, either from custom, or authority, or, perhaps, from Pollio ; as to mastruca, " a shaggy garment," which is a their nearness to beauties, (for it is often difficult to distinguish Sardinian word, Cicero has used it purposely in jest. 9. faults from figures ll of speech,) let the grammarian, that so Another kind of barbarism is that which we regard as proceed- uncertain a subject of observation may deceive no one, give his ing from the natural disposition, when lie, by whom anything earnest attention to that nice discrimination, of which we shall has been uttered insolently, or threateningly, or cruelly, is speak more fully in the part where we shall have to treat of like a barbarian. 10. The third kind figures of speech.+, said to have spoken 6. of barbarism is that of which examples are everywhere abun- ill regard to a single word,Meanwhile, be called let an offence committed a barbarism. dant, and which every one can form for himself, by adding But some one. may stop me with the remark, what is there a letter or syllable to any word lie pleases, or taking one away, here worthy of the promise of so great a work ? Or who does othersnot know in that barbarisms are committed, some in speaking? (because what is writing, * Quintilian evidently signifies that canthus is a Spanish word, also be spoken written incorrectly must though the Greeks claim it as theirs. Regius. Turnebus says that it incorrectly ; though he who speaks incorrectl occurs in the Iliad, but is mistaken, for it is not to be found in Homer may not necessarily make mistakes in writing;) firsty at all. Casaubon, on Persius, v. 71, where it occurs, observes that it sort being caused is used by no Greek writer except the grammarians. Burmann sup- 'transposition; by addition, curtailment, substitution, the second by separation l poses the word to be of Celtic origin. or confusion of sylla. l• lxxxix. 5, 6 : Gin gives verb ploxeni habet vetcris. * $ Of. this speech I find no mention elsewhere. Labienus (the son Words, considered simply in themselves, may have the one excellence probably of him who deserted the party of Julius Caesar, A.U.c. 703), which Quintaian calls euphony. treat many faults ; for the But they ma and Cornelius Gallus, both enemies of Mark Antony, may both have >arous. T y may disgusting, y have a urnebus. The text is, mean, low, or bar- composed severe speeches against his friend Pollio. Spalding. nest ; Uni verbo vitium sapius quam, virtue § It appears strange that Quintilian, in bringing this word from for which Gedoyne gives, "Le plus souvent la qualit6 d'un mot ris en lui meme, est purement ntgative." Gaul, not only differs from Varro, who, de L.