SINCE

CHAP. XIV.

Of abbreviations.

INCE it is equally necessary for reading well to be acquainted with the abbreviations of letters, as with the letters themselves; it is proper for us to mention something of them here, before we proceed any further.

Some abbreviations only connect letter and letter, such as those between consonants, as 2 for ye: but those that connect vowels, are either syllables, or words, as am, aλλ; e, ɛi, §Ÿ.

There are abbreviations to which the accent is fixed, as †, rïs; x, xzì; and others to which it is not fixed, but added, Ας γ', γάρ; τής καί.

Sometimes whole syllables are abbreviated, as for olar for us and sometimes entire words, as for xarà: s. for Θεός .

When an abbreviation includes an intire word, or the end of a word, there is no point put after it; but when it only contains the beginning, it requires a point after it, which supposeth the rest, and signifieth that the word is not finished, as . for yçáps: Σωκς. for Σωκράτης, &c.

Examples of the others may be seen in the words above marked, and in the following list.

CHA P. II.

Of a noun in general.

A NOUN is a word that serves to nominate or qualify a thing.

A noun is declined by gender, number, and case, A case is a noun's special manner of signifying. Cases are six in Greek, as in Latin.

But the ablative is always like the dative in the singular, as well as in the plural; as the vocative is generally like the nominative.

In the dual, the accusative is also like these two cases, as the genitive is like the other two.

Gender is the difference of a noun with respect to sexes. There ought therefore in rigour to be but two, the masculine and the feminine. But the Greeks, and after their example the Latins, have added a number, called neuter, déregov, for nouns which they could ascribe to neither of those two genders; which has not been imitated by the eastern languages, nor by several of those that obtain now in the west.

The mark of the masculine is %, of the feminine , and of the neuter rò. This the Greeks call article, from a word which properly signifieth the joints of the fingers, by reason of the particular connection there is between the article and the noun.

RULE I.

Manner of declining the article.

Singular.

'O, Tỡ, TW, TÒV, are masculine.

Τῆ, τό, πῷ, τό, are neuter.
Ἡ, τῆς, τῆς τὴν, are feminine.

The datives are all subscribed.

Dual.

Tw, Toi, are masculine and neuter.
Tà, Taïv, are feminine.

Plural.

Οἱ, τῶν, τοῖς, τις, are masculine.
Τὰς τῶν, τοῖς, τὰ, are neuter.

Αἱ, τῶν, ταῖς, τὰς, are feminine.

The ablative is to be taken from the dative.
EXAMPLES.

The article therefore is to be declined thus:

supplies the defect of this case in all numbers, the same as in Latin. This adverb has a smooth breathing with a circumflex; whereas with a rough breathing, and subscribed, is the dative singular of 85, 4, 8'; ,, ; which may be seen among be seen among the pronouns, where I shall give also the dialects of this article.

CHAP. III.

Of declensions; and of the first declension of parisyllabics. RAMMARIANS reckon ten declensions, five simple, axλas, and five of contracted nouns, σuve

G

μένας.

But nouns are declined, either with an equal number of syllables, iooounλábws, or with an increase in their obliques, περιττοσυλλάβως : and this makes two remarkable differences of declension; the one parisyllabic, which receives no increase; the other imparisyllabic, which admits of increase.

RULE II.

General for the declension of parisyllabics. 1. Nouns not increasing are declined like the article: 2. They likewise require the dative case to be subscribed:

3. And they form the accusative in, with the vowel of the nominative.

G

EXAMPLES.

1. The parisyllabic declension is that which fol Jows the article according to its terminations. But as the article includes two different manners of declining; one of the masculine, to which the neuter refers; and the other of the feminine: so the parisyllabic declension is twofold; one which follows the feminine article, containing the feminines in a and, and the masculines in as or us, which correspond to the first declension of the Latins; the other, with follows the masculine article, including the masculine, feminine, and common nouns in os, which the neuters in ov; which correspond to the second declension of the Latins.

2. Both these parisyllabic declensions have the dative subscribed, or a point written under it, in the same manner as the article.

3. Its accusative terminates in v, with the vowel of the nominative; as ἡ μέσα, τη μέση, τὴν μέσαν. ὁ ̓Ανδρέας, τῷ ̓Ανδρέα, τὸν ̓Ανδρέαν. ὁ λόγος, τῷ λόγῳ, τὸν λόγου.

Which we intend to shew more particularly in the sequel, beginning with the feminines, as the most simple.

ANNOTATION.

The lara subscribed, of which we have been speaking, is frequently omitted, as being no longer pronounced. Wherefore Sextus Empiricus in his ninth chapter against the grammarians pretends, that the dative may do as well without this point, as with it.

RULE III.

Of the feminines in a and , which grammarians call the second declension of simple nouns.

1. A, H, are declined like the feminine article.
2. Their accusative is in av, yv.

3. But A pure, as well as AA, OA, PA, retain A
throughout the singular number.

EXAMPLES.

1. Parisyllabic nouns in a and y are feminine, and follow the feminine article.

. 2. They form the accusative in av, or y, retaining, as we have marked already, the vowel of their nominative. They are therefore declined thus:

Ἡ μέσα, musa, τῆς μέσης, τῇ μέση, τὴν μέσων, &c.
Η τιμή, honor, τῆς τιμῆς, τῇ τιμῇ, τὴν τιμήν, &c.

Σίβυλλα, σκίλλα, τρύπα, ης, ψύλλα, ης, pulex, κακκάβα, perdix, κόλλα, δίκελλα, εὐλάκα, ης, vomer, Ἴδα, ης, δύο eλha, us, storm, tempest, τóλua, ns, boldness, rashness, μέλλα, ης, δίαιτα.

3. Those in a pure (that is, where a makes a syllable by itself, without being joined to a consonant) or ending in da, Ja, ça, retain a in all cases of the singular number; as,

ἡ Φιλία, amicitia, τῆς Φιλίας, τῇ Φιλία, &c.
Ada, Leda, tũs Aúdus, tÿ Aýda, &c.
ἡ ἄκανθα, spina, τῆς ἀκάνθας, τῇ ἀκάνθα
ἡ ἡμέρα, dies, τῆς, ἡμέρας, τῇ ἡμέρᾳ.

ANNOTATION.

'Abra Pallas; Navama, Nausicaë, and uva, mina, retain also in the genitive and dative, because they are formed by contraction from nouns in a pure : ̓Αθήναα, Ναυσικάα, μνάα. Θέκλα, Thecla, makes also Θέκλας, and Θέκλα.

It is not improper to observe here, that this analogy seems the most natural for all nouns in a, because this vowel does not love to quit its situation. We find also in Josephus Μέλχα, Μέλχας, Ράκηλα, ας. We might even give it as a general rule for nouns substantive, since the termination in a pure is considerably most numerous of nouns ending in a. But as there are a vast many participles, which forming their feminine in a, follow the other analogy, by making ns in the genitive, and in the dative, we have preferred this last for the general rule.

n

The ancient Latins used to follow this manner of declining in as; whence terras for terræ; escas for escæ; Latonas for Latona; paterfamilias for paterfamiliæ: the latter remains still in use.

RULE IV.

Of masculines in AE, or in HE, of which the grammarians make the first declension of simple nouns 1. AE, HE, have in the genitive: