Page images
PDF
EPUB

101. These, with their several modifications, are expressed by the prepositions; thus,

In conjunction. Evv, with.

In opposition. AvTI, against; and, as the part opposed must be considered the front, art, before.

In. Es, into, and in; ev, within; and, where several objects are placed together, μετα, in among.

and

Above. Yep, completely over; ava, risen to top; εñi, come to, upon ι; κατα, descended upon.

Below. To, completely under; nara, descended to bottom. Before. Пpo, before, in place, or order; avt, in opposition. See above.

Behind. Mera, after, in order.a

Beside. Mera, following beside; nara, descending, or set down beside; pos, merely, or nearly in contact; napa, in complete juxta-position.

Around. App on each side; Tep, completely around. Þ

To. Mera, following after, or coming over to; pos, towards, to contingently; ε, to and on; ε, to, into; napa, unto, coming along side; ava, up to; naтa, down to.

Through. Ava, through, from bottom to top; nara, through, from top to bottom; dia, through, as dividing; pervading, or moving in any direction, except directly up or down.

From. Ios, from slight adhesion; apa, from strong adhesion; ano, from surface, or resting on; ex, out of; nara, from bottom descending.

102. From this theory, the true meaning of the prepositions may be easily ascertained; and it will appear that those which seem to have the most opposite meanings, as Tapa and προς, retain, in every instance, one signification; viz. that of moving in a direct line from one body to another, arriving and remaining at it, or passing by it.

1. Aupi, on each side.

2. Ava, up to, up through, upon.

3. AVTI, opposite, before.

a When the relations to be expressed were more complex, including those of three or more objects; such as, behind, beyond, &c.; or when the idea of distance, or the like, was to be added to the primary relation, adverbs of place were introduced.

Ο Αμφι and περι are sometimes used together : as, αμφι, περι, βωμον, round about an altar; sometimes they are used indifferently for each other, and, in some books, as the septuagint, aupi is hardly ever used.

< Contrary to every principle of philology, ava is said to mean, sometimes, up and down; and the assertion is illustrated by such examples as

Εβη ανα στρατον.

He went up and down the army.

But what occasion is there to suppose that the person mentioned, returned upon his steps at all ? Would any critic say that ανα στρατον ωχετο κηλα θεοιο,

[blocks in formation]

10. Kara, down to, down through, or beside, at oottom, down from.

11. Mera, following over to, with, among.

12. Пapa, unto, beside, from adhesion.

13. Περι, around.

14. IIpo, before.

15. Пpos, towards, to, at, from contingency. 16. Evy, together with.

17. Υπερ, over.

18. To, under.

103. From the relations of place, the transition is easy to those of time, and the modes of thought. And the primary meaning of the prepositions is, in general, easily discernible, in these various applications of them. Yet it is not strange that, in the use of a language which flourished for many centuries, extended to various countries, and was spoken in several dialects, local circumstances and habit should have introduced a considerable variety in the use of the prepositions. That this was the case will be evident to a person who compares the ancient Ionic with the modern Attic writers.a Hence the propriety of following nature in the progress of language, in order to ascertain the true meaning of the prepositions; rather than endeavouring to deduce their sense from the various uses of them by so many different authors.

104. It would very far exceed the limits of these observations to exhibit a general list of the peculiar and idiomatical

should be rendered, The arrows of the God went up and down the army; as if an arrow sent from a bow could change its direction?

:

Even when ava and κатα are applied to motion on a plain, they retain their original meaning; and are used according as the speaker conceives the object, to which he moves, above or below the level on which he stands and a very little observation will convince any person, that we regard almost every object in one or other of these relations.

a Let the reader compare the language of Chaucer, or any other of our ancient poets, with that of the present day, and he will readily conceive the changes to which a living language is subject.

Multa renascentur, quæ jam cecidere; cadentque
Quæ nunc sunt in honore vocabula,

volet usus,

Quem penes arbitrium est, et jus, et norma loquendi.

[blocks in formation]

use of the prepositions. The following examples may serve as

a specimen of it:

Ελασας τον ίππον ανα κρατος.

Κατεσκηψαν, ανα χρονον, εις πολε

μους.

Ελαβον ανα δηναριον.

Ανθ ̓ ὧν δικαια εποιείτε.

Απο γλωσσης εδεήθησαν.

Οἱ απο της Στοας, απο της Ακα

δημίας, και το λο

Οἱ απο της βουλης.

Δια τρίτης ἡμέρας.

Driving the horse at full speed. In progress of time they were engaged in war.

They received one penny each. Because you did just things. They made a verbal request. The Stoics, the Academics, &c.

The senators. Every third day.

Τα χρήματα αυτων δι' ωφελειας Their property they made their

εθεντο.

[blocks in formation]

own, put to their own benefit. It was long since I had seen him.

That all should come to Athens,

at the new moon.

Having resisted as long as they could.

Avoid an oath as much as possible.

He endeavours always to take the country to which he

[blocks in formation]

Προς Διος, διηγησαι ήμιν.

Προς επιστολαις ειναι.

For the sake of Jove relate to

us.

To be writing letters.

105. There are, likewise, many adverbial phrases, made by the combination of prepositions with nouns, or adjectives; such as,

ATO σTouns, diligently.
Απο του φανερου, openly.
Eiç ibpur, contumeliously.
ETI TUX, accidentally.
Kara μeya, greatly.

Απο του εικοτος, unlikely.
Δι' ακρίβειας, correctly.
Παρ' ολίγον, nearly.
Пpos xapiv, agreeably.
Пapa Toλu, not nearly.

X. CONJUNCTIVE AND ADVERBIAL PARTICLES.

106. No language abounds more in the use of particles than the Greek. Besides such as are common to other languages, the Greek has certain particles to denote,

1. Emphasis; such as, dn, truly; Tov, probably, no doubt; TO, really; and ye, which is connected with the emphatical word in the sentence, although several other words sometimes intervene; as,

Ει μη ὅλον, μερος γε.

If not all, at least a part.

2. Consequence; such as, av, next; apa and ja, therefore, then ; av, denoting that the verb to which it is prefixed, expresses an idea consequent on that expressed by the preceding verb; as, (see obs. 74, 75, 76.)

[ocr errors][merged small]

Αρα οισθα;

Next, therefore, when he devoured the young of the sparrow.

Do you know therefore?

Εγωγ' αν ειπον ει παρων ετυγχανον. If I had been present, I would

3. Distinction; Mev is, generally,

have spoken.

placed in the first clause

of a paragraph, and dɛ, in each of the succeeding ones; as, (see obs. 23.)

Τα μεν εστιν εφ' ήμιν, τα δε ουκ εφ' ἡμιν.

Εμοι μεν το φαρμακον, Πτοιοδωρῳ δε το αφαρμακτον επεδωκε.

Some things are in our power, and other things not in our power.

He gave the poison to me, but the unpoisoned (cup) to Ptoiodorus.

107. Some ancient writers, particularly Homer, make so frequent use of particles denoting emphasis, and consequence, that critics, wanting inclination to investigate the meaning of each particle, have contented themselves with calling several of them expletives. But however they may appear to persons whose language has no exactly corresponding words, it is certain that each of them has its proper, and distinct signification; and, where the same particle is repeated, or synonymous ones are used, it is done for the sake of emphasis. (see obs. 29, 30.)

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]
« PreviousContinue »