2. Duarum Terminationum. | 2. Of Two Terminations.

3. Genitivus pluralis desinit 3. The Genitive plural ends in in ium; et Neutrum Nomina-lium; and the Neuter of the Notivi, Accusativi, et Vocativi, inminative, Accusative, and Vocaia. tive in ia.

4. Excipe Comparativa, quæ

um et a postulant.

4.Except Comparatives,which require um and a.

EXCEPTIONS.

1. Dives, Hospes, Sospes, Superstes, Juvenis, Senex, and Pauher, have e in the Ablative singular, and consequently um in the Genitive plural.

2. Compos, Impos, Consors, Inops, Vigil, Supplex, Uber, Degener, and Puber; also Compounds ending in ceps, fex, pes, and corpor; as, Princeps, Artifex, Bipes, Tricorpor, have um, not ium.

NOTE. That all these have seldom the Neut. singular, and never almost the Neut. plural in the Nom. and Acc. To which add Memor, which has memori, and memorum, and Locuples, which has locupletium; also, Deses, Reses, Hebes, Perpes, Prapes, Teres, Concolor, Versicolor; which being hardly to be met with, in the Genitive plural, 'tis a doubt whether they should have um or ium, though I incline most to the former.

3. Par has pări : vetus, vetĕra, & veterum; Plus (which hath only the Neut. in the sing.) has plure and plures, (or pluria) plurium.

NOTE 1. That Comparatives, and Adjectives in ns, have more frequently e than i, and Participles in the Ablatives called Absolute, have generally e; as, Carolo regnante, not regnanti.

NOTE 2. That Adjectives joined with Substantives Neuter hardly ever have e but i, as, Victrici ferro, not victrice.

NOTE 3. That Adjectives when they are put substantively, have oft-times e; as, Affinis, Familiaris, Rivālis, Sodālis, &c. So par, a match; as, Cum pare quæque suo coëunt. Ovid.

OF NUMERAL ADJECTIVES.

1. THE Ordinal and Multiplicative Numbers, (see Chap. 9.). are regularly declined. The Distributive want the Singular, as also do the Cardinal, except Unus, which is declined as in p, 16. and hath the plural, when joined with a Substantive that wanteth the Sing. as, Una litera, one Letter; Una mania, one Wall; or when several Particulars are considered complexly,as making

one compound; as, Uni sex dies, i. e. One space of six days; Una vestimenta, i. e. One Suit of Apparel. Plaut.

Duo and Tres are declined after this manner.

Plural.

duæ, duo, Nom. tres,

Gen. duorum,duārum, duỡrum, Gen. trium,

Plural.

Nom.duo,

Dat. duobus, duabus,

duōbus, Dat. tribus,

Acc. duosv.o, duas,

duo, Acc. tres,

duo,

Voc. tres,

tribus,

tribus,

Abl. duobus, duabus, duobus .Abl. tribus,
Ambos, Both, is declined as Duo.

2. From Quatuor to Centum are all indeclinable. 3. From Centum to Mille they are declined thus, Ducenti, ducenta, ducentà; ducentorum, ducentarum, ducentorum, &c.

4. As to Mille, Varro, and all the Grammarians after him down to the last age, make it (when it is put before a Gen. Plur.) a Substantive indeclinable in the Sing, and in the Plur. declined, Millia, millium, millibus; but when it hath a Substantive joined to it in any other Case, they make it an Adjective plural indeclin→ able. But Scioppius, and after him Gronovius, contend that Mille is always an Adjective plural; and under that Termination of all Cases and Genders; but that it hath two Neuters, hac Mille, and hac Millia: that the first is used when one thousand is signified, and the second when more than one. And that, where it seems to be a Substantive governing a Gen. Multitudo, Numerus, Manus, Pecunia, Pondus, Spatium, Corpus, or the like, are understood. I own that formerly I was of this Sentiment; but now the weighty Reasons adduced by the most accurate Perizonius, incline me rather to follow the ancient Grammarians.

After the Declension of Substantives and Adjectives separately, it may not be improper to exercise the Learner with some Exam ples of a Substantive and Adjective declined together; which will both make him more ready in the Declensions, and render the dependance of the Adjective upon the Substantive more familiar to him. Let the Examples at first be of the same Terminations and Declensions; as, Dominus justus, a just Lord; Penna bona, à good Pen; Ingenium eximium, an excellent Wit; afterwards let them be different in one or both; as, Puer probus, a good Boys Lectio facilis, an easy Lesson; Poeta optimus, an excellent Poet; Fructus dulcis, sweet Fruit; Dies faustus, a happy Day, &c. And if the Boy has as yet been taught Writing, let him write them either in the School, or at home, to be revised by the master next day.

OF IRREGULAR NOUNS.

THESE (for we cannot here make a full enumeration of them) may be reduced to the following Scheme :

or having the Vocative only; as, Macte, Macti.

NOTE 1. That the Defective Nouns are not so numerous as is commonly believed.

NOTE 2. That those which vary too little, may be ranked under the Defective; and those which vary too much, under the Redundant, E. G. Cæli, Cælorum, comes not from Cælum, but from Calus; and Vasa, Vasorum, not from vas, vasis, but from vasum, vasi: but Custom, which alone gives Laws to all Languages, has dropt the Singular, and retained the Plural;' and so of others.

DE COMPARATIONE.

M. QUOT sunt Gradus Comparationis?

D. Tres; Positivus, Comparativus, & Superlativus. M. Quota Declinationis sunt hi Gradus?

OF COMPARISON.

M. HOW many Degrees of Comparison are there?"

S. Three; the Positive, Comparitive, and Superlative:

M. Of what Declension are these Degrees?

D. Positivus est Adjectivum S. The Positive is an AdjecPrimæ et Secundæ Declinatio- \tive of the First and Second Denis, vel Tertiæ tantum; Com-clension, or Third only; the Comparativus est semper Tertiæ ;parative is always of the Third; Superlativus semper Prima & the Superlative always of the Secundæ. First and Second.

M. Uude formatur Compar ativus gradus?

D. A proximo Casu Positivi in i, addendo pro Masculino & Fœminino Syllabam or, et us pro Neutro; ut,

M. Whence is the Compara tive Degree formed?

S. From the next Case of the Positive in i, by adding for the Masculine and Feminine the Syllable or,and us for the Neuter; as,

Doctus, learned; Gen. docti; doctior, & doctius, more learned; Mitis, meek, Dat. miti; mitior, & mitius, more meek.

M. Unde formatur Superla- M. Whence is the Superlative tivus ?

formed?

D. 1. Si Positivus desinat in S. 1. If the Positive enda in er, Superlativus formatur ad-er, the Superlative is formed by dendo rimus; ut, adding rimus; as,

Pulcher, fair, pulcherrimus, most fair; pauper, poor, pauper rimus, most poor.