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Et sont ensi comme gent sauvage, qui ne se sèvent avoir. (Froissart, op. cit. 10. 336).

Vous m'i verés entre les sages

Bellement avoir et deduire,

(Froissart, Poésies, ed. Scheler 2. 36. 1215.)

Les estoires ensegnent comment on se doit avoir el siecle et en Diu. (La vie Carlemaine, B. N. 2168, fo. 198 c.)

Belle estoit et jolie et bien ce sout avoir. (Le Mariage des Sept Arts et des Sept Vertus, by Jehan le Teinturier, Pub. by P. Paris, in Le Cabinet historique XIII [1867], 108).

Cele ki biele n'est, si sace biel parler el courtoisement et se sace bien avoir. (Li Hystore de Julius Cesar, by Jehan de Tuim, ed. by F. Settegast, Halle, 1881, 169. 28).5 Celes qui pluz estoient beles Et qui miex avoir se savoient. (Der Roman von Escanor von Gerard von Amiens, ed. by H. Michelant, Tubingen, 1886, 23183.)

Vous vous savez mult bien avoir. (Jongleurs et Troveres, publ. by A. Jubinal, Paris, 1835, 154.)

Bel et bien se sorent avoir, Car moult ot en aus de savoir. (Li Roumans de Cleomades, Bruxelles, 1865, 16607.)

Franchois, qui bien s'en seut avoir. (La vie Saint Franchois nach manuscrit francais 19531 der Nat. Biblioth. in Paris.)

Je te vueil monstrer comment tu te dois avoir. (Le Menagier de Paris, Paris, 1846, 1. 222.)

The French dictionary in vol. 7 of Du Cange's Glossarium mediae infimae latinitatis contains two examples of s'avoir in the sense of se comporter.

With reference to the use of the construction under consideration in medieval Latin, Du Cange says: 'Habere se, Gerere se, Gall. se Comporter. Laurentius Bizinius de Origine belli Hussitici ann. 1421. apud Ludewig, tom. 6 Reliq. MSS. p. 171: Tentabant quatenus Pragenses Haberent Se ad defendendum. Bartholomaei Scribae Annal. Genuens. lib. 6 ad ann. 1244. apud Murator. tom. 6 Col. 509: Qui ad defensionem exercitus Mediolanensis et offensionem exercitus domini Friderici Se mirabiliter Habuerunt. Lanfranci Pignoli Annal. Genuens. lib. 7 ad ann. 1266 ibid. Col. 539. Quia vero dictus Admiratus et consiliarii et

For another example of this construction in Froissart, see his Poésies 2. 141. 4764.

* Compare the same text 170.8.

See opus cit., under habere.

comiti ejus male Se Habuerunt, adeo quod praesumptum fuit eos fuisse proditores.'

The examples given above show that the use of avoir as a reflexive verb was well know a in medieval French and Latin. The fact that this construction, occurs both in Le Lai de l'Ombre and in Guillaume de Dole has slight value therefore as an argument supporting the statement that these poems were written by the same author.

II. French Conditional Sentences Introduced by qui

The question of these sentences is raised by Crossland in her treatment of the text of Guibert d'Andrenas, ll. 1086-91, which she prints as follows:7

'Seigneur', fet il, 'veez quel pasturaje!
Qui onques vit si riche bestiaje!
Qui le porroit conquerre par barnaje
Malooit gré la pute jent sauvaje,

En ferons nous bruir nostre charnaje,
Que molt est granz la proie.'

In explanation of her reading she remarks: "The construction of this passage is not clear in any of the MSS. We have taken the reading of C. D. En ferons nous bruïr(e) nostre charnage in preference to that of A. B. En ferions no bruit et no charnage.' I wish to call especial attention to her adoption of ferons for ferions in 1. 1090, which can not be defended. The correct reading is ferions. Ferons is grammatically impossible, the future never being found in hypothetical sentences of this type. When qui (= whoever, if any one) is followed by the conditional, the conditional is also used in the clause expressing the conclusion. In such cases the condition refers to the future from the point of view of the present. This usage is illustrated in the following passages:

Ki purreit faire que Rollanz i fust morz,

Dunt perdreit Carles le destre braz del cors.

(La Chanson de Roland 596)

Qui me donroit tot le tresor Pepin,

Ne tendroie Narbonne.

(Aimeri de Narbonne 397-8.)

'Guibert d' Andrenas, Chanson de Geste, ed. by Jessie Crossland, London, 1923. $ See p. 86.

'This is the reading adopted by J. Melander in his edition (Paris, 1922), l. 1119.

Mais qui le porroit si tolir

Qu'ele n'en estuest morir,

Cou m'est a vis plus bel seroit.

(Floire et Blancheflor, ed. by Du Meril, Paris, 1856, 309-11.)

Many more examples of this construction might be cited. It occurs frequently in Old French and even up to the end of the seventeenth century.10 It will be observed that qui in the examples cited above is used without an antecedent and serves to introduce a condition, being equivalent to a protasis. In such cases the conditional is used in the apodosis, if it occurs in the clause following qui. This type of conditional sentence refers to the future and hence it represents the condition as being possible. The same construction occurs in Latin," where it is introduced by qui and the subjunctive is used in both clauses: Qui hoc dicat, erret; cf. Haec qui videat, nonne cogatur confiteri deos esse.12 In Hale and Buck's Latin Grammar §580 this construction is illustrated from Quint. 1. 5. 50: 'Qui dicat pro illo "ne feceris", "non feceris", in idem incidat vitium.'

It will be of interest to note here the frequent use of qui introducing a future condition from the point of the past. In this construction the subjunctive occurs both in the clause expressing the condition and in the conclusion.

Qi li veïst son maltalent vengier,

Destre et senestre les rens au branc serchier,

Et bras et pis et ces testes tranchier,

De coardie nel deüst blastengier. (Raoul de Cambrai, 2565-8.)
Qi li veïst son escu manoier,

Destre et senestre au branc les rens serchier,

Bien li menbrast de hardi chevalier. (Ibid., 2707-09.)

This type of conditional sentence is also found in Latin: Qui videret, urbem captam diceret, Cicero, Verr. 4. 23. 52; Miraretur qui tum cerneret, Livy, 34. 9. 4 (258).

A third type of conditional sentence introduced by qui in Old French is that referring to the present. In such cases qui is followed by the present indicative and the clause expressing the conclusion may contain

10 See A. Haase, Syntaxe française du XVII siècle, translated by Obert, Paris, 1898, p. 89. A survival of this usage is found in the modern French phrase comme qui dirait.

11 See Gildersleeve's Latin Grammar, revised and enlarged by Gildersleeve and Lodge, New York, 593.2.

12 Cicero, De Natura Deorum, 2.12.

a verb in the present or future indicative, or in the present subjunctive with the force of an imperative:

Qui s'amour en un seul leu livre

N'a pas son cueur franc ne delivre.

(Langlois' edition of Le Roman de la Rose, 13161-2.)

Qui l'en creit chier le comparra. (Ibid, 13035.)

Qui nou set a clerc le demande

Qui leu l'ait e qui l'entende. (Ibid, 17735.)

The hypothetical sentences under consideration are derived directly from the Latin as indicated above. They may refer to the present or to the future. They are never of the contrary to fact type, the condition expressed always being possible.

OSCAN DEKETASIO- "*DECENTARIUS'

J. WHATMOUGH

HARVARD UNIVERSITY

The magistrates described as degetasiús (n. pl. masc.) at Nola (Conway ID 93, cf. 94 = von Planta 124, 125) and as deketasiúí (dat. sg. masc.) at Abella (Conway 95 a 5 = von Planta 127) have generally been dismissed with a non liquet as to their precise functions. It is unfortunate that the etymology of their title is equally uncertain; for if that were precisely known it would, presumably, illuminate the nature of their office. But, the case being reversed, is it not reasonable to suppose that new light concerning the duties of a meddix degetasis would serve to establish, at least as being definitely preferable, one of the alternative etymologies? In etymology meaning is, after all, no less important than sound-change and word-formation. Buck (Gram. 229), after pointing out that a connection with either Lat. decem or decens is phonologically and morphologically possible, went on to add that there is a reference in the title 'to some organisation of the city's territory or population of which we have no precise knowledge'; and, similarly, Brugmann (IF 11.110), criticising the proposed connection with decem, objected to it, declaring its originator Bronisch 'eine derartige Bezeichnung der meddices nicht rechtfertigen zu können'. It is exactly this point which the present note is meant to elucidate.

There is in fact good reason for giving Bronisch's etymology pride of place. The medíkeí deketasiúí núvlanúí was appointed by the people of Nola to assist in the deliberations of the representatives of his own town and of Abella who were elected to arrange for the joint administration and use of a temple of Hercules lying on the boundary of their respective territories (Conway 95, dated second half of the second century B.C.). From one of the other two inscriptions already cited (Conway 93, the date of which cannot, on account of certain peculiarities in the writing, be determined with exactness) it appears that there were two such officials at Nola, but not necessarily at the same time, for only one is mentioned on the third inscription (from Nola, Conway 94, known only from 18th century copies, date uncertain, but probably contem

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