In most Latin words of one or two fyllables, according to our manner of pronouncing, we can hardly distinguish by the ear a long fyllable from a fhort. Thus & in lego and legi feem to be founded equally long; but when we pronounce them in compofition, the difference is obvious; thus, perlěgo, perlēgi; relěgo, -ĕre; relēgo, -āre, .

The rules of quantity are either General or Special. The former apply to all fyllables, the latter only to fome certain syllables.

GENERAL RULES.

1. A vowel before another vowel is fhort; as, Méus, alias: fo nihil: b in verfe being confidered only as a breathing. In like manner in English, create, běhave.

Exc. 1. I is long in fio, fiebam, &c. unless when followed by r; as, fieri, fierem; thus,

Omnia jam fient, fieri quæ poffe negabam, Ovid.

Exc. 2. E having an i before and after it, in the fifth declenfion, is long; as, fpeciei. So is the first syllable in aer, dius, ēbeu, and the penultima in aulai, terrai, &c. in Pompei, Cai, and fuch like words; but we fometimes find Pompei in two syllables, Hor. II. Od. 7.

Exc. 3. The first fyilable in obe and Diana is common; fo likewife is the penult of genitives in ius; as, illius, unius, &c. to be, read long in profe. Alius, in the genitive is always long; alterius»

fhort.

In Greek words when a vowel comes before another, no certain rule concerning its quantity can be given.

Sometimes it is thort; as, Danǎe, Idea, Sophia, Symphonia, Simõis, Hyades, Phǎon, Deucalion, Pygmalion, Thebais, &c.

Often it is long; as, Lycaon, Machaon, Didymãon; Amphion, Arion, Ixion, Pandion; Nāis, Lãis, Achāï; Briseis, Cadmēis; Latous, & Latois, Myrtõus, Nereïus, Priamētus; Acheloïus, Minoïus; Archelaus, Menclāus, Amphiarāus; Æneas, Penēus, Epēus, Acrifionēus, Adamantēus, Phœbeus, Giganteus; Darius, Bafilius, Eugerius, Bacchius; Caffiopea, Cæfarea, Charonea, Cytherea, Galatea, Laodicea, Medea, Panthea, Penelopea; Clio, Enyo, Elegia, Iphigenia, Alexandria, Thalia, Antiochĩa, idololatria, litania, politia, &c. Laertes, Deiphobus, Deïjanīra, Trões, herões, &c.

Sometimes it is common; as, Chorea, platea, Malea, Nercides, canopeum, Orion, Geryon, Eos, eōus, &c. So in foreign words, Michael, Ifrael, Raphael, Abraham, &c.

The accufative of nouns in eus is ufually fhort; as, Orphea, Salmoněa, Capharěa, &c. but fometimes long; as, Idomenea, Ilionēa, Virg. Instead of Elegia, Cytherea, we find Elegeia, Cythereia, Ovid. But

the quantity of Greek words cannot be properly understood without the knowledge of Greek.

In English a vowel before another is also sometimes lengthened; 8, fcience, idea,

as,.

2. A vowel before two confonants, or before a double confonant, is long, (by pofition, as it is called ;) as,

ārma, fällo, āxis, gāza, mājor; the compounds of jugum excepted ; as, bijŭgus, quadrijŭgus, &c.

When the foregoing word ends in a fhort vowel, and the following begins with two confonants or a double one, that vowel is fometimes lengthened by pofition; as,

Ferte citi flammas, date vela, fcandite muros, Virg.

But this rarely occurs.

A vowel before a mute and a liquid is common;

as the middle fyllable in volucris, tenebræ, thus,

Et primò fimilis volucri, mox vera volūcris, Ovid.

Nox tenebras profert, Phoebus fugat inde tenebras, Id. But in profe thefe words are pronounced fhort. So peragro, pharetra, podagra, chiragra, celebris, latebræ, &c.

To make this rule hold, three things are requifite. The vowel must be naturally fhort, the mute must go before the liquid, and be in the fame fyllable with it. Thus, a in patris is made common in verse, because a in pater is naturally fhort, or always so by cuftom: but a in matris, acris, is always long, because long by nature or custom in mater and acer. In like manner the penult in falubris, ambulacrum, is always long; because they are derived from falus, falutis, and ambulatum. So a in arte, abluo, &c is long by pofition, because the mute and the liquid are in different fyllables.

L and r only are confidered as liquids in Latin words; m and a do not take place except in Greek words.

3. A contracted fyllable is long; as,

Nil, for nihil; mî, for mihi; cogo, for coago; alius, for aliius; tibicen, for tibiicen; ît, for iit; sodes, for fi audes: nōlo, for non volo; bigæ, for bijŭgæ, &c,

4. A diphthong is always long; as,

Aurum, Cæfar, Eubæa, &c. Only pra in compofition before a vowel is commonly fhort; as, præire, præuftus; thus,

Nec totâ tamen ille prior præunte carinâ. Virg.
Stipitibus duris agitur fudibufque præuftis. Id.

But it is fometimes lengthened; as,

- cum vacuus domino præiret Arion. Statius.

In English we pronounce feveral of the diphthongs fhort, by finking the found of one vowel; but then there is properly no diphthong.

SPECIAL RULES.

Concerning the FIRST and MIDDLE SYLLABLES.

Preterites and Supines of two Syllables.

Preterites of two fyllables lengthen the former fyl Jable; as, Veni, vidi, vici.

Except bibi, scidi, from scindo, fĭdi from findo, tuli, dědi, slěti.

6. Supines of two fyllables lengthen the former fyllable; as. Vifum, cafum, motum.

Except sătum, from sero; citum, from cieo; litum, from lino; situm, from sino; flatum, from fiflo; itum, from eo; dătum, from do; rútum, from the compounds of ruo; quitum, from queo; rătus, from reor.

Preterites doubled.

7. Preterites which double the first fyllable, have both the first fyllables short; as,

Cěcidi, tětigi, pěpůli, pěpěri, didici, tutŭdi: except cecidi, from cœdo; pěpedi, from pedo; and when two confonants intervene; as, fefelli, tětendi, &c.

INCREASE OF NOUNS.

A noun is faid to increase, when it has more fyllables in any of the oblique cafes than in the nominative; as, rex, rēgis. Here re is called the increafe or crement, and fo through all the other cafes. The last syllable is never efteemed a crement.

Some nouns have a double increase, that is, increase by more fyllables than one; as, iter, itinĕris.

A noun in the plural is faid to increase, when in any case it has more fyllables than the genitive singular; as, gener, genĕri, genĕrōrum. Nouns of the first, fourth, and fifth declenfions, do not increase in the fingular number, anlefs where one vowel comes before an ether; as, fructus, fructui ; res, rši; which fall under Rule 1.

Third Declenfion.

8. Nouns of the third declenfion which increase, make a and o long; e, i, and u fhort; as, Pietātis, honōris ; muliĕris, lapidis, murmŭris.

The chief exceptions from this rule are marked under the form ation of the genitive in the third declenfion. But here perhaps it may be proper to be more particular.

A.

A noun in A shortens atis in the genitive; as, dogma, -ătis, poe13, -ǎtis.

0.

Oshortens inis, but lengthens ēnis and oxis; as, Cardo, -inis; Firgo, -inis; Anio, -ēnis; Cicero, -ōnis. Gentile or patrial nouns vary their quantity. Most of them shorten the genitive; as, Macedo, -onis; Saxo, -onis: Some are long; as, Surffiones, Vettones. Brittones, is common. 1. C. D.

I fhortens itis; as, Hydroměli, -itis. Es lengthens is; as, Halee

-Ecis.

A noun in D fhortens the crement; as, David, -idis.

L.

Mafculines in AL fhorten ălis; as, Sal, «älis; Hannibal, -ălis ; Hafdrubal, -ălis; but neuters lengthen it; as, animal, -ālis.

Solis from fol is long; alfo Hebrew words in el; as, Michael, -ēlis» Other nouns in / fhorten the crement; as, Vigil, -ilis; conful, -úlis.

N.

Nouns in ON vary the crement. Some lengthen it ; as, Helicon, -ōnis; Chiron, -onis. Some fhorten it; as, Memnon, -šnis; A&eon, -onis.

EN shortens inis; as, flumen, -inis; tibicen, -inis. Other nouns in N lengthen the penult. AN anis; as, Titan, -änis: EN ēnis; as, Si ren, -ēnis: IN inis; as, delphin, -īnis: YN ÿnis; as, Phorcyn, -ÿnis.

R.

1. Neuters in AR lengthen aris; as, calcar, -āris. Except the following, bacchar, -ăris; jubar, -ăris; nectar, -ăris: Alfo the adjective par, păris, and its compounds, impar, -ăris; difpar, -ăris, &c.

2. The following nouns in R lengthen the genitive, Nar, Nāris, the name of a river; fur, füris; ver, vēris: Alfo Recimer, -ēris; Byzer, -ēris; Ser, Seris; Iber, -ēris, proper names.

3. Greek nouns in TER lengthen teris; as, crater, eris; character, eris. Except æther, -ĕris.

4. OR lengthens oris; as, amor, -ōris. Except neuter nouns; as, marmor, -oris; æquor, -õris: Greek nouns in tor; as, Hector, oris; A&tor, -oris; rhetor, -ŏris: Alfo arbor, -ŏris; and memor, -ŏris.

5. Other nouns in R fhorten the genitive; AR aris, mafc.; as, Cæfar, -ăris; Hamilcar, -ăris; lar, läris.

T

ER eris of any gender; as, aer, aĕris; mulier, -ĕríse cadaver, -ĕris; iter, anciently itiner, itinĕris; verbĕris, from the obsolete verber. UR uris; as, vultur, -ŭris ; murmur, uris. YR gris; as, Martyr, -ğris.

A S.

1. Nouns in AS which have atis, lengthen the crement; as, pietas, -ātis; Macēnas, ātis. Except anas, -ătis.

2. Other nouns in AS shorten the crement; as, Greek nouns in ădis, ătis, and ănis; thus, Pallas, -ădis ; artocreas, -cătis; Melas, ănis, the name of a river. So vas, vŭdis; mas, măris: But vas, vāfis, is long.

E S.

ES fhortens the crement; as, miles, -itis; Ceres, ·ĕris ; pes, pedis.

Except locuples, -ētis ; quies, -ētis; manfues, -ētis, hæres, ēdis ; merces, -ēdis.

I S.

Nouns in IS fhorten the crement; as, lapis, -idis; Sanguis, inis; Phyllis, -idis.

Except Glis, gliris; and Latin nouns which have itis; as, lis, litis; dis, ditis; Quiris, itis; Samnis, -itis: But Charis, a Greek noun, has Charitis.

The following also lengthen the crement: Crenis, -īdis ; Pfophis, idis; Nefis, -idis, proper names. And Greek nouns in is, which have alfo in; as, Salŭmis, or -in, Sala

minis.

O $.

Nouns in OS lengthen the crement; as, nepos, -ōtis; flos, flōris.

Except Bos, bovis; compos, -õtis; impos, «õtis.

U S.

US fhortens the crement; as, tempus, -õris; tripus, -ŏdis. Except nouns which have udis, ūris, and ūtis; as, incus, ūdis; jus, jūris; falus, -ūtis. But Ligus has Liguris; the obfolete pecus, pecudis; and intercus, -ŭtis.

The neuter of the comparative has ōris; as, melius,

.ōris.

Y S.

YS fhortens ydis or ydos; as, chlamys, ydis, or ÿdos: and lengthens ynis; as, Trachys, ÿnis.