on the Etymology of the word Sublimis. 355 



whose general acceptation is very remote from the literal mean- 

 ing of their component parts. 



But Dr PARR, aware that sub, derived from viro, would not 

 bend to his theory, by one of those stretches of imagination to 

 which etymologists usually have recourse when they are grie- 

 vously puzzled, derives it immediately from VTE^. I apprehend, 

 however, that, in no instance, is the Greek preposition wig ex- 

 pressed by any other Latin preposition than super in compound 

 words ; and the Roman writers never confounded super and sub 

 together. The learned Doctor, as I shall immediately shew, has 

 not attended to the relations which the preposition sub in com- 

 position frequently denotes. Let us examine some of his exam- 

 ples, and try whether the explanation given above of the Greek 

 preposition vvo, will not also apply to its Latin representative 

 sub : 



" Quantum vere novo viridis se subjicit alnus." VIRG. Ed. x. v. 74. 



SERVIUS, " Subjicit, vel sursum jacit, vel subter jacit." Suppose 

 we were to substitute superjacit for subjicit, what would be the 

 meaning of the term ? It would be asked, " throws itself over 

 or above" what ? Could this be the meaning of the poet when 

 he employed the compound verb subjicit 9 Assuredly not. Is 

 it not evident, that he meant to express " the progress in growth 

 which the alder makes at the commencement of spring, compa 

 red with its former low state ?" It shoots up, i. e. from a low to a 

 higher state. 



" Infraenant alii currus, aut corpora saltu 

 Subjiciunt in equos." VIRG. JEn. xn. v. 288. 



SERVIUS, " Subjiciunt in equos, super equos jaciunt ; sed proprie 

 non est locutus, magisque contrarie, nam subjicere est illiquid 

 subter jacere." Dr PARR thinks, that although the scholiast was 

 puzzled with the word subjiclunt, " he is confident in his ability 



