90 ROLFE— THE USE OF DEVICES FOR 



likely to be marked than another. The figures for the use of the 

 apex in the M. A. are given by Christiansen-- as follows : 



a o e u i ae 



157 102 65 49 1 1 



If we subtract the total of these, 365, from the total number of 

 marks, 487, we get 112 as the number of tall I's, giving that letter 

 second place. In IX., 3060, all the apices, four in number, are on 

 the letter a, but no stress is to be laid upon this, and there seems to 

 be no reason for marking one long vowel more frequently than an- 

 other; in VI., 6191, all the apices are on final 0. 



In the M. A., and the same thing seems to be true of some other 

 inscriptions, the marks show a decided tendency to flock together. 

 Sometimes entire sections have few indications of quantity {e.g., I., 4, 

 with the exception of the first two lines, I., 5; I., 13, the latter part 

 of II., 8; IV., 22, and IV., 30) ; others, on the contrary, have many 

 marks, such as III., 14; IV., 23, etc. It is very common for two 

 successive words in agreement to have marks, whether the vowels are 

 the same, as in aurf coronarj, triumphos meos, ea pecunia ; or differ- 

 ent, as in reditu meo, octingentos pedes, curul/s triumphos. In some 

 instances three successive words are marked, as summa sacra via, or 

 we find two successive words with two marks each, as curia lulia, 

 Di\i luh". An example of striking inconsistency appears in V., 28, 

 in the phrase " in Africa, Sicilia, Macedonia utraque Hispania . . . 

 Asia, Syria, Gallia Narbonensi, Pisidia," where it is difficult to see 

 why three of the ablatives should be marked and the others not. 



We may also note a tendency to mark series of words which are 

 not in agreement, such as impensa grandi refeci and rivos aquarum 

 compluribus locis vetustate labentes refeci (both in IV., 20). Since 

 the endings -orum and -arum are often marked, the absence of a 

 mark on aquarum is also noteworthy. In III., 16, we have a very 

 long series: pecuniam (pro) agris, quos in consulatu meo quarto et 

 postea consulibus M. C(rasso e)t Cn. Lentulo augure absignavi mili- 

 tibus, solvi miinicipis. At first thought the eleven marks in two lines 

 and a half seem no more remarkable than their omission in the words 

 consulibus . . . augure, but as a matter of fact the latter phrase, 

 although of some length, contains only two long vowels. Moreover, 



22 L. c, p. 13. 



