472 PROCEEDINGS OP THE AMERICAN ACADEMY. 



occurred to those who would blame him for using nascentia. Cicero 

 does iudeed avoid the use of a single abstract and has the somewhat 

 clumsy phrases ortus eius qui nascatur (Div. 2, 89), ortus nascentium 



(Div. 2, 91 ; see also Div. 2, 92; 94). For the Augustan period we 

 have no evidence, so far as I am aware, unless it be found in Vitruvius. 

 In Censorinus we have genesis {Nat. D. 13), in Tertullian genitura (De 

 Anima 25 Jin.). Pliny also employs both of these words, yet not in 

 connection with astrology (N. H. 36, 19; 18, 202), and Augustine uses 

 genitura like Pliny {Civ. D. 5, 3). Suetonius has genitura several times : 

 once in the general sense of ' birth ' (Nero 6), otherwise meaning ' horo- 

 scope ' or 'nativity ' ; he also has genesis at least twice in this sense. 

 For this Tertullian (Idol. 9) has nativitatem. Thus it appears that 

 except in Vitruvius we know of no early abstract used for ' birth ' 

 in connection with the horoscope, and that the late writers who have 

 occasion to speak of it do not use nascentia. Its occurrence in Vitru- 

 vius, therefore, cannot be taken as evidence of late authorship, but quite 

 the reverse, for a late writer would have used genitura or genesis. 

 There remain the three abstracts cited by Ussing which are really 

 not found elsewhere, 9 pervolitantia and crescentia. The first is the 

 expression by an abstract of the idea expressed by pervolitat (219, 10), 

 both employed of the revolution of the mundus or caelum. Abstracts in 

 -antia occur before Vitruvius's time : e. g. Jlagrautia (Plaut., Cic), incogi- 

 tantia (Plaut.), errantia (Ace), v ariantia (Lucr.). The second, crescen- 

 tia, is used three times, twice to denote the increasing length of the 

 hours on a dial (238, 14; 239, 3), and once of the increasing length of 

 days (238, 23). Both are employed technically and in their contexts are 

 no more objectionable than Cicero's indoleniia mentioned above. Of the 

 third abstract, Ussing uses the expression ' commensus = mensura.' But 

 this seems to be a misapprehension. Vitruvius has mensura fourteen 

 times, always in the simple meaning of 'measure' (see Nohl's Index), but 



commensus he employs ten times (ibid.), and never in that simple sense, 

 but always with the idea of comparative or proportionate measurement, 

 just as Cicero employs the verb commetior in Tim. 33 : siderum am- 

 bitus . . . inter se numero commetiuntur ; cf. Inv. 1, 39 ; nam saepe oportet 

 commetiri cum tempore negotium. Thus we have in Vitruvius a new 

 abstract employed as a technical term, and its appearance ought to be 

 no surprise at any period in an author who has so much to say on 



9 Of course lie might have cited others : see Cooper's lists. 



