Particularly of the LETTER SIFMA. 155 



III. In the formation of the Greek verb, where a fyftem of 

 the moft beautiful kind may be traced, the fingular or peculiar 

 power of llyi^a, is very confpicuous. 



t. It is always the charadteriflic of the firft future, in verbs that 

 are not liquid, a ftation which it maintains without a rival. Thus, 

 in pure verbs, rlui, honor 0, rlau, Xtica,folvo, xCtru, rifj/^ixca, honoro,Tii*,n<ra^ 

 (plxicii, amo, (ptkri<roi), TrX-zigoca, impleo, •x'kn^cjtru' in mute verbs, tXsxw, 

 plico, ■x'Xixa-iu, which is TXs|a>, (pivyut fug'to, (ptvyeru, which is <piv%(ii, 

 /3ifgjjft>j irrigo, /Sfe;^(r<y, which is (S^i^u' alfo, (2XiT(u, video, li'Kivffta, 

 which is /SXs^'S', r^'i^o, tero, r^ifBcrM, which is t^'i'^o), y^ccpM, fcribo, 

 y^a/pa-i), which is y^6i,-^c>>- and fo alfo in vei'bs ending in ru, 

 ^» and 6at in which the r, i, 9-, are rejeded before a-u of the fu^ 

 ture, as has been already obferved and exemplified *. 



2. It is never the proper charadleriftic letter of the prefent 

 tenfe, and therefore in that refpe(5t alfo it is fingular. There 

 are indeed a great many verbs which, end in ^a- and as it has 

 been faid that Z is compofed of ^?, &c. it may be fuppofed that tr is 

 here the charadleriftic of the prefent. But as in fomie verbs, 

 fuch as TV'!irT» and pi-jtra, the former of the two confonants, to 

 wit «", is reckoned the charaderiftic ; fo in fuch verbs as <Pe;oi-^of 

 and voy/iZco, i perhaps is the charaderiftic, as if they were 

 ^§a^<ru and iio[4,iiera) f. With refpedl to thofe verbs which end 



in 



* P. 1 ^o. It is to be remarked, that in pure and mute verbs, the r, which is the cha- 

 rafteriftic of the firft future aftive, is alio that of the firft aorifl adtive, the firft future, 

 and firft aorift middle j which it is needlefs to exemplify, as it is quite familiar, even to 

 young '.cholars. 



■f- hi the Doric dialeft, they are Pfariu and »o(«iV3W. X, however, is certainly the cha- 

 raSeriftic of their firft future, where t, J, S, are always thrown away. In this cafe, the 

 propriety of throwing out the S is apparent ; for, if it were retained, ifja^* would have 

 in the firft future (p^a^.-u, which is the fame with ii^tl^crcu' and ic-A^ui would have vafii^c-i^, 

 which is the fame with toij-ihc-u, wliere it is necefTary alfo to throw away the u- which came 

 from the prefent tenfe, on account of the s- which was alTumed by the formation as the 

 charafteriftlc of the future, and therefore the futures aifiually are (?§«5-iu and niiWu. See 

 this hinted at above, p. 127. note %. See likewife, Moor ElemaUa Ling. Gr. 



