GREEK PREPOSITIONS. ' 325 



fiance from the other, that they ceafe to be in any manner con- 

 neaed. A-Trihi^iv on ■^aoruvaa-iv aur^ kntl °tvfJ.S, (ThemIST.) " he 

 " fliewed that it was altogether contrary to his defire,"— " fhow- 

 «' ed that it was fo conftituted, that it was a point entirely di- 

 " ftant or remote in refped to his defire." 'Ouk k^o y^cij^m n^, 

 (Julian. Aug.). " it ^as not contrary to his mind,"—" it was 

 " not in the fituation that it was a remote or diftant pomt,— in 

 " regard to his fentiments." 'O a^o rh ^s'^Cilccg, (Vigerus), 

 " one who has finlfhed his embaify,"-" who is no longer an 

 " ambaffador,"— " who is now in fuch a ftate as to be remote 

 « or diftant in refpeft of the embalfy." 



The Latin prepofitions n, ab, it is well known, are merely the 

 prepofition «^o, in a mutilated form ; the radical meaning is 

 nearly, if not entirely the fame, being fometimes remote point, 

 when a or ab is ufed to exprefs>;;/ ; fometimes point of depar- 

 ture or outfet, when ufed to fignify by. Ahs, which has the fame 

 fenfe with a or ah, is the adjeaive iVos in a contraaed form. 

 Absque, which is juft ahs with the relative fubjoined, takes the 

 fenfe of remote or dijlant point only, and hence fignifies without. 

 Thus, " eplftola absque argumento,"— " a letter without an ar- 

 " gument ;"— " a letter,— rem.ote,— in refpea to which is argu- 

 " ment." '" Absque te viaoria eifet,"— " the viaory would be 

 " (obtained) without you,"—" the viaory,-you being remote 

 " in refpea to which,-though you were remote or at a di- 

 " ftance,— would be obtained." 



In thefe different fenfes of the Greek prepofition ««, we trace 

 a very fimilar analogy with what appears in the correfponding 

 EngHfh prepofition from. This Englifli prepofuion Horne 

 TooKE will have to be the Saxon frum, beginning. But from 

 fome of the very examples given by himfelf, and ftill more from 

 others that might have been adduced, it is cafy to fee how for- 

 ced and unfatisfaaory the analyfis of many fentences on this 

 fuppofition muft be. A different origin muft, therefore, be 

 ^^ fought 



