96 “On the UTILITY of defining 
feems to have originally expreffled an effort to come at objeéts 
not within reach, and to have been transferred from material 
objects to intellectual conceptions. Its primitive power appears - 
in fuch inftances as the two following: “ Sciebam CaTILINAM 
“ non latus aut ventrem, fed caput et collum fetere folere*.’' 
— Malo me GataT#a petit, lafciva puella +.” 
Tue power of petere, thus limited, appears to have been after- 
wards extended, fo as to exprefs a defire, accompanied with an 
effort to obtain any objet whatever ; and thus the original idea 
of bodily exertion was loft in that of the eagernefs of any pur- 
fuit. Candidates for offices at Rome were faid petere magiftra- 
tus; and from a fenfe of the value, as well as of the difficulty 
of obtaining the object, they were keen in the purfuit of it. 
From a paflage in Horace, it fhould feem, that any means 
for the acquifition of an object that are lefs than coercive, may 
be exprefled by the verb fetere. 
——— Casar, qui cogere poffet, 
Si peteret per amicitiam patris atque fuam, non 
Quidquam proficeret {. 
Nothing more is fuggefted here by petere, than Czsar’s keen- 
nefs to hear this mufician perform. It were abfurd to fuppofe, 
that the Emperor, who poffefled the power of compulfion, 
would ever ftoop to beg the favour, according to SERVviUS, 
** humiliter et cum precibus.’’ 
PosTULARE differs from petere, in as far as it fuggefts nei- 
ther keennefs nor difficulty in the acquifition of the object. Be- 
fides the fentiment of defire, which is common to all the five 
verbs compared, the idea of claim, which is manifeftly not in- 
herent in either of the two former, is eflential to pofulare. Upon 
a proper limitation of this claim, however, a due apprehenfion 
of the power of the verb depends. 
THE 
* Cic. pro Muren, 136. 6. + Vins. Ec, 3 64, t+ Hon. S. 1. 3, 4 
