GREEK PREPOSITIONS. 325 



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

 nected. Av&stZsv on na,vrcc7rcx,<riv ccvra cctto §vf/,S, (THEMIST.) " he 

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

 <l ed that it was fo conftituted, that it was a point entirely di- 

 " ftant or remote in refpect to his defire." 'Ou% cctq yvupns nv, 

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

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

 " regard to his fentiments." 'O ano ryg v-gio-Ciiag, (Vigerus), 

 " one who has finifhed his embaffy," — " who is no longer an 

 " ambafTador," — " who is now in fiich a ftate as to be remote 

 " or diftant in refpect of the embafly." 



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

 prepofition wro, 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 from ; fometimes point of depar- 

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

 fenfe with a or ab, is the adjective cl^og in a contracted form. 

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

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

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

 " gument j" — " a letter, — remote, — in refpect to which is argu- 

 " ment." " Absque te victoria effet," — " the victory would be 

 il (obtained) without you," — " the victory, — you being remote 

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

 " ftance, — would be obtained." 



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

 a very fimilar analogy with what appears in the correfponding 

 Englifh prepofition from. This Englifh prepofition Horne 

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

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

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

 ced and unfatisfactory the analyfis of many fentences on this 

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



fought 



