GREEK PREPOSITIONS. 355 



kind, the Greek prepofition vfo denotes precifely fore objecl in re- 

 fpecl to. 



Thus we find, in refpecl to place. 'Emm irgo rS -rv^ajvoc, " he 

 11 flood before the door," — " he flood, — front object in refpecl 

 " to him, — the door." 



In refpecl to time. 'Eyinro ngo tS sreXe^s, " it happened 

 " before the war," — " it happened, — being a fore event in 

 " refpect to the war." 



In refpecT: to preference. 'Aoerri ngo •fcgnpa.rav, " virtue be- 

 " fore riches," — " virtue, an object in felection preceding riches." 



In refpecl: to defence or proteclion. Ugo ruv waitwv ^ ruv <yv- 

 vuikuv [Auxst&ai, " to fight in defence of wives and children," — 

 '* to fight, — being the front objedl in refpect to your wives and 

 " children." 



In transferring this original word Tragog from the Greek, the 

 Latins have been fo accurate as to form two prepofitions from 

 the primitive adjective ; prcz, derived from the feminine r^y, and 

 retaining the literal meaning of fore or before j and pro, derived 

 from the mafculine or neuter, ufed chiefly in the fecondary, 

 but more extended fenfe, anfwering to the Englifh /fl/*, on ac- 

 count of. 



I may add here, that our Englifh prepofition for, appears 

 to have a fimilar origin with the Greek irfo. ( jn the "Ertcc 

 Hrtgotna,, indeed, a different fource is ailigned to the Englifh 

 for j it is faid to be an abbreviation of the Saxon farina, a caufe. 

 Had Lord Monboddo or Mr Harris afcribed to it fuch a ge- 

 nealogy, how would Horne Tooke and Dr Beddoes have ri- 

 diculed the fancy of originating a prepofition from the abftract 

 and metaphyfical idea of caufation. In fact, this derivation 

 is far-fetched, and it evidently required no fmall draining 

 to twifl fome of the applications of for into the line of caufe 

 and effect *. Without going fo far, a plain and obvious 



origin 



* Thus, — " This may do for once, but not for ever," — " caufe once, — or caufe 

 " ever," would give hardly any fenfe. " It is -good for nothing," — what mean- 

 ing 



