in the Composition of Nouns and Adjectives. 83 



prove that Ovid was wrong, both in his fact and his inference. 

 The whole passage of Aulus Gellius, in which reference is made 

 to Gall us is so judicious, and especially applicable to us in the 

 present day, that I willingly introduce it without mutilation, 

 " There are many words which we commonly use, of which we 

 do not clearly know the true and proper meaning ; so that, fol- 

 lowing common tradition, without examination, we rather ima- 

 gine that we say what we intend, than say it in reality. This is 

 the case with vestibulum, a word in general use, yet not well un- 

 derstood by those who use it so readily. For I have observed, 

 that persons by no means illiterate believe the vestibulum to be 

 the lobby (prima domus pars, " the but-end"), commonly called 

 the atrium. C. ^Elius Gallus, in his second book, ' Concern- 

 ing the signification of Words connected with Civil Law,' writes, 

 that the ' vestibulum was not in the mansion, nor a part of it, but 

 a vacant space before the door, through which was the approach 

 from the street to the house * * * the door itself is thrown back, 

 having a vacant space between it and the street*.'" Gellius 

 then proceeds to treat with contempt the numerous although 

 absurd explanations of the word (under which Ovid's must be 

 included), and to give the preference to that of Sulpicius Apol- 

 linaris, who derived it from vce, with its supposed increasing 

 force, and stabulum, on the same principle as prostibulum and 

 naustibulum were formed : " Because those of old who built large 



* " Pleraque sunt vocabula, quibus vulgo utiinur, neque tamen liquido scimus 

 quid ea proprie atque vere significent, sed incompertam et vulgariam traditionem rei 

 non exploratse secuti, videmur magis dicere quod volumus quam dicimus ; sicuti est 

 vestibulum, verbum in sermonibus celebre atque obvium, non omnibus tamen qui 

 illo facile utuntur satis spectatum. Animadverti enim quosdam haudquaquam in- 

 doctos viros opinari vestibulum esse partem domus priorem. quam vulgus atrium 

 vocat. C. tElius Gallus, in libro " De Significatione Verborum quag ad Jus Ci- 

 vile pertinent - " secundo, " vestibulum esse dicit non in ipsis asdibus, neque partem 

 tedium, sed locum ante januam domus vacuam, per quern a via aditus accessusque 

 ad sedes est.' 1 * * * " Atque ipsa janua procul a via est, area vacanti inter sita." 



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