LESSON XV
THE ABLATIVE DENOTING WITH
100. Of the various relations denoted by the ablative case (§50) there is none more important than that expressed in English by the preposition with. This little word is not so simple as it looks. It does not always convey the same meaning, nor is it always to be translated by cum. This will become clear from the following sentences:
- a. Mark is feeble with (for or because of) want of food
- b. Diana kills the beasts with (or by) her arrows
- c. Julia is with Sextus
- d. The men fight with great steadiness
a. In sentence a, with want (of food) gives the cause of Mark's feebleness. This idea is expressed in Latin by the ablative without a preposition, and the construction is called the ablative of cause:
- Mārcus est īnfīrmus inopiā cibī
b. In sentence b, with (or by) her arrows tells by means of what Diana kills the beasts. This idea is expressed in Latin by the ablative without a preposition, and the construction is called the ablative of means:
- Diāna sagittīs suīs ferās necat
c. In sentence c we are told that Julia is not alone, but in company with Sextus. This idea is expressed in Latin by the ablative with the preposition cum, and the construction is called the ablative of accompaniment:
- Iūlia est cum Sextō
d. In sentence d we are told how the men fight. The idea is one of manner. This is expressed in Latin by the ablative with cum, unless there is a modifying adjective present, in which case cum may be omitted. This construction is called the ablative of manner:
- Virī (cum) cōnstantiā magnā pugnant
101. You are now able to form four important rules for the ablative denoting with:
