A is a Latin Termination; e, as and es, are Greek. Nouns in a and e are Feminine, in as and es Masculine. RULE. Filia, a Daughter; Nata, a Daughter; Dea, a Goddess; Anima, the Soul, with some others, have more frequently abus than is in their Dat. and Abl. plural, to distinguish them from Masculines in us of the second Declination.

↑ In declining Greek Nouns, observe the following Rules: 1. Greek Nouns in as, [and a have sometimes their Accusative [with the Poets] in an; as Eneas, Æneam, vel Ænean; Ossa, Ossam, vel Ossan.

2. Those in es have their Accusative in en, and their Vocative and Ablative in e : as,

Nom. Anchises,

Voc. Anchise,

Acc. Anchisen,

Abl. Anchise.

3. Nouns in e have their Genitive in es, their Accusative in

en, their Dative, Vocative and Ablative ine; as,

Dat. Penelope,

Nom. Penelope,

Voc. Penelope,

Abl. Penelope,

Gen. Penelopes,

Acc. Penelopen.

[As to the Dative of Words in e, I have followed Probus and Priscian, among the Ancients; Lilly, Alvarus, Vossius, Messieures de Port Royal, Johnson, &c. among the Moderns. And though none of them cite any Example, yet I remember to have observed three such Datives, viz. Cybele in Virg. Æn. XI. 768Penelope in Martial, Epig. XI. 8, 9; and Epigone in Reinesii Syntag. Inscript. Class. 14, Num. 85. But Diomedes and Despauter seem to be of Opinion, that these Nouns have a in their Dative. The reason that moved the former is, because they thought it incongruous, that seeing Nouns in e generally follow the Greek in all their other Cases, they should follow the Latin in their Dative only, especially since their Ablative, which answers to the Greek Dative, ends in e. As, on the contrary, they maintain, that if such Nouns have x in their Dative, it must come from a Nominative in a; of which there are some Examples yet extant: And then they may likewise have their Accusative in am; as, Penelopam, Circam, in Plautus; Lycambam in Terentianus Maurus. Thus Helenæ or Helenes, Helenam or Helenen, are frequently to be met with in Poets, who also turn such Words as commonly end in a into e in the Nominative and Vocative, when the Measure of their verse requires it. And here it may not be improper to remark, that even Greek words in es, have sometimes their Nominative and

Vocative in a, (whence comes their Genitive and Dative in æ.) And if Mr. Johnson's Citations are right, both es and e have sometimes their Accusative in em.]

Secunda Declinatio.

The Second Declension.

M. QUOMODO dignosci- M. HOW is the Second De

tur Secunda Declinatio?

clension known ?

D. Per Genitivum Singula-S. By the Genitive Singular

rem in i, et Dativum in 0.

in i, and Dative in o.

nes?

M. Quot habet Terminatio

M. How many Terminations

hath it?

S. Seven; er, ir, ur, us, um,

D. Septem; er, ir, ur, us,

um, os, on; ut,

os, on; as,

Gener, a Son-in-law: Vir, a Man; Satur, full; Dominus, a Lord; Regnum, a Kingdom; Synodos, a Synod; Allion, the

Island Albion, or Great Britain.

Gener, a Son-in-law, Masc.

After the same manner you may decline Puer, a Boy: Socer, a Father-in-law; Vir, a Man, &c. But Liber, a Book; Magister, a Master; Alexander, a Man's name: and most other Substantives in er, lose the e beforer: thus, Sing. Nom. Liber, Gen. libri, Dat. libro, Acc. librum, Voc. liber, Abl. libro; Plur. Nom. libri, Gen. librorum, &c.

I. The Nominative in us makes the Vocative in e; as, Ventus, vente.

II. Propria Nomina in žus II. Proper Names in ius lose perdunt us in Vocativo; ut, us in the Vocative; as, GeorGeorgius, Georgi.

gius, Georgi.

Filius hath also fili, and Deus hath Deus in the Vocative; and in the Plural more frequently Dii and Diis than Dei and

Deis.

The most common terminations of the Second Declension are er and us of the Masculine, and um of the Neuter Gender.

There is only one Noun in ir of this Declension, viz. Vir, a Man, with its compounds, Levir, Duumvir, Triumvir, &c. and only one in ur, viz. Satur, full (of old Saturus), an Adjective. Os and on, are Greek terminations, and generally changed into us and um in their Nominative. These, with other Greek Nouns in us, have sometimes their Accusative in on.

[We have excluded the termination eus from this Declension, as belonging more properly to the third; as, Orpheus, Orpheos, Orphei, Orphea, Orpheu: For when it is of the second Declension it is e-us of two syllables, and so falls under the termination us; Orphe-us, Orphe-i, (contracted Orphei and Orphi) Orthe-o, Orphe-um, (or Orphe-on, Orphe-o.]

Tertia Declinatio.

M. QUOMODO dignoscitur Tertia Declinatio?

D. Per Genitivum singularem in is, et Dativum in i.

The Third Declension.

M. How is the third Declension known ?

S. By the Genitive singular in is, and Dative in i.

M. Quot habet Terminatio- | M. Horo many Terminations

nes seu Syllabas finales ?

D. Septuaginta et unam.

M. Quot habet Literas fina

les ?

D. Undecim; a, e, o, c, d,l, n, r, s, t, x; ut,

or final Syllables hath it ?
9. Seventy and one.

M. Horv many final Letters hath it?

S. Eleven; a, e, o, c, d, 1, n, r, s, t, x: as,

Diadema, a Crown; Sedile, a Seat; Sermo, a Speech; Lac, Milk; David, a Man's Name; Animal, a living Creature; Pecten, a Comb; Pater, a Father; Rupes, a Rock; Caput, the Head; Rex, a King.

Of the final Letters of the third Declension, six are peculiar to it, o, c, d, l, t, x, the other five are common to other Deciensions, viz. a, e, n, r, s.

The copious final Letters are, o, n, r, 8, x.

The copious final Syllables are, io, do, go, en, er, or, as, es, is, os, us, ns, rs, ex.

All Nouns in a of this Declension are originally Greek, and have always an m before it. There are only two words inc; Lac, Milk; and Halec, a Herring. Words in d are proper Names of Men, and very rare. There are only three words in t, viz. Caput, the Head; Sinciput, the Fore-head; Occiput, the Hind-head.

1. The terminations er, or, os, o, n

Masculine.

2. The terminations io, do, go, as, es, is, ys, -are- Feminine. aus, x, and s after a Consonant,

3. The terminations a,c,e,l,men,ar,ur,us,ut,

Neuter.

But from these there are many Exceptions. NOTE 1. That for the most part the Genitive hath a Syllable more than the Nominative; and where it is otherwise, they generally end in e, es, or is.

NOTE 2. That whatever Letter or Syllable comes before is in the Gen. must run through the other Cases [except the Acc. and Voc. Sing. of Neuters] as Thema,-ais, ati, ate, a Theme; Sanguis, -guinis, Blood; Iter, -tineris, a Journey; Carmen -minis, a Verse; Judex dicis, a Judge.

REGULE.

1. Nomina in e, et Neutra in el et ar, habent i in Ablativo.

RULES.

1. Nouns in e, and Neuters in al and ar, have i in the Ablative.

2. Quæ habent e tantum, in 2. Those which have e only Ablativo, faciunt Genitivum in the Ablative, make their Gen pluralem in um,

3. Quæ habent i tantum, vel e et i simul, faciunt ium.

itive plural in um.

3 Those which have i only, or

e and i together, make ium.

4. Neutra quæ habent e in 4. Neuters which have e in Ablativo singulari, habent a in their Ablative singular, have a Nominativo, Accusativo, Vocativo plurali.

et in the Nominative, Accusative, and Vocative plural.

5. At quæ habent i in Abla- 5. But those which have i in tivo, faciunt iz.

Athe Ablative, make ia.

1. FXCEPTIONS IN THE ACCUSATIVE SINGULAR.

1. Some Nouns in is have im in the Accusative; as, Vis, vim, Strength; Tussis, the Cough; Sitis, Thirst; Buris, the Beam of a Plough; Ravis, Hoarseness; Amussis, a Mason's Rulea To which add names of Rivers in is; as, Tybris, Thamesis, which the Poets sometimes make in in.

2- Some in is have em or im; as, Navis, a Ship; Puppis, the Stern; Securis, an Axe; Clavis, a Key; Febris, a Fever; Pela vis, a Bason; Restis, a Rope; Turris, a Tower; Navem vel Navim, &c.