Heavy Construction
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Ablative of Source and Material.
403.
The Ablative (usually with a preposition) is
used to denote the Source from which anything is derived, or the Material
of which it consists: -
1. Source: -
- Rhénus oritur ex
Lepontiís (B. C. iv. 10), the Rhine rises in (from)
the country of the Lepontii.
- ab hís sermó oritur
(Lael. 5), the conversation is begun by (arises from) them.
- cûius ratiónis vim atque
útilitátem ex illó caelestí
Epicúrí volúmine accépimus (N. D. i. 43), of this reasoning we have learned the power and advantage
from that divine book of Epicurus.
- suávitátem odórum
quí afflárentur é flóribus (Cat. M. 59), the sweetness of the odors which breathed from the flowers.
2. Material: -
- erat tótus ex fraude et
mendáció factus (Clu. 72), he was entirely made
up of fraud and falsehood.
- valvás
mágnificentiórés, ex auró atque ebore
perfectiórés (Verr. iv. 124), more splendid
doors, more finely wrought of gold and ivory.
- factum dé cautibus
antrum (Ov. M. i. 575), a cave formed of rocks.
- templum de marmore
pónam (Georg. iii. 13), I'll build a temple of
marble.
NOTE 1: In poetry the preposition is often omitted.
NOTE 2: The Ablative of Material is a development of the
Ablative of Source. For the Genitive of Material, see §344.
a. Participles denoting birth or origin
are followed by the Ablative of Source, generally without a preposition:
-
[1][As nátus, satus, éditus,
genitus, ortus, prógnátus, generátus, crétus,
creátus, oriundus.]
- Iove nátus et
Mâiá (N. D. iii. 56), son of Jupiter and
Maia.
- édite régibus
(Ror. Od. i. 1.1), descendant of kings.
- quó sanguine
crétus (Aen. ii. 74), born of what blood.
- genitae Pandíone (Ov. M. vi. 666), daughters of Pandion.
NOTE 1: A preposition (ab, dé, éx) is usually expressed with pronouns, with the name
of
the mother, and often with that of other ancestors:
- ex mé híc natus nón est sed ex fratre
meó (Ter. Ad. 40), this is not my son, but my
brother's (not born from me, etc.).
- cum ex utrque [uxóre] fílius
utus esset (De Or. i. 183), each wife having had a son
(when a son had heen born of each wife).
- Bélus et omnés
Béló (Aen. i. 730), Beles and all his
descendants.
NOTE 2: Rarely, the place of birth is expressed by the
ablative of source: as, désíderávit C.
Flegínátem placentiá, A. Gránium
Puteolís (B. C. iii. 71), he lost Cajus Fleginas of
Plecentia, Aulus Granius of Puteoli.
NOTE 3: The Roman tribe is regularly expressed by the ablative
alone: - Q. Verrem
Rómiliá (Verr. i. 23), Quintus Verres of
the Romilian tribe.
b. Some verbs may take the Ablative of
Material without a preposition. Such are cónstáre, cónsistere, and
continérí.[2][The
ablative with cónsistere and
continérí is probably
locative in origin (cf. §431.)]
But with cónstáre,
ex is more common: -
- domús amoenitás
nón aedifició sed silvá
cónstábat (Nep. Att. 13), the charm of the house
consisted not in the buildings but in the woods.
- ex animó
cónstámus et corpore (Fin. iv. 19), we
consist of soul and body.
- víta corpore et
sptritú continétur (Marc. 28), life
consists of body and spirit.
c. The Ablative of Material without a
preposition is used with facere, fieri, and similar words, in the sense
of
do with, become of: -
- quid hóc homine
faciátis (Verr. iL 1.42), what are you going to do with
this man?
- quid Tulliolá meá
fíet (Fam. xiv. 4.8), what will become of my dear
Tullia?
- quid té futúrum
est (Verr. ii. 155), what will become of you?
d. The Ablative of Material with ex, and in poetry without preposition,
sometimes depends directly on a noun: -
For
Ablative of Source instead of Partitive Genitive, see §346. c.