§1.5.61ne in a quidem atque s litteras exire temere masculina Graeca nomina recto casu patiebantur, ideoque et apud Caelium legimus Pelia cincinnatus et apud Messalam bene fecit Euthia et apud Ciceronem Hermagora, ne miremur, quod ab antiquorum plerisque Aenea ut Anchisa sit dictus.
They did not rashly allow Greek masculine names to end in the letters 'a' and 's' in the nominative case; and therefore we read in Caelius 'Pelia cincinnatus', in Messala 'bene fecit Euthia', and in Cicero 'Hermagora', so that we should not wonder that 'Aenea' and 'Anchisa' were spoken by most of the ancients.
§1.5.62nam si ut Maecenas, Sufenas, Asprenas dicerentur, genitivo casu non e littera, sed tis syllaba terminarentur.
For if they were spoken as 'Maecenas', 'Sufenas', 'Asprenas', they would end in the genitive case not in the letter 'e', but in the syllable 'tis'.
inde Olympo et tyranno acutam syllabam mediam dederunt, quia duabus longis insequentibus primam brevem acui noster sermo non patitur.
Therefore they gave an acute accent to the middle syllable in 'Olympo' and 'tyranno', because our speech does not permit the first short syllable to be accented when two long syllables follow.
§1.5.63sic genitivus Ulixi et Achilli fecit, sic alia plurima.
Thus the genitive made 'Ulixi' and 'Achilli', and so very many others.
nunc recentiores instituerunt Graecis nominibus Graecas declinationes potius dare, quod tamen ipsum non semper fieri potest.
Now more recent writers have established the practice of rather giving Greek declensions to Greek names, which, however, cannot always be done.
mihi autem placet Latinam rationem sequi, quousque patitur decor.
But it pleases me to follow the Latin system as far as propriety permits.
neque enim iam Calypsonem dixerim ut Iunonem, quanquam secutus antiquos, C. Caesar utitur hac ratione declinandi.
For I would no longer say 'Calypsonem' like 'Iunonem', although C.
sed auctoritatem consuetudo superavit.
Caesar, following the ancients, uses this method of declining; but custom has conquered authority.
§1.5.64in ceteris, quae poterunt utroque modo non indecenter efferri, qui Graecam figuram sequi malet, non Latine quidem sed tamen citra reprehensionem loquetur.
In other cases, which can be uttered in either way without impropriety, he who prefers to follow the Greek figure will speak, if not in a Latin way, yet at least without censure.
§1.5.65simplices voces prima positione id est natura sua constant, compositae aut praepositionibus subiunguntur ut innocens (dum ne pugnantibus inter se duabus, quale est inperterritus; alioqui possunt aliquando continuari duae ut incompositus, reconditus et quo Cicero utitur subabsurdum), aut e duobus quasi corporibus coalescunt, ut maleficus.
Simple words consist of their first position, that is, of their own nature; compound words are either subjoined to prepositions, as 'innocens' (provided that two mutually conflicting prepositions are not joined, such as 'inperterritus'; otherwise, two can sometimes be continuous, as 'incompositus', 'reconditus', and 'subabsurdum', which Cicero uses), or coalesce from two as it were bodies, as 'maleficus'.
§1.5.66nam ex tribus nostrae utique linguae non concesserim; quamvis capsis Cicero dicat compositum esse ex cape si vis, et inveniantur qui Lupercalia aeque tres partes orationis esse contendant, §1.5.67quasi luere per caprum; nam solitaurilia iam persuasum est esse suouetaurilia, et sane ita se habet sacrum, quale apud Homerum quoque est.
For I would certainly not allow compounds from three words in our language; although Cicero says that 'capsis' is compounded of 'cape si vis', and some are found who contend that 'Lupercalia' likewise consists of three parts of speech, as if it were 'luere per caprum'; for it is already established that 'solitaurilia' is 'suouetaurilia', and indeed the sacrifice is of such a kind as is also found in Homer.
sed haec non tam ex tribus quam ex particulis trium coeunt.
But these coalesce not so much from three words as from particles of three.
ceterum etiam ex praepositione et duobus vocabulis dure videtur struxisse Pacuvius Nerei repandirostrum, incuruiceruicum pecus.
Otherwise, Pacuvius seems to have constructed harshly from a preposition and two nouns 'Nerei repandirostrum, incuruiceruicum pecus'.
§1.5.68iunguntur autem aut ex duobus Latinis integris ut superfui, subterfugi (quanquam ex integris an composita sint quaeritur), aut ex integro et corrupto ut malevolus, aut ex corrupto et integro ut noctivagus, aut ex duobus corruptis ut pedisecus, aut ex nostro et peregrino ut biclinium, aut contra ut epitogium et Anticato, aliquando et ex duobus peregrinis ut epiraedium.
But they are joined either from two whole Latin words, as 'superfui', 'subterfugi' (though it is questioned whether those made of whole words are compounds), or from a whole and a corrupted word, as 'malevolus', or from a corrupted and a whole word, as 'noctivagus', or from two corrupted words, as 'pedisecus', or from our own and a foreign word, as 'biclinium', or the reverse, as 'epitogium' and 'Anticato', sometimes also from two foreign words, as 'epiraedium'.
nam cum sit praepositio Graeca, raeda Gallicum: neque Graecus tamen neque Gallus utitur composito; Romani suum ex alieno utroque fecerunt.
For since the preposition is Greek, and 'raeda' Gallic, yet neither the Greek nor the Gaul uses the compound; the Romans made theirs from both foreign words.
§1.5.69frequenter autem praepositiones quoque compositio ista corrumpit: inde abstulit, aufugit, amisit, cum praepositio sit ab sola; et coit, cum sit praepositio con; sic ignaui et erepublica et similia.
Moreover, this composition frequently corrupts prepositions as well: hence 'abstulit', 'aufugit', 'amisit', since the preposition is 'ab' alone; and 'coit', since the preposition is 'con'; so 'ignavi' and 'erepublica' and the like.
§1.5.70sed res tota magis Graecos decet, nobis minus succedit, nec id fieri natura puto, sed alienis favemus; ideoque cum κυρταύχενα mirati simus, incurvicervicum vix a risu defendimus.
But the whole matter is more suited to the Greeks, and succeeds less with us; and I do not think this happens by nature, but we favor foreign things; and therefore, while we admire 'κυρταύχενα', we can scarcely defend 'incurvicervicum' from laughter.
§1.5.71propria sunt verba, cum id significant, in quod primo denominata sunt; translata, cum alium natura intellectum alium loco praebent.
Words are proper when they signify that for which they were first named; translated, when they offer one meaning by nature, and another by their place.
usitatis tutius utimur, nova non sine quodam periculo fingimus.
We use common words more safely, and we fashion new ones not without some danger.
nam si recepta sunt, modicam laudem adferunt orationi, repudiata etiam in iocos exeunt.
For if they are accepted, they bring moderate praise to our speech; if rejected, they even turn into jokes.
§1.5.72audendum tamen; namque, ut Cicero ait, etiam quae primo dura visa sunt, usu molliuntur.
Yet we must dare; for, as Cicero says, even those things which at first seemed harsh are softened by use.
sed minime nobis concessa est ὀνοματοποιία quis enim ferat, si quid simile illis merito laudatis λίγξε βιός et σίζ ὀφθαλμός fingere audeamus? nam ne balare quidem aut hinnire fortiter diceremus, nisi iudicio vetustatis niterentur.
But 'onomatopoeia' is least of all permitted to us; for who would endure it if we should dare to fashion anything similar to those deservedly praised phrases 'λίγξε βιός' and 'σῖζ᾽ ὀφθαλμός'? Indeed, we should not even say 'balare' or 'hinnire' with confidence, unless they relied on the judgment of antiquity.