The intermediate character of the dative case betwixt the accusative and the use of a governing preposition is confirmed by this circumstance, (especially as it is appa rently accidental,) that, in the English language, which has no termination or peculiar form of the noun for ex pressing the dative case, it is sometimes expressed by the preposition to, and at other times by the noun in the same form which constitutes the accusative. We say I sent a letter to hint," or, I sent him a letter." " Give him the money," or, " Give the money to him." The Ablative case of the Latin language has been often considered as possessing a variety of powers. Sometimes one of these, sometimes another, has been selected as its original characteristic. Those who first assigned this case its present name have considered its original, or at least its most conspicuous application, as equivalent to the En glish preposition from, representing the object expressed by the noun as the point of commencement of motion. The author of Grammar, in Hees's Cyclopedia, describes it as denoting the instrument or medium by which an action is effected, and, of course, considers its meaning as most clearly expressed in such sentences as scribo calamo, "1 `write with a pen." This account of that case, however, will not apply to every sentence in which it occurs. We suspect that any detailed attempt to make instrumentality the universal characteristic of the ablative would involve the subject in ioextricable confusion. The writer in the Fury clop dia Brit annica, impressed with the hopelessness of all attempts to reduce the meaning of the ablative to any one species of relation, describes it as implying nothing more than the simple mention of concomitance. The noun which is put in the ablative may either represent a cause, an instiument, some circumstance of manner, a portion of time, or some other relation ; but any one of these is infer red from the nouns employed, and from the evident mu tual relations of the words composing the sentence, and not simply from the ablative case. These aids to the meaning are also rather to be regarded as limiting the generality of the case than as correcting any ambiguity. The objec tion to which this theory is open is, that it is too general to indicate a distinction betwixt this and the other cases of the noun. All the circumstances brought together by words in a sentence may be represented as concomitant. Something further seems necessary for the purposes of precision. The peculiarity of the ablative seems to be, that it is the only case which expresses a concomitant cir cumstance by a noun alone. It is an abbreviating conni vance hr dispensing with the introduction of another verb. Scribo calamo is used instead of scribo et habeo calamom, calamus est mini, or nzoveo calamum. The pen is merely mentioned in the ablative to supply the place of these cir cumlocutions.
In an example quoted by the last mentioned author, templum elamore petebant, clamour is represented only as concomitant with the action of going to the temple. These mere concomitances arc called by grammarians the man ner.
When we say pallet) metu, fear is merely mentioned as a concomitant circumstance with the paleness. Yet it is intended to signify, from the natural connection betwixt paleness and fear, that the latter is the cause, and the in ference is instantly made. It is because such inferences are drawn with the utmost readiness, and without any sen sible interval of time, that grammarians have been deceiv ed into the belief that the meaning inferred is fully ex pressed by the ablative case.
The expression of this variety of concomitant circum stances by the ablative without the intervention of an in termediate word, for the sake of connecting the noun with the preceding words, has obtained for some of its uses the designation of the ablative absolute; as in the phrases Illo manna; C'aio et Cassio consulibus. might be consider ed as absolute in its other uses, as in the annexation of cause, manner, instrument, or time. When an historian says hoc anno forztit, it is from the word animus, and not simply from the ablative case, that the idea of time is in ferred by the hearer.
Attempts are sometimes made in the English language to follow the Latin idiom of using nouns in a form thus absolute ; and the nominative or simple form of the noun, is employed instead of the ablative; but when we express the cause, the manner, or the instrument, we always in troduce definite prepositions; hence it is translated in our language sometimes in, sometimes by, 'with, or from, and its meaning is rendered more special than in the origi nal Latin. It is scarcely necessary to mention, however,
that even in Latin it may also be preceded by preposi tions, though it does not necessarily require them. 'We may say either se gessit summa coin f.ruclentia, or auniaid prudentiel.
Some verbs govern the ablative as a single case, that is, with the apparent meaning of the accusative. These are chiefly neuter or deponent verbs. They seem to have ori ginally been of the intransitive kind, and afterwards made to govern a noun in this slightly connected and least de pendent of the cases. As gaudere " to rejoice," gaudere felicitate alicujus "to rejoice, the happiness of another be ing a concomitant event," which evidently would not be mentioned in this connection except as the cause of the joy. The vetbfruor, in all probability, was originally pas sive in meaning as well as in form, and is capable of being translated " I am privileged," or " I am rendered happy:" freer vita, " I am rendered happy in life," or " I enjoy life." Potiri viribus," to be made rich by, or to possess, power." The ablative is sometimes subordinate to an adjective, as inolis ratione, needy with respect to reason," translat ed " void of reason." It is also governed by certain prepositions. Among these there are some that are also used in such a manner as to terminate the meaning without being followed by any noun ; for example, clam " privately," and pa/am " openly." Clam Ccesare is as to Caesar," afterwards translated " without the knowledge of Caesar." It is indeed true that even such prepositions as govern the accusative are some times used in the same manner as adverbs, that is, without any subjoined noun. This is the case with juxta and con tra. But some difference may here he perceived ; juxta and contra always refer to some specific object previously mentioned ; clam and Palanz may be wholly general.
Some illustration of the ablative as compared with the accusative case may be derived from this consideration, that all the prepositions which denote that an action or mo tion terminates in the object signified by the governed noun, govern the accusative, as ad "to," contra " against," in" into ;" they have thus a general analogy to active tran sitive verbs; while all those which denote that the object signified by the governed noun is the point at which mo tion commences, govern the ablative, as a and ab " from," c and ex of ;" and, finally, those which denote fixed posture or condition are in their regimen distributed be twixt these two cases. ?nte " before," apud "at," sccus "along," citra "on this side of," and some others, govern the accusative ; while cum" with," pro " for," prx " be fore," govern the ablative. But, though no uniform cir cumstance of syntax marks these last mentioned preposi tions, some motive must have directed the persons by whom the language was modified to prefer in each instance one of the cases to the other. If we should suppose that they were derived from pre-existing verbs, the regimen would depend on the genus of each original verb. Pre positions governing the accusative are those which are most completely prepared for a transition of thought to the noun, and thus possess the most complete active ener gy. Juxta, for example, may be held equivalent in force to jungentia" joining," aped to the word " accompanying," contra to the word " opposing." Those which govern the ablative must have been considered as more passive, lead ing by a more leisurely transition to the subsequent noun. Cum might be considered as equivalent to " accompanied." The meanings of these prepositions may be expressed either in an active or a passive form. Circum may be analysed into " surrounding," and thus it governs the ac cusative. If it had originated from some such passive participle as " penetrated," it would have governed the ab lative. This variety of syntax might sometimes be found ed in etymology, and sometimes the result of arbitrary fancy.