The Ablative (usually with a preposition) is used to denote the Source from which anything is derived, or the Material of which it consists:—
-
Source:—
-
Rhēnus oritur
ex Lepontiīs
(B. G. 4.10)
,
the Rhine rises in
(from)
the country of the Lepontii.
-
ab hīs
sermō oritur
(Lael. 5)
,
the conversation is begun by
(arises from)
them.
-
cûius ratiōnis vim atque ūtilitātem
ex
illō caelestī Epicūrī
volūmine
accēpimus
(N. D. 1.43)
,
of this reasoning we have learned the power and advantage from that divine book of Epicurus.
-
suāvitātem odōrum quī afflārentur
ē flōribus
(Cat. M. 59)
,
the sweetness of the odors which breathed from the flowers.
-
Material:—
-
erat tōtus
ex fraude
et
mendāciō
factus
(Clu. 72)
,
he was entirely made up of fraud and falsehood.
-
valvās māgnificentiōrēs,
ex aurō
atque
ebore
perfectiōrēs
(Verr. 4.124)
,
more splendid doors, more finely wrought of gold and ivory.
-
factum
dē cautibus
antrum
(Ov. M. 1.575)
,
a cave formed of rocks.
-
templum
dē marmore
pōnam
(Georg. 3.13)
,
I'll build a temple of marble.
In poetry the preposition is often omitted.
The Ablative of Material is a development of the Ablative of Source. For the Genitive of Material, see §
344
.
Participles denoting
birth
or
origin
are followed by the Abla tive of Source, generally without a preposition:—
As
nātus
,
satus
,
ēditus
,
genitus
,
ortus
,
prōgnātus
,
generātus
,
crētus
,
creātus
,
oriundus
.
-
Iove
nātus et
Mâiā
(N. D. 3.56)
,
son of Jupiter and Maia.
-
ēdite
rēgibus
(Hor. Od. 1.1.1)
,
descendant of kings.
-
quō
sanguine
crētus
(Aen. 2.74)
,
born of what blood.
-
genitae
Pandīone
(Ov. M. 6.666)
,
daughters of Pandion.
A preposition (
ab
,
dē
,
ex
) is usually expressed with pronouns, with the name of the mother, and often with that of other ancestors:—
-
ex mē
hīc nātus nōn est sed
ex frātre
meō
;
(
Ter. Ad. 40
),
this is not my son, but my brother's
(not born from me, etc.).
-
cum
ex utrāque
[uxōre] fīlius nātus esset
(De Or. 1.183)
,
each wife having had a son
(when a son had been born of each wife).
-
Bēlus et omnēs
ā Bēlō
(Aen. 1.730)
,
Belus and all his descendants.
Rarely, the place of birth is expressed by the ablative of source: as,—
dēsīderāvit
C. Flegīnātem
Placentiā
, A.
Grānium Puteolīs
(B. C. 3.71)
,
he lost Caius Fleginas of Placentia
,
Aulus Granius of Puteoli.
The Roman tribe is regularly expressed by the ablative alone: as,— Q.
Verrem Rōmiliā
(Verr. 1.23)
,
Quintus Verres of the Romilian tribe.
Some verbs may take the Ablative of Material without a preposition. Such are
cōnstāre
,
cōnsistere
, and
continērī
.
The ablative with
cōnsistere
and
continērī
is probably locative in origin (cf. §
431
).
But with
cōnstāre
,
ex
is more common:—
-
domūs amoenitās nōn
aedificiō
sed
silvā
cōnstābat
(Nep. Att. 13)
,
the charm of the house consisted not in the buildings but in the woods.
-
ex animō
cōnstāmus et
corpore
(Fin. 4.19)
,
we consist of soul and body.
-
vīta
corpore
et
spīritū
continētur
(Marc. 28)
,
life consists of body and spirit.
The Ablative of Material without a preposition is used with
facere
,
fierī
, and similar words, in the sense of
do with, become of:—
-
quid hōc
homine
faciātis
(Verr. 2.1.42)
,
what are you going to do with this man?
-
quid
Tulliolā
meā fīet
(Fam. 14.4.3)
,
what will become of my dear Tullia ?
-
quid
tē
futūrum est
(Verr. 2.155)
,
what will become of you?
The Ablative of Material with
ex
, and in poetry without a preposition, sometimes depends directly on a noun:—
-
nōn pauca pōcula
ex aurō
(Verr. 4.62)
,
not a few cups of gold.
-
scopulīs
pendentibus antrum
(Aen. 1.166)
,
a cave of hanging rocks.
For Ablative of Source instead of Partitive Genitive, see §
346
.
c.
Ablative of Cause
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