to discriminate between them, but that, recognising generally the original affinity of the Umbrian and Oscan nations, we should consider the Sabine words which have been transmitted to us, as belonging, not so much to the Umbrian idiom, as to the complex Sabello-Oscan language, which prevailed throughout the whole of southern Italy. And this view of the matter is farther justified by the fact, that a great many of these words are quoted, not only as Sabine, but also as Oscan. It is true that some particular words are quoted as Sabine, which are not found in Oscan inscriptions, and not known to be Oscan also; but we cannot form any general conclusions from such isolated phenomena, especially as a great many of these words are Latin as well. All that it proves is simply this, that there were provincialisms in the Sabine territory properly so called. Still less can we think with Müller (Etrusk. I. p. 42), that the Sabine language is the un-Greek element in the Oscan; for many of these words have direct connexions with Greek synonyms, as Müller himself has admitted. There are no Sabine inscriptions as such. The Marsian inscription, quoted by Lanzi, and which Niebuhr thought unintelligible (I. 105, ad not. 333), is Oscan, if it ought not rather to be called old Latin. In the following observations, then, for the materials of which I am largely indebted to the writings of Professor Klenze (Philologische Abhandlungen, Berlin, 1839,) and of Theodor Mommsen (Unteritalischen Dialekte, Leipsig, 1850), the Sabine and Oscan will be treated in conjunction with one another. Before proceeding to consider the Oscan inscriptions, it may be as well to give an alphabetical list of those words which are cited by old writers as Sabine, Oscan, or both. § 2. Alphabetical list of Sabello-Oscan words, with their interpretation. Alpus, Sab. Fest. p. 4, Müller: "Album, quod nos dicimus, a Græco, quod est aλpóv, est appellatum. Sabini tamen alpum dixerunt.” Anxur. Plin. H. N. III, 5: "flumen Ufens-lingua Volscorum Anxur dictum." Aurelius. Vide s. v. Sol. Aurum, Sab. Fest. p. 9: "Aurum-alii a Sabinis translatum putant, quod illi ausum dicebant." p. 255: Diod. XVI. 15. Cascus, Casinus, Casnar, Sab. Osc. Varro, L. L. VII. § 28: "Cascum significat vetus; ejus origo Sabina, quæ usque radices in Oscam linguam egit." § 29: "Item ostendit quod oppidum vocatur Casinum; hoc enim ab Sabinis orti Samnites tenuerunt, et nunc nostri etiam nunc Casinum forum vetus appellant. Item significant in Atellanis aliquot Pappum senem, quod Osci Casnar appellant." These words probably contain the Sanser. root cas-, "white," which also appears in κaðapós, cas-tus, &c. Cānus is also to be referred to this class (comp. co-esna, cœna, &c.), and stands related to candidus, as plēnus does to s-plendidus. According to Pott (Etym. Forsch. II. 109), cas-nar is a compound word, containing the roots cas-, “old,” and nrì, "man." Lobeck thinks (Paralip. p. 22 n.) that Casnar is for canus, as Cæsar and Caso for Casus. Catus, Sab. Varro, L. L. VII. § 46: "Cata acuta; hoc enim verbo dicunt Sabini." Crepusculum, Sab. Varro, L. L. VI. § 5: "Secundum hoc dicitur crepusculum a crepero. Id vocabulum sumpserunt a Sabinis, unde veniunt Crepusci nominati Amiterno, qui eo tempore erant nati, ut Lucii prima luce. In Reatino crepusculum significat dubium; ab eo res dictæ dubiæ creperæ, quod crepusculum dies etiam nunc sit an jam nox, multis dubium." § 77: "Crepusculum ab Sabinis, quod id dubium tempus noctis an diei sit." Comp. Festus, s. v. Decrepitus, p. 71, Müller. The root of this word seems to be contained in the Sanser. kshapas, Greek κvépas (see New Crat. § 160). Cumba, Sab. Festus, p. 64: "Cumbam Sabini vocant eam, quam militares lecticam, unde videtur derivatum esse cubiculum." Comp. Varro, L. L. V. § 166, and Gloss. MS. Camberon. (Voss. Vit. Serm. p. 419): “Čumba dicitur lectica a cubando.” Cupencus, Sab. Serv. ad En. XII. 538: "Sane sciendum, cupencum Sabinorum lingua sacerdotem vocari: sunt autem cupenci Herculis sacerdotes." VII. Curis, Quiris, Sab. Ovid. Fast. II. 475: "Sive quod hasta curis priscis est dicta Sabinis." Varro (ap. Dion. Hal. II. p. 109, Huds.): Κύρεις γὰρ οἱ Σαβίνοι τὰς αἰχμὰς καλοῦσι ταῦτα μὲν οὖν Τερέντιος Ουάῤῥων γράφει. Macrob. Sat. I. 9: "Quirinum quasi bellorum potentem, ab hasta, quam Sa bini curim vocant." Festus, p. 49: "Curis est Sabine hasta. Unde Romulus Quirinus, quia eam ferebat, est dictus." Ibid: "Curitim Junonem appellabant, quia eandem ferre hastam putabant." p. 63: "Quia matronæ Junonis Curitis in tutela sint, quæ ita appellabatur a ferenda hasta, quæ lingua Sabinorum Curis dicebatur." (Comp. Müller, Etrusk. II. p. 45, and Festus, p. 254.) Servius, Æn. I. 296: "Romulus autem Quirinus ideo dictus est, vel quod hasta utebatur, quæ Sabinorum lingua Curis dicitur: hasta enim, i. e. curis, telum longum est, unde et securis, quasi semi-curis." Isidor. IX. 2, 84: "Hi et Quirites dicti, quia Quirinus dictus est Romulus; quod semper hasta utebatur, quæ Sabinorum lingua quiris dicitur." Cf. Plutarch. Vit. Romul. 29. If curis meant 66 lance," as these authorities indicate, its meaning was derived from the definition of a lance as "a headed or pointed staff." The analogies suggested by Pott (Et. Forsch. I. 263, II. 533) do not lead to any satisfactory result. Some confusion arises in the mind from a comparison of Quirites, (curia), curiatii, “ the full citizens or hoplites,” with κούρητες, κύριοι, κοίρανοι Kovρoι, Kovρidios-words denoting "headship" or "personal rank." Comp. New Cratylus, § 330; Welcker, Theognis, p. xxxiii.; Lobeck, Aglaopham. p. 1144, not. c., and ad Soph. Aj. 374, 2d edit.; and above p. 24. a Cyprus, Sab. Varro, L. L. V. § 159: "Vicus Cyprius (Liv. I. 48) a cypro, quod ibi Sabini cives additi consederunt, qui a bono omine id appellarunt; nam cyprum Sabine bonum." The word probably contains the same element as the Persian khub (), "good" or "fair." As Kupra was the Etruscan Juno, (Strabo, p. 241), this word must have belonged to the Umbrian element common to both languages. Dalivus, Osc. Fest. p. 68: "Dalivum supinum ait esse Aurelius, Elius stultum. Oscorum quoque lingua significat insanum. Santra vero dici putat ipsum, quem Græci deíλacov, i. e. propter cujus fatuitatem quis misereri debeat." Comp. Hesych., Aaλis, uwpós; and see Blomf. ad Æsch. Eumen. 318. Labb. Gloss. daunum, appova, where Scaliger reads dalivum. Diana, Sab. Vide sub v. Feronia. Dirus, Umbr. et Sab. Serv. ad En. III. 235: "Sabini et Umbri, quæ nos mala dira appellant." This word seems to be the same in effect as the Gr. devós. Falacer (cf. alacer). Varro, L. L. V. § 84, (cf. VII. § 45): "flamen Falacer a divo patre Falacre." It is supposed by Mommsen that this word was Sabine, because Vespasian's Sabine birth-place was Falacrine or Falacrinum. If so the word must have belonged to the Umbrian element common to the Sabine and Etruscan: for Varro tells us here that Falacer was divus pater, or Jupiter, and we learn expressly that falandum was the Etruscan equivalent to cœlum (Fest. p. 88). Famel, Osc. Fest. p. 87: "Famuli origo ab Oscis dependet, apud quos servus famel nominabatur, unde et familia vocata." Comp. Müller, Etrusker, I. p. 38. Benfey (Wurzel-Lex. II. 20) would connect fa-mel for fag-mel with the Sanscrit root bhag', "to honour;" Sclav. bog, "god;" Russ. bog'-itj, “to honour." Fasena, Sab. Varro (ap. Vet. Orthogr. p. 2230 P.): "Siquidem, ut testis est Varro, a Sabinis fasena dicitur." p. 2238: 'Itaque harenam justius quis dixerit, quoniam apud antiquos fasena erat, et hordeum, quia fordeum, et, sicut supra diximus, hircos, quoniam firci erant, et hædi, quoniam fœdi." The ancients, however, often omitted the aspirate in those words which originally had f. Quinctil. Inst. Orat. I. 5. § 20: "Parcissime ea (aspiratione) veteres usi sunt etiam in vocalibus, cum ædos ircosque dicebant." The ƒ is changed into h in the proper name Halesus-the hero eponymus of the Falerians, and founder of Falisci: see Turneb. Adv. XXI. 3. Below, Fedus. For the similar change from f to h in the Romance languages, see New Cratylus, § 111. Februum, Sab. Varro, L. L. VI. § 13: "Februum Sabini purgamentum, et id in sacris nostris verbum." Ovid. Fast. II. 19: "Februa Romani dixere piamina Patres." Fest. p. 85. Also Tuscan; see J. Lyd. de Mens. p. 170. Fedus, Fœdus, Sab. Varro, L. L. V. § 97: "Ircus, quod Sabini fircus; quod illic fedus, in Latio rure edus; qui in urbe, ut in multis A addito, aedus." Apul. de Not. Adspir. p. 94 (Osann.): "M. Terentius scribit hedum lingua Sabinorum fedum vocatum, Romanosque corrupte hedus pro eo quod est fedus habuisse, sicut hircus pro fircus, et trahere pro trafere.” p. 125: "Sabini enim fircus, Romani hircus; illi vefere, Romani vehere protulerunt." Fest. p. 84: "Fædum antiqui dicebant pro hædo, folus pro olere, fostem pro hoste, fostem pro hostia." Above, Fasena. Feronia, Sab. Varro. L. L. V. § 74: "Feronia, Minerva, Novensides a Sabinis. Paulo aliter ab eisdem dicimus Herculem, Vestam, Salutem, Fortunam, Fortem, Fidem. Et aræ Sabinam linguam olent quæ Tati regis voto sunt Romæ dedicata; nam ut Annales dicunt, vovit (1) Opi, (2) Flora, (3) Vediovi Saturnoque, (4) Soli, (5) Lunæ, (6) Volcano et Summano, itemque (7) Larundæ, (8) Termino, (9) Quirino, (10) Vortumno, (11) Laribus, (12) Diana Lucinæque. [The figures refer to the XII. altars, according to Müller's view, Festus, p. xliv: comp. Etrusk. II. p. 64.] “E quis nonnulla nomina in utraque lingua habent radices, ut arbores, quæ in confinio natæ in utroque agro serpunt: potest enim Saturnus hic de alia causa esse dictus atque in Sabinis, et sic Diana, et de quibus supra dictum est." Fides, Sab. Above, s. v. Feronia. Fors, Fortuna. Ibid. Gela, Osc. Steph. Byzan. voc. Γέλα:ὁ δὲ ποταμὸς (Γέλα) ὅτι πολλὴν πάχνην γεννᾷ ταύτην γὰρ τῇ Οπικῶν φωνῇ καὶ Σικέλων γέλαν λέγεσθαι. Hercules, Sab. Above, s. v. Feronia. Herna, Sab. et Marsic. "A rock." Serv. ad Virg. Æn. VII. 684. Compare κрav-aós, кápav-ov; Gael. carn; Irish, cairneach; Sclav. kremeni. Idus, Sab. Varro, L. L. VI. § 28: "Idus ab eo quod Tusci itus, vel potius quod Sabini idus dicunt." Irpus, Sab. et Samn. Serv. ad En. XI. 785: "Nam lupi Sabinorum lingua hirpi vocantur.” Fest. p. 106: "Irpini appellati nomine lupi, quem irpum dicunt Samnites; eum enim ducem secuti agros occupavere." Strabo, V. p. 250: ἑξῆς δ ̓ εἰσὶν Ιρπῖνοι, καὐτοὶ Σαυνῖται· τοὔνομα δ ̓ ἔσχον ἀπὸ τοῦ ἡγησαμένου λύκου τῆς ἀποικίας ἵρπον γὰρ καλοῦσιν οἱ Σαυνῖται τὸν λύκον. Compare the Sanscrit vrikas; and see New Cratyl. § 269. Jupiter, Sab. s. v. Feronia. Larunda, Sab. s. v. Feronia. |