[*] 406.
The Comparative degree is often followed by the Ablative
1 signifying
than:—
-
Catō est
Cicerōne
ēloquentior, Cato is more
eloquent than Cicero.
-
“quid nōbīs
duōbus
labōriōsius est ”
(Mil. 5)
, what more burdened with toil than we
two?
-
“vīlius argentum est
aurō,
virtūtibus aurum ”
(Hor. Ep. 1.1.52)
, silver is less precious than gold, gold than
virtue.
[*] a.
The idiomatic ablatives
opīniōne
,
spē
,
solitō
,
dictō
,
aequō
,
crēdibilī
, and
iūstō
are used after comparatives instead of a
clause:—
-
“celerius
opīniōne
”
(Fam. 14.23)
, faster than one would think.
-
“sērius
spē omnium ”
(Liv. 26.26)
, later than all hoped (than the hope
of all).
-
amnis solitō
citātior (id. 23.19.11), a stream swifter than its
wont.
-
gravius
aequō (Sall. Cat. 51), more
seriously than was right.