“[p. 49] who had been quaestor to Gaius Mancinus in Spain, and the others who had guaranteed (speponderant) peace.” Now the explanation of these forms might seem to be this: since the Greeks in one form of the past tense, which they call παρακείμενον, or “perfect,” commonly change the second letter of the verb to e, as γράφω γέγραφα, ποιῶ πεποίηκα, λαλῶ λελάληκα, κρατῶ κεκράτηκα, λούω λέλουκα, so accordingly mordeo makes memordi, posco peposci, tendo tetendi, tango tetigi, pungo pepugi, curro cecurri, tollo tetuli, and spondeo spepondi. Thus Marcus Tullius 1 and Gaius Caesar 2 used mordeo memordi, pungo pepugi, spondeo spepondi. I find besides that from the verb scindo in the same way was made, not sciderat, but sciciderat. Lucius Accius in the first book of his Sotadici writes sciciderat. These are his words: 3
And had the eagle then, as these declare,Ennius too in his Melanippa says: 4
His bosom rent (sciciderat)?
When the rock he shall split (sciciderit).* * * * * 5 Valerius Antias in the seventy-fifth book of his Histories wrote these words: 6 “Then, having arranged for the funeral, he went down (descendidit) to the Forum.” Laberius too in the Catularius wrote thus: 7
I wondered how my breasts had fallen low (descendiderant).
