Ablatives for ambiguity

Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria 7.9: Accusativi geminatione facta amphibolia solvitur ablativo, ut illud “Lachetem audivi percussisse Demean” fiat “a Lachete percussum Demean”. Sed ablativo ipsi, ut in primo diximus, inest naturalis amphibolia: “cælo decurrit aperto”: utrum per apertum cælum an cum apertum esset. Ambiguity created by doubling an accusative is resolved with an ablative, so that […]

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