Colloquies of Erasmus, Volume I. eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 548 pages of information about Colloquies of Erasmus, Volume I..

Colloquies of Erasmus, Volume I. eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 548 pages of information about Colloquies of Erasmus, Volume I..
Words, so the Way of borrowing them be modest. 4.  Where there is a Scarcity of Words, you must have Recourse to Passives, to express what you have said by Actives; which will afford as many Ways of Variation, as there were in the Actives. 5.  And after that, if you please, you may turn them again by verbal Nouns and Participles. 6.  And last of all, when we have chang’d Adverbs into Nouns, and Nouns sometimes into one Part of Speech, and sometimes into another; then we may speak by contraries. 7.  We may either change affirmative Sentences into negative, or the contrary. 8.  Or, at least, what we have spoken indicatively, we may speak interrogatively.  Now for Example Sake, let us take this Sentence.

      Literae tuae magnopere me delectarunt.

      Your Letters have delighted me very much._

Litertae.

Epistle, little Epistles, Writings, Sheets, Letters.

Magnopere.

After a wonderful Manner, wonderfully, in a greater, or great Manner, in a wonderful Manner, above Measure, very much, not indifferently (not a little) mightily, highly, very greatly.

Me.

My Mind, my Breast, my Eyes, my Heart, Christian.

Delectarunt.

They have affected, recreated, exhilarated with Pleasure, have been a Pleasure, have delighted, have bath’d me with Pleasure; have been very sweet, very pleasant, &c.

Now you have Matter, it is your Business to put it together:  Let us try.

Ch. Thy Letters have very greatly delighted me.  Thy Epistle has wonderfully chear’d me.

Au. Turn the Active into a Passive, then it will look with another Face.  As, It can’t be said how much I have been chear’d by thy Writings.

Also by other Verbs effecting the same Thing.

I have received an incredible Pleasure from thy Writings.  I have receiv’d very much Pleasure from your Highness’s Letter.  Your Writings have brought me not an indifferent Joy.  Your Writings have overwhelmed me all over with Joy.  “But here you can’t turn these into Passives, only in the last, perfusus gaudio, as is commonly said, Pleasure was taken by me, Joy was brought, is not so commonly used, or you must not use so frequently.”

By Affido.

Thy Letter hath affected me with a singular Pleasure.

Change it into a Passive.

I am affected with an incredible Pleasure by thy Letter.  Thy little
Epistle has brought not a little Joy.

By Sum and Nouns Adjectives.

Thy Letters have been most pleasant to me many Ways.  That Epistle of thine was, indeed, as acceptable, as any Thing in the World.

By Nouns Substantives.

Thy Letter was to us an unspeakable Pleasure.  Your Letter was an incredible Pleasure to us.

Change it into a Negative.

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Colloquies of Erasmus, Volume I. from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.