2.  With names of towns, ab is used to mean from the vicinity of, or to denote the point whence distance is measured; as,—­

  a Gergovia discessit, he withdrew from the vicinity of Gergovia;

  a Roma X milia aberat, he was ten miles distant from Rome.

Urbe and oppido, when standing in apposition with a town name, are accompanied by a preposition; as,—­

  Curibus ex oppido Sabinorum, from Cures, a town of the Sabines

Ablative of Time.

A.  Time at which.

230.  The Ablative is used to denote the time at which; as,—­

  quarta hora mortuus est, he died at the fourth hour;

  anno septuagesimo consul creatus, elected consul in his seventieth
  year.

1.  Any word denoting a period of time may stand in this construction, particularly annus, ver, aestas, hiems, dies, nox, hora, comitia (Election Day), ludi (the Games), etc.

2.  Words not denoting time require the preposition in, unless accompanied by a modifier.  Thus:—­

  in pace, in peace; in bello, in war;

  but secundo bello Punico, in the second Punic War.

3.  Expressions like in eo tempore, in summa senectute, take the preposition because they denote situation rather than time.

B.  Time within which.

231.  Time within which is denoted by the Ablative either with or without a preposition; as,—­

    stella Saturni triginta annis cursum conficit, the planet Saturn
    completes its orbit within thirty years;

    ter in anno, thrice in the course of the year.

1.  Occasionally the Ablative denotes duration of time; as,—­

    biennio prosperas res habuit, for two years he had a prosperous
    administration.

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THE LOCATIVE.

232.  The Locative case occurs chiefly in the following words:—­

1.  Regularly in the Singular of names of towns and small islands of the first and second declensions, to denote the place in which; as,—­

Romae, at Rome; Corinthi, at Corinth;
Rhodi, at Rhodes.

2.  In the following special forms:—­

domi, at home;              humi, on the ground;
belli, in war;              militiae, in war;
vesperi, at evening;        heri, yesterday.

3.  Note the phrase pendere animi, lit. to be in suspense in one’s mind.

4.  For urbs and oppidum in apposition with a Locative, see Sec. 169, 4.

* * * * *

CHAPTER III.—­Syntax of Adjectives.

233. 1.  The word with which an Adjective agrees is called its Subject.