*Liber free liberty, deliberate Ligo bind obligation, allegiance, alliance *Linquo, lictum leave delinquent, relict, derelict *Litera letter illiterate, obliterate

Sed, amabo te, meum Corculum tibi se ex animo commendat plurimum: iamdiu mirata, te nihil ad literas suas responsi dedisse.

Poenè oblitus eram, quod nunc hic dico notandum, quia dum ab extra Imperium, quis veniens nuntius aut legatus cupit tradere proprijs manibus literas

Isque nuncius hospitio appropinquans, et cornu resonans, dum auditor paratur minicius alter, qui de manu suscipiens literas, per recentem dromedarium festinat ad aliud hospitium, et sic in breui tempore perferuntur rumores ad curia aures.

" Lipsius saith of himself, that he was humani generis quidem paedagogus voce et stylo, a grand signior, a master, a tutor of us all, and for thirteen years he brags how he sowed wisdom in the Low Countries, as Ammonius the philosopher sometimes did in Alexandria, cum humanitate literas et sapientiam cum prudentia: antistes sapientiae, he shall be Sapientum Octavus.

A second cause is ignorance, and from thence contempt, successit odium in literas ab ignorantia vulgi; which [2051]Junius well perceived: this hatred and contempt of learning proceeds out of [2052]ignorance; as they are themselves barbarous, idiots, dull, illiterate, and proud, so they esteem of others.

Hoc illud indignum genus hominum et famelicum, indigum, vagum, ventris mancipium, ad stivam potius relegandum, ad haras aptius quam ad aras, quod divinas hasce literas turpiter prostituit; hi sunt qui pulpita complent, in aedes nobilium irrepunt, et quum reliquis vitae destituantur subsidiis, ob corporis et animi egestatem, aliarum in repub.

[2099]"Nam qui ob literas emersisse illos credat, desipit; qui vero ingenii, eruditionis, experientiae, probitatis, pietatis, et Musarum id esse pretium putat" (quod olim revera fuit, hodie promittitur) "planissime insanit."

Literas habent queis sibi et fortunae suae maledicant.

Quibus opes et otium, hi barbaro fastu literas contemnunt.

Significatum per literas, incredibilem utilitatem ex decocto Chinae, et Sassafras percepisse.

Aeneas Sylvius, Lucretie quum accepit Euriali literas hilaris statim milliesqua papirum basiavit.

Yo vengo un día y otro en tu busca, y ni veo el corcel que te trae á estos lugares, ni á los servidores que conducen tu litera.

Por todas partes se veían cruzar escuderos caracoleando en sus corceles ricamente enjaezados; reyes de armas con lujosas casullas llenas de escudos y blasones: timbaleros vestidos de colores vistosos, soldados cubiertos de armaduras resplandecientes, pajes con capotillos de terciopelo y birretes coronados de plumas, y servidores de á pie que precedían las lujosas literas

I ¿Véis ése de la capa roja y la pluma blanca en el fieltro, que parece que trae sobre su justillo todo el oro de los galeones de Indias; aquél que baja en este momento de su litera para dar la mano á esa otra señora, que después de dejar la suya, se adelanta hacia aquí, precedida de cuatro pajes con hachas?

Vedlos, vedlos, los hipocritones, como se acercan ambos á la litera del Prelado para besarle el anillo....

litera, f., litter.

Orat, implorat tenempe, Martinusut si (quòd Dii faciant) fortè fortunâ, absente ipso, advenerit tardus cliens, eum certiorem feceris per literas hûc missas.

Vir Bone!Recepi literas tuas amicissimas, et in mentem venit responsuro mihi, vel raro, vel nunquam, inter nos intercedisse Latinam linguam, organum rescribendi, loquendive.

Such satire may be censured as ungenerous; we cannot help that,litera scripta manet,and we cannot rail the seal from the bond.

It is true that the litera scripta remains, but the meaning is found to vary with the interpreter.

But, in all these cases, the litera scripta has been but the closing act,the signing of the name to History's bead-roll of passing greatness,the testamentum of the old soldier whose personalty is worth bequeathing to the world.

But he adds, "The verb Active is also called Transitive, when the action passeth over to the object, or hath an effect on some other thing; as, scribo literas, I write letters: but when the action is confined within the agent, and passeth not over to any object, it is called Intransitive; as, ambulo, I walk; curro, I run: [fist] which are likewise called Neuter Verbs.

Hence the difference between the sentences, "I have written a letter," and, "I have a letter written;" the former being equivalent to Scripsi literas, and the latter to Sunt mihi literæ scriptæ.

"You will find that his Majesty hath thus written;'In cujus rei testimonium has Literas nostras fieri fecimus patentes.