THE PRONUNCIATION OF LATIN L Li 0 the Editor of
the SPECTATOR.]
Sin,—Your issue of August 13th has just come to me on its rounds. I note therein a letter on " The Pronunciation of Latin." The following may be of interest to students of the subject. My son was in Palestine and Syria with his Indian regiment during the War, and, among other things he observed, sent us the following! As he is something of a classical scholar, the detail may not be without interest. He wrote :-
" I found a rather interesting place, Souk Wadi Barada, near our H.Q. It used to be a Roman Colony called Abilae. We found the old Roman road with two inscriptions on the side. They said : IMP. CAES. M. AUREL. ANTONINUS AUG. ARMENIAOUS ET IMP. CAES. L. AUREL. VERUS AUG. ARMENIACUS VIAM FLUMINIS VI ABRUPTAM INTERCISO MONTE RESTIT- UERUNT PER JUL. VERUM LEG. PR . . PROVINC. SYR ET AMICUM STJUM. INPENDIIS ABILENORUM. That is easy but the other is more involved : PRO SALUTE IMP. AUG. ANTONINI ET VERI. MVO. LUSHIS MAXIMUS . . LEG XVI FF QUI OPERI INSTITIT. VS."
My son adds : "The Lusius ' spelt with two esses is a pretty good argument for the soft C, isn't it? "—I am, Sir, &c., The Rectory, Cori, Co. Galway. H. G. WARREN.
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