Note.—Rhotacism is the tendency to replace s by r. The following common instances illustrate how s between two vowels gives way to r. Ara (asa, the base of the altare, or high thing raised on it); heri, hesi, hesternus, yesterday; dius, diurnus; lases, lares, larva; porro, πρóσω ausosa, aurora; virus, visas; weorer, worse; Snusa, nurus, snura (O.H.G.); gloria, closia, κλέος ur-o, us-si; carmen, casmen; terra, ter-sa. Festus and Varro use foedesum, plusima, meliosem, maiosius, arbosem. In a decree against Timotheus given in Maittaire 383–384, r is used instead of s throughout. The decree is Dorian. Cf. also Curtius, Gr. Etym. p. 396 (2nd edition); Ahrens, ii. 71; Peile, p. 346. Corssen (Formenlehre, 1866), p. 228, notices that in the perf. subjunctive active, suffix -rim, -rio, -rit, &c., has displaced -sim, -sis, -sit, extant in older forms; auxim, faxim, &c. Key, Lat. Gr.: loc. cit. Accordingly verto-se becomes vertor-e, and the vowel e being unemphatic drops away. Roby (§ 548) says of the Latin verb,— “There are two voices, the active and the passive (sometimes called reflexive or middle). “Some verbs have both voices. Some have only the active; others, called also deponents, have only the passive, but with the signification (apparently) of the active.” This very guarded statement of the grammarian is to be noted. In § 734 Roby has made a list of the deponent verbs, and adds, “Sometimes they, especially in the past participle, are used in a passive as well as in an active sense.” These words are appended at the conclusion of this article. Madvig (§ 222, obs. 3) as usual has hit the right nail on the head:— “As regards the passive, it is to be noticed that where in German a reflexive verb is used the Latin passive stands thus: Commendari, to recommend oneself; congregari, to assemble themselves; contrahi, to contract itself; delectari, to delight oneself; effundi, to pour out; diffundi, to spread abroad; lavari, to wash oneself; moveri, to move; mutari, to change; porrigi, to reach. “Sometimes, too, Latin has a peculiar signification which a more literal translation would not adequately express: tondeor, I get shaved; cogor, I see myself obliged, &c.” In this passage the position of the Latin middle voice is to some extent indicated, and certain illustrations recorded. The philology of the day accepts under some reserve the Latin middle voice. Sayce seems to adopt it (Introduction to the Science of Language, i., p. 178): “The Latin amamini is the plural masculine of the old middle participle.” Morris (Historical Outlines, § 11) has pointed out a similar phenomenon in the Scandinavian languages: “The reflexive pronous