aedes magno vendidit, _he sold the house for a high price._

2. For the Genitive of Indefinite Price, see Sec. 203, 4.

Ablative of Specification.

226. The Ablative of Specification is used to denote that _in respect to
which_ something is or is done; as,--

Helvetii omnibus Gallis virtute praestabant, _the Helvetians surpassed
all the Gauls in valor_;

pede claudus, _lame in his foot_.

1. Note the phrases:--

major natu, _older_ (lit. _greater as to age_);

minor natu, _younger._

2. Here belongs the use of the Ablative with dignus, _worthy_, indignus,
_unworthy_, and dignor, _deem worthy of_; as,--

digni honore, _worthy of honor (i.e. in point of honor_);

fide indigni, _unworthy of confidence_;

me dignor honore, _I deem myself worthy of honor_.

Ablative Absolute.

227. The Ablative Absolute is grammatically independent of the rest of the
sentence. In its commonest form it consists of a noun or pronoun limited by
a participle; as,--

urbe capta, Aeneas fugit, _when the city had been captured, Aeneas
fled_ (lit. _the city having been captured_).

1. Instead of a participle we often find an adjective or noun; as,--

vivo Caesare res publica salva erat, _while Caesar was alive the state
was safe_ (lit. _Caesar being alive_);

Tarquinio rege, Pythagoras in Italiam venit, _in the reign of Tarquin
Pythagoras came into Italy_ (lit. _Tarquin being king_);

Cn. Pompejo, M. Crasso consulibus, _in the consulship of Gnaeus Pompey
and Marcus Crassus_ (lit. _P. and C. being consuls_).

2. The Ablative Absolute is generally used in Latin where in English we
employ subordinate clauses. Thus the Ablative Absolute may correspond to a
clause denoting--

a) Time, as in the foregoing examples.

b) Condition; as,--

omnes virtutes jacent, voluptate dominante, _all virtues lie prostrate,
if pleasure is master_.

c) Opposition; as,--

perditis omnibus rebus, virtus se sustentare potest, _though everything
else is lost, yet Virtue can maintain herself_.

d) Cause; as,--

nullo adversante regnum obtinuit, _since no one opposed him, he secured
the throne_.

e) Attendant circumstance; as,--

passis palmis pacem petiverunt, _with hands outstretched, they sued for
peace_.

3. An Infinitive or clause sometimes occurs in the Ablative Absolute
construction, especially in Livy and later writers; as,--