These grammars are almost altogether made up of definitions which had become stereotyped.
[160] The greater length of his treatment is due to the fact that he includes more subjects than do the preceding writers of text-books. A comparison of his table of contents with those of Cassiodorus, Martianus Capella, Donatus, and Servius shows that he professes to cover much more than they; he has ten topics that do not appear in Donatus’ Ars Grammatica, and a greater number that do not appear in Servius, Capella, or Cassiodorus.
[161] See especially his definition of verbum, 1, 9, 1.
[162] The analysis is meant to indicate briefly the formal organization of the subject. It is followed by selected passages in translation, which, while illustrating the technical treatment, are meant rather to give what is of more general interest. It must be remembered that this treatment by selected passages fails to give a just idea of the meagerness, attenuation, and confusion of the material considered as a whole.
[164] A set of terms unfamiliar to the modern student of grammar is given under this head. Nouns having six distinct case-forms are called hexaptota; those having five, pentaptota, and so on. See 1, 7, 33.
[165] Pronouns are classified according to use into finita, infinita, minus quam finita, possessiva, relativa, demonstrativa; and according to origin into primigenia and deductiva.
[166] Three conjugations are given.
[167] Note part of the definition: “Adverbium autem sine verbo non habet plenam significationem, ut hodie: adjicis illi verbum, hodie scribo, et juncto verbo implesti sensum.” 1, 10, 1.
[168] Isidore asserts that there are one hundred and twenty-four sorts of metrical feet, “four of two syllables, eight of three, sixteen of four, thirty-two of five, sixty-four of six.” 1, 17, 1.