([4.]) It may be mentioned here that rēī is said to occur in verse 6 times (Plaut. G. 2, Lucr. G. 2, D. 2); reī 9 times (Plaut. G. 2, Ter. G. 4, D. 1, Juv. G. 1, Sulp. Apoll. G. 1); re͞i 27 times (Plaut. G. 2, D. 3, Enn. D. 1, Ter. G. 9, D. 8, Lucil. G. 1, D. 1, Lucr. G. 2). fidēī G. 3 times (Plaut., Enn., Lucr.); fideī 11 times (Enn. D. 1, Man. G. 2, D. 1, Sil. G. 4, D. 1, Juv. G. 2); fidēi 5 times (Ter. G. 1, D. 3, Hor. 1). ēī 35 times (Plaut. 18, Ter. 8, Lucr. 9); eī some 17 times (Plaut. 12, Ter. 2, German. 1, Ter. Maur. 2); ēi 23 times (Plaut. 11, Ter. 8, Lucil. 3, Cat. 1).
([5.]) Gāius retains its ā before the vowel i: thus, Gāius (trisyllabic).
([6.]) In the pronominal genitives in -ī̆us ([618]), the quantity of i varied. The older dramatists use ī; later, ī was shortened, but variations in its quantity seem to have continued until long after the end of the republic; Cicero, DO. 3, 183, measures illius; Quintilian 1, 5, 18 ūnīus; the grammarian Priscian prescribes -īus for all except alterius, which should always have i, and utrius, in which the i is common ([30]). In verse the i is often short, except in neutrīus; utriusque has always short i.
([7.]) The penult is long in the endings -āī, -āīs, -ōī, -ōīs, and -ēī, -ēīs, from stems in -āio-, -ōio-, and -ēio- ([458]) or -iā- ([437]): as, Gāī, Bōī, Pōmpēī, plēbēī: Gāīs, Bōīs, Pompēīs, plēbēīs, Bāīs; aulāī, pictāī.
([8.]) Dī̆ana has ĭ as often as ī. ohē has ŏ̄; ē̆heu has ĕ in comedy, otherwise ē.
([9.]) In many Greek words a long vowel comes before another vowel; as, āēr, Aenēās, Mēdēa. But early importations from Greek followed the general rule and shortened the vowel: as, platĕa (πλατεῖα), balinĕum, balnĕum (βαλανεῖον).
[128]. A long vowel preceding unsyllabic i̭ or ṷ followed by a consonant is shortened: as, gaudeō for *gāudeō (cf. gāvīsus, [111]); claudo for clāudō (cf. clāṷis, [111]).
Similarly a long vowel (unless long by contraction: as, nūntius, [111], a, cōntiō) preceding a liquid or nasal followed by a consonant is shortened: as, syncopated ardus from āridus ([111]), habentem, from the stem habē-. For cases of induced lengthening of the vowel before n followed by certain consonants, see [122].
[129]. Iambic shortening. The law of iambic shortening ([2470]) produced a number of important changes: thus,
([1.]) In old dramatic verse iambic words (⏑ –) often shorten the long vowel. The poets after Plautus and Terence preserve the long vowel.