Cives, antiqui amici majorum MEÛM,
which was common enough—, but more harshly still,
CONSILIÛM, AUGURIÛM, atque EXTÛM interpretes;
and in another place,
Postquam PRODIGIÛM HORRIFERÛM PORTENTÛM pavos.
a licence which is not customary in all neuters indifferently: for I should not be so willing to say armûm judicium, as armorum; though in the same writer we meet with nihilne ad te de judicio armûm accidit? And yet (as we find it in the public registers) I would venture to say fabrûm, and procûm, and not fabrorum and procorum. But I would never say duorum virorum judicium, or trium virorum capitalium, or decem virorum litibus judicandis. In Accius, however, we meet with
Video sepulchra duo duorum corporum;
though in another place he says,
Mulier una duum virum.
I know, indeed, which is most conformable to the rules of grammar: but yet I sometimes express myself as the freedom of our language allows me, as when I say at pleasure, either prob deum, or prob deorum;—and, at other times, as I am obliged by custom, as when I say trium virum for virorum, or sestertium nummum for nummorum: because in the latter case the mode of expression is invariable.