Ego N. Collegii Anglorum de Urbe alumnus

[jaffa]

Ego N. N. Collegii Anglorum de Urbe alumnus

I know that this is the beginning of a seminary oath saying 'I N. a student of the Roman English College'

How does the 'de Urbe' work here? Is it some kind of ablative of measure or standard?

 

[Agrippa]

de Urbe] "of Rome" > adj. "Roman"; medieval Latin: de c. ablativo (separativo, original meaning) = genitive, cf. pellis de lepore = pellis leporis (i. e. hare-skin)

 

[jaffa]

Thank you, that has helped a lot.

 

[rothbard]

Even Caesar once wrote "et pauci de nostris cadunt".

 

[Agrippa]

Yes, he did: de c. abl. instead of the genetivus totius (genitive of the whole), especially with unus, pauci, plerique &c.

 

[Matthaeus]

Genetivus partitivus, ut puto.

 

[Agrippa]

genetivus partitivus = genetivus totius (interchangeable).