Mostellaria 1:4:13-14 ne prius... quam illi

[Cinefactus]

Cave modo, ne prius in via accumbas,
Quam illi, ubi lectus est stratus, coimus.

I can't figure out illi. I would have thought it should be illic, but the print version also has illi (with illic in one manuscript). Does anyone have any ideas?

 

[Iáson]

You're essentially right - it's an old form of illīc, rather than a nom. pl. See Lewis and Short s.v. illīc.

 

[Cinefactus]

Thanks Iason. I spent so much time trying to figure that one out!

 

[Hemo Rusticus]

illī is an old locative, and the enlarged form illīc (+ enclitic particle ce) became the literary standard. The development follows the o-stem trend, that is:
Proto-Italic *-oi, Old Latin -ei, L -ī.
So also animī (as in Lucretius), quī (as in 'how'), and a handful of others that in Plautus may be written -ei.