On the Latin Language, Vol. I

use their original orthography, or merely used the orthography which was his own habitual practice.
I have therefore retained for the most part the spellings of F, or of the best authorities when F fails, replacing only a few of the more misleading spellings by the familiar ones, and allowing other variations to remain. These variations mostly fall within the following categories:

1. EI: Varro wrote EI for the long vowel I in the nom. pl. of Decl. II (ix. 80); but he was probably not consistent in writing EI everywhere. The manuscript testifies to its use in the following: plebei commoners/people (gen.; cf. plebis commoners/people vi. 91, in a quotation) v. 40, 81, 158, vi. 87; eidem the same (nom. sing.) vii. 17 (eadem F), x. 10; scirpeis made of rushes vii. 44; Terentiei of the Terentius family (nom.), vireis Terentieis Terentian men (masc.), Terentieis Terentian women (fem.) viii. 36; infeineiteis infinite viii. 50 (changed to infiniteis in our text, cf. infinitam infinite viii. 52); ieis to/for/by them viii. 51 (his F), ix. 5; iei they (nom.) ix. 2, 35; hei reei ferrei dei these things, to the iron, of the god viii. 70; hinnulei fawns ix. 28; utrei leather bags (nom. pl.) ix. 65 (utre.I. F; cf. utri leather bags ix. 65); Baebiei, Baebieis of the Baebius family x. 50 (alongside Caelii, Celiis of the Caelius family).

2. AE and E: Varro, as a countryman, may in some words have used E where residents of the city of Rome used AE (cf. v. 97); but the standard orthography has been introduced in our text, except that E has been retained in seculum age/time and sepio to hedge/enclose (and its compounds: v. 141, 150, 157, 162, vii. 7, 13), which always appear in this form.

3. OE and U: The writing OE is kept where it appears in the manuscript or is supported by the context: moerus wall and derivatives v. 50, 141 bis, 143, vi. 87; moenere, moenitius duty/built v. 141; Poenicum Punic/Carthaginian v. 113, viii. 65 bis; poeniendo punishing v. 177. OE in other words is the standard orthography.