The beginning: an entraunce: a probeme: the fountaine: the welspring: the chiefe original of a thing. Origo principij nulla est: nã ex principio oriÛtur, omnia. C. Principium & Extremum, contraria. Cic. Principium & Exitus, contratia. Cic. Principium & finis, contraria. Cic. Data natura principia. Cic. Ex albis principijs alba esse. Lucr. Bellorum & imperiorum principium. Cic. Causarum omnium vnum est naturale principium. C. Iuris principia. Cic. Lucis principium. Ouid. Fons & principium mouendi. Cic. Parêre principijs naturæ dobemus. Cic. Philosophiæ princîpium est sententia. Cic. Pugnæ principium. Virg. Rerum omnium principia parua, sed suis progresionibus vsa augentur. Cic. All things at the beginning are small, but. &c. Capessere principium alicuius facinoris. Tacit. To begin or enterprise a notable act. Constant ex principijs rerum omni. Cicer. Al thinges confist of the foure elements. Cognitis principijs multò facilius extrema intelligÛtur. C. Ducenda sunt omnium rerum magnarum principia ã dijs immortalibus. Cic. All great matters muste bee begun at the name of the inunortall gods. Ducere principium sanguine Teucri. Ouid. To haue his origine or beginning of the Troyans blood: to be of the race or stocke of Teucer. Flebile principium melior fortuna secuta est. Ouid. Fœdum anni principium incessit. Tac. Abrupta principia, Qui. Sodaine beginnings of orations bursting by and by into the matter. Acutum principium. Cic. Exalbescere in principijs dicendi. Cic. To waxe pale with bashfulnesse in the beginnings of his orations. Ferri principio ad exitum. Cic. Prouisa & diligenter explorata principia ponere. Cic. Tarda principia in omni genere dicendi sunt. Cic. Principia, principiorum, plur. num. Colum. The seconde ward in a battaile, wherein were both noble men and the principall souldiers. Vellem te principio audisse. Ci. I would you had hearde it from the beginning. In principio, Vide IN præpositionem. Principio, pro In principio. Virg. Principio cælum & terras, camposque liquentes.

I. In gen.: origo principii nulla est: nam ex principio oriuntur omnia, Cic. Tusc. 1, 23, 54: quid est cujus principium aliquod sit, nihil sit extremum? id. N. D. 1, 8, 20: nec principium, nec finem habere, id. Sen. 21, 78: cujus criminis neque principium invenire, neque evolvere exitum possum, id. Cael. 23, 56: hic fons, hoc principium est movendi, id. Rep. 6, 25, 27: bellorum atque imperiorum, id. Balb. 3, 9: principium pontis, Tac. A. 1, 69: principio lucis, at daybreak, Amm. 25, 5, 1: in principiis dicendi, at the commencement of a speech, Cic. de Or. 1, 26, 121; so of a declaration in a lawsuit, Juv. 6, 245: suave quoddam principium dicendi, Amm. 30, 4, 19: principia ducere ab aliquo, to derive, deduce: omnium rerum magnarum principia a dis immortalibus ducuntur, id. Vatin. 6, 14: principium urbis, id. Off. 1, 17, 54: scribendi recte sapere est et principium et fons, Hor. A. P. 309: omne principium huc refer, id. C. 3, 6, 6: a Jove principium, Verg. E. 3, 60: anni, Liv. 1, 4: a sanguine Teucri Ducere principium, Ov. M. 13, 705: capessere, to begin, Tac. A. 15, 49.—Adverb.: principio, a principio, in principio, at or in the beginning, at first: principio ... postea, etc., Cic. Div. 2, 35, 75: principio generi animantium omni est a naturā tributum, ut se tueatur, id. Off. 1, 4, 11; id. Tusc. 2, 22, 53; id. Fin. 1, 6, 17; Ter. Eun. 5, 8, 39; id. And. 3, 3, 38; Verg. A. 6, 214; Cic. Off. 3, 5, 21; so, a principio: ac vellem a principio te audissem, etc., id. Att. 7, 1, 2: dixeram a principio, de re publicā ut sileremus, id. Brut. 42, 157: in principio, id. de Or. 1, 48, 210: principio ut, as soon as, Plaut. Merc. prol. 40; v. Ritschl ad h. l.— Rarely of the boundaries of a country or people: adusque principia Carmanorum, Amm. 23, 6, 74.—

II. In partic.

A. Plur., beginnings, foundations, principles, elements (class.): bene provisa et diligenter explorata principia ponantur, Cic. Leg. 1, 13, 37: juris, id. ib. 1, 6, 18: naturae, id. Off. 3, 12, 52; for which: principia naturalia, id. Fin. 3, 5, 17; cf. id. ib. 2, 11, 35: principia rerum, ex quibus omnia constant, first principles, elements, id. Ac. 2, 36, 117.— Prov.: obsta principiis (cf. the French: ce n'est que le premier pas qui coute), Ov. R. Am. 91.—

B. That makes a beginning, that votes first: tribus principium fuit, pro tribu Q. Fabius primus scivit, Lex Thoria, Rudorff. p. 142; Lex Appar. ap. Haubold, Moment. Leg. p. 85; Plebissc. ap. Front. Aquaed. 129: Faucia curia fuit principium, was the first to vote, Liv. 9, 38 fin.—

2. In gen., a beginner, originator, founder, ancestor (poet.): Graecia principium moris fuit, Ov. F. 2, 37: mihi Belus avorum Principium, ancestor, progenitor, Sil. 15, 748.—Here, too, prob. belongs PRINCIPIA SACRA, Æneas and his successors in Lavinium, ancestors whom the Latins and Romans honored as deities, Inscr. Orell. 2276.—

C. In milit. lang.: princĭpĭa, ōrum, n.

1. The foremost ranks, the front line of soldiers, the front or van of an army: post principia, behind the front, Liv. 2, 65; cf.: hic ero post principia, inde omnibus signum dabo, Ter. Eun. 4, 7, 11: post principia paulatim recedunt, Sisenn. ap. Non. 135, 31: deinde ipse paulatim procedere; Marium post principia habere, Sall. J. 50, 2: traversis principiis, in planum deducit, id. ib. 49, 6: equites post principia collocat, Liv. 3, 22; Tac. H. 2, 43. —

2. The staff-officers, members of the council of war (post-class.): mittere principia, Front. Strat. 2, 5, 30: a principiis salutari, Treb. Pol. Trig. Tyr. 10: advocatis legionum principiis et turmarum, Amm. 25, 5, 1; Cod. 12, 47, 1.—

3. A large open space in a camp, in which were the tents of the general, lieutenants, and tribunes, together with the standards, and where speeches were made and councils held; the general's quarters: jura reddere in principiis, Liv. 28, 24: in principiis ac praetorio in unum sermones confundi, id. 7, 12: castrorum, Just. 11, 6, 6: in castris, Varr. R. R. 3, 4, 1: in principiis statuit tabernaculum, eoque omnes cotidie convenire (jussit), ut ibi de summis rebus consilia caperentur, Nep. Eum. 7, 2; Suet. Oth. 1; 6; Flor. 3, 10, 12: primores centurionum et paucos militum in principia vocat, Tac. H. 3, 13; 1, 48; Dig. 49, 16, 12; cf. Front. Strat. 4, 1, 16.—

D. Precedence, preference, the first place: principium ergo, columenque omnium rerum preti margaritae tenent, Plin. 9, 35, 54, 106. —

E. Plur., selections, selected passages: principiorum libri circumferuntur, quia existimatur pars aliqua etiam sine ceteris esse perfecta, Plin. Ep. 2, 5, 12.—

2. In partic., mastery, dominion (post-class.): a)rxh/, magisterium, magistratus, praesidatus, principium, Gloss. Philox.: in Graeco principii vocabulum, quod est a)rxh/, non tantum ordinativum, sed et potestativum capit principatum, Tert. adv. Hermog. 19.