Gratia Grice

---- Kramer wonders about genitive case.

In the rather delightful use of 'gratia' in the ablative,

gratia Grice

-- i.e. I owe this example to Grice.

the government-and-binding thing is with the genitive.

"The problem is that Grice does not decline", you'll say.

"Only Cicero declines, and not on a good day".

"Sperantia" was vulgar Latin, so she shouldn't decline either? On a bad day, I see "Sperantia" as feminine. Elsewhen, I see them as neuter plural:

things-to-be-hoped for.

Etc.

-- So Kramer _was_ taking the mickey! I failed to realise. Only good Latin names do decline:

gratia Ciceronis
gratia Caesaris
gratia Platonis

but gratia Speranzae sounds ... ??

gratia Griceii

sounds perhaps better.
We need first the Latin masculine nominative. How can "Grice" be _nominative_?

Griceus, perhaps -- cfr. Paolo, Paulus.
Erberto -- Herbertus.

Gratia Herberti Paoli

sounds very fine. The problem is the cognomen.

I suppose I will have to compromise with Kramer's idea that it's always -ae, etc.

Gratia Kramerii

(where I invent the "Kramerius")

or

Gratia Krameri

(where I invent "Kramerus")

The Scholastics were good at this:

Renee DesCartes

Renatus Cartesius.

gratia Renati Cartesii

Etc.

The Linneans are good too, and you find things like

"Wilsonii"

or

"Smithi"

for species of some odd genuses. Etc.