I To begin at the beginning, at any rate, the ultimate base to which this group of words goes back seems to be represented by the Sanscrit LÛ, which bears the meaning of “to cut,” or “to clip”; hence it is inferred that the earliest implication of the general Indo-European root LU was to set free by cutting a bond. The Greek primitive of this base, λύειν, has the general meaning of “to loose,” which is applied and extended in a great variety of ways. When applied to men, its common meaning is “ ‘to