338. The cases of nouns express their relations to other words in the sentence. The most primitive way of expressing such relations was by mere juxtaposition of uninflected forms. From this arose in time composition, i.e. the growing together of stems, by means of which a complex expression arises with its parts mutually dependent. Thus such a complex as armi-gero- came to mean arm-bearing; fidi-cen-, playing on the lyre. Later, cases were formed by means of suffixes expressing more definitely such relations, and syntax began. But the primitive method of composition still continues to hold an important place even in the most highly developed languages.
Originally the Indo-European family of languages, to which Latin belongs, had at least seven case forms, besides the vocative. But in Latin the locative and the instrumental were lost1 except in a few words (where they remained without being recognized as cases), and their functions were divided among the other cases.
The nominative, accusative, and vocative express the simplest and perhaps the earliest case relations. The nominative is the case of the subject, and generally ends in -s. The vocative, usually without a termination, or like the nominative (§ 38.a), perhaps never had a suffix of its own.2 The accusative, most frequently formed by the suffix -m, originally connected the noun loosely with the verb-idea, not necessarily expressed by a verb proper, but as well by a noun or an adjective (see § 386).
The genitive appears to have expressed a great variety of relations and to have had no single primitive meaning; and the same may be true of the dative.
The other cases perhaps at first expressed relations of place or direction (TO, FROM, AT, WITH), though this is not clear in all instances. The earlier meanings, however, have become confused with each other, and in many instances the cases are no longer distinguishable in meaning or in form. Thus the locative was for the most part lost from its confusion with the dative and ablative; and its function was often performed by the ablative, which is freely used to express the place where (§ 421). To indicate the case relations—especially those of place—more precisely, prepositions (originally adverbs) gradually came into use. The case endings, thus losing something of their significance, were less distinctly pronounced as time went on (see § 36, phonetic decay), and prepositions have finally superseded them in the modern languages derived from Latin. But in Latin a large and various body of relations was still expressed by case forms. It is to be noticed that in their literal use cases tended to adopt the preposition, and in their figurative uses to retain the old construction. (See Ablative of Separation, § 402 - § 404; Ablative of Place and Time, § 421 ff.)
The word cāsus (case) is a translation of the Greek πτῶσις (a falling away from the erect position). The term πτῶσις was originally applied to the oblique cases (§ 35.g), to mark them as variations from the nominative, which was called ὀρθή (erect; cāsus rēctus). The later name nominative (cāsus nōminātīvus) is from nōminō, and means the naming case. The other case names (except ablative) are of Greek origin. The name genitive (cāsus genetīvus) is a translation of γενική [πτῶσις], from γένος (class), and refers to the class to which a thing belongs. Dative (cāsus datīvus, from dō) is translated from δοτική, and means the case of giving. Accusative (accūsātīvus, from accūsō) is a mistranslation of αἰτιατική (the case of causing), from αἰτία (cause), and meant to the Romans the case of accusing. The name vocative (vocātīvus, from vocō) is translated from κλητική (the case of calling). The name ablative (ablātīvus, from ablātus, auferō) means taking from. This case the Greek had lost.
2. The -e vocative of the 2nd declension is a form of the stem (§ 45.c).
339. The subject of a finite verb is in the nominative.
Caesar Rhēnum trānsīre dēcrēverat. (B. G. 4.17)
Cæsar had determined to cross the Rhine.
For the omission of a pronominal subject, see § 295.a.
a. The nominative may be used in exclamations.
Ēn dextra fidēsque! (Aen. 4.597)
Lo, the faith and plighted word!
Ecce tuae litterae dē Varrōne! (Att. 13.16)
Lo and behold, your letters about
Varro!
Note— But the accusative is more common (§ 397.d).
340. The vocative is the case of direct address.
Tiberīne pater, tē, sāncte, precor. (Liv.
2.10)
O father Tiber, thee, holy one, I pray.
Rēs omnis mihi tēcum erit, Hortēnsī. (Verr. 1.33)
My whole attention will be devoted to you, Hortensius.
a. A noun in the nominative in apposition with the subject of the imperative mood is sometimes used instead of the vocative.
Audī tū, populus Albānus. (Liv. 1.24)
Hear, you people of Alba.
b. The vocative of an adjective is sometimes used in poetry instead of the nominative, where the verb is in the 2nd person.
Quō moritūre ruis? (Aen. 10.811)
Whither
are you rushing to your doom?
Cēnsōrem trabeāte salūtās. (Pers. 3.29)
Robed, you salute the censor.
c. The vocative macte is used as a predicate in the phrase macte estō (virtūte) [success attend your (valor)].
Iubērem tē macte virtūte esse. (Liv. 2.12)
I should bid you go on and prosper in your valor.
Macte novā virtūte puer! (Aen. 9.641)
Success attend your valor, boy!
Note— As the original quantity of the final e in macte is not determinable, it may be that the word was an adverb, as in bene est and the like.
341. The genitive is regularly used to express the relation of one noun to another. Hence it is sometimes called the adjective case, to distinguish it from the dative and the ablative, which may be called adverbial cases.
The uses of the genitive may be classified as follows.
| I. Genitive with Nouns: | 1. Of Possession (§ 343) |
| 2. Of Material (§ 344) | |
| 3. Of Quality (§ 345) | |
| 4. Of the Whole, after words designating a Part (Partitive, § 346) | |
| 5. With Nouns of Action and Feeling (§ 348) |
| II. Genitive with Adjectives: |
1. After Relative Adjectives (or Verbals) (§ 349) |
| 2. Of Specification (later use) (§ 349.d) |
| III. Genitive with Verbs: |
1. Of Memory, Feeling, etc. (§ 350-351, § 354). |
| 2. Of Accusing, etc. (Charge or Penalty) (§ 352) |
Genitive with Nouns
342. A noun used to limit or define another, and not meaning the same person or thing, is put in the genitive. This relation is most frequently expressed in English by the preposition of, sometimes by the English genitive (or possessive) case.
librī Cicerōnis
the books of
Cicero, or Cicero's books
inimīcī Caesaris
Cæsar's enemies,
or the enemies of Cæsar
talentum aurī
a talent of gold
vir summae virtūtis
a man of the greatest
courage
But observe the following equivalents.
vacātiō labōris
a respite FROM toil
petītiō cōnsulātūs
candidacy FOR the consulship
rēgnum cīvitātis
royal power OVER the state
Possessive Genitive
343. The Possessive Genitive denotes the person or thing to which an object, quality, feeling, or action belongs.
Alexandrī canis
Alexander's dog
potentia Pompêī (Sall. Cat. 19)
Pompey's
power
Ariovistī mors (B. G. 5.29)
the death of
Ariovistus
perditōrum temeritās (Mil. 22)
the
recklessness of desperate men
Note 1— The possessive genitive may denote (1) the actual owner (as in Alexander's dog) or author (as in Cicero's writings), or (2) the person or thing that possesses some feeling or quality or does some act (as in Cicero's eloquence, the strength of the bridge, Catiline's evil deeds). In the latter use it is sometimes called the Subjective Genitive; but this term properly includes the possessive genitive and several other genitive constructions (nearly all, in fact, except the Objective Genitive, § 347, below).
Note 2— The noun limited is understood in a few expressions.
ad Castoris [aedēs] (Quinct.
17)
at the [temple] of Castor
[Cf. St. Paul's]
Flaccus Claudī
Flaccus [slave] of Claudius.
Hectoris Andromachē (Aen. 3.319)
Hector's [wife]
Andromache
a. For the genitive of possession a possessive or derivative adjective is often used—regularly for the possessive genitive of the personal pronouns (§ 302.a).
liber meus
[not liber
meī]
my book
aliēna perīcula
[but also aliōrum]
other men's dangers
Sullāna tempora
[oftener Sullae]
the times of Sulla
b. The possessive genitive often stands in the predicate, connected with its noun by a verb (Predicate Genitive).
Haec domus est patris meī.
This house is
my father's.
Iam mē Pompêī tōtum esse scīs. (Fam. 2.13)
You know I am now all for Pompey.
(all Pompey's)
Summa laus et tua et Brūtī est. (Fam. 12.4.2)
The highest praise is due both to you and to Brutus.
(is both yours and Brutus's)
compendī facere
to save
(make of saving)
lucrī facere
to get the benefit
of
(make of profit)
Note — These genitives bear the same relation to the examples in § 343 that a predicate noun bears to an appositive (§§ 282-283).
c. An infinitive or a clause, when used as a noun, is often limited by a genitive in the predicate.
Neque suī iūdicī [erat] discernere. (B. C. 1.35)
Nor was it for his judgment to decide.
(Nor was it his
judgment's to decide)
Cûiusvīs hominis est errāre. (Phil. 12.5)
It is any man's [liability] to err.
Negāvit mōris esse Graecōrum, ut in convīviō virōrum accumberent mulierēs. (Verr.
2.1.66)
He said it was not the custom of the Greeks for women to appear as guests (recline) at the banquets of men.
Sed timidī est optāre necem. (Ov. M. 4.115)
But it's the coward's part to wish for death.
Stultī erat spērāre, suādēre impudentis.
(Phil. 2.23)
It was folly (the part of a fool) to hope, effrontery to urge.
Sapientis est pauca loquī
It is
wise (the part of a wise man) to say little.
(Not sapiēns [n.] est, etc.)
Note 1— This construction is regular with adjectives of the 3rd declension instead of the neuter nominative (see the last two examples).
Note 2— A derivative or possessive adjective may be used for the genitive in this construction, and must be used for the genitive of a personal pronoun.
Mentīrī nōn est meum [not meī]
It is not for me to lie.
Hūmānum [for hominis] est errāre.
It is man's nature to err.
(To err is
human)
d. A limiting genitive is sometimes used instead of a noun in apposition (Appositional Genitive) (§ 282).
nōmen īnsāniae
(for nōmen
īnsānia)
the word madness
oppidum Antiochīae
(for oppidum
Antiochīa, the regular form)
the city of Antioch
Genitive of Material
344. The genitive may denote the substance or material of which a thing consists (cf. § 403).
talentum aurī
a talent of gold
flūmina lactis
rivers of milk
Genitive of Quality
345. The genitive is used to denote quality, but only when the quality is modified by an adjective.
vir summae virtūtis
a man of the highest
courage
[But not vir virtūtis]
Māgnae est dēlīberātiōnis.
It is an affair of great deliberation.
māgnī formīca labōris (Hor. S.
1.1.33)
the ant [a creature] of great toil
ille autem suī iūdicī (Nep. Att. 9)
but
he [a man] of independent (his own) judgment
Note— Compare Ablative of Quality (§ 415). In expressions of quality, the genitive or the ablative may often be used indifferently.
praestantī prūdentiā vir
a man of surpassing
wisdom
maximī animī homō
a man of the greatest
courage
In classic prose, however, the genitive of quality is much less common than the ablative; it is practically confined to expressions of measure or number, to a phrase with êius and to nouns modified by māgnus, maximus, summus, or tantus. In general the genitive is used rather of essential, the ablative of special or incidental characteristics.
a. The genitive of quality is found in the adjective phrases êius modī, cûius modī (equivalent to tālis such; quālis of what sort).
Êius modī sunt tempestātēs cōnsecūtae, utī, etc. (B. G. 3.29)
Such storms followed, that, etc.
b. The Genitive of Quality, with numerals, is used to define measures of length, depth , etc. (Genitive of Measure).
fossa trium pedum
a trench of three
feet [in depth]
mūrus sēdecim pedum
a wall of sixteen
feet [high]
For the Genitive of Quality used to express indefinite value, see § 417.
Partitive Genitive
346. Words denoting a part are followed by the Genitive of the Whole to which the part belongs.
a. Partitive words, followed by the genitive, are:
1. Nouns or Pronouns (cf. also 3 below).
pars mīlitum
part of the soldiers
Quis nostrum
Which of us?
Nihil erat reliquī
There was nothing
left.
nēmō eōrum (B. G. 7.66)
not a man of
them
Māgnam partem eōrum interfēcērunt. (id. 2.23)
They killed a large part of them.
2. Numerals, Comparatives, Superlatives, and Pronominal words like alius, alter, nūllus, etc.
ūnus tribūnōrum
one of the
tribunes (see c., below).
sapientum octāvus (Hor. S. 2.3.296)
the
eighth of the wise men
mīlia passuum sescenta (B. G. 4.3)
six
hundred miles (thousands of paces)
mâior frātrum
the elder of the
brothers
animālium fortiōra
the stronger
[of] animals
Suēbōrum gēns est longē maxima et bellicōsissima Germānōrum omnium. (B. G. 4.1)
The tribe of the Suevi is far the largest and most warlike of all the Germans.
alter cōnsulum
one of the [two]
consuls
nūlla eārum (B.G. 4.28)
not one of
them (the ships)
3. Neuter Adjectives and Pronouns, used as nouns.
tantum spatī
so much [of] space
aliquid nummōrum
a few coins
(something of coins)
id locī (or locōrum)
that spot of ground
id temporis
at that time (§ 397.a).
plāna urbis
the level parts of the
town
Quid novī
What news?
(what of
new?)
paulum frūmentī (B. C. 1.78)
a little
grain
plūs dolōris (B. G. 1.20)
more
grief
suī aliquid timōris (B. C. 2.29)
some fear of his own (something of his own fear)
Note 1— In classic prose neuter adjectives (not pronominal) seldom take a partitive genitive, except multum, tantum, quantum, and similar words.
Note 2— The genitive of adjectives of the 3rd declension is rarely used partitively.
nihil novī (gen.)
nothing new
BUT
nihil memorābile
(nom.)
nothing worth mention (not nihil memorābilis)
4. Adverbs, especially those of Quantity and of Place.
parum ōtī
not much ease (too little of ease)
satis pecūniae
money
enough
(enough of money)
plūrimum tōtīus Galliae equitātū valet (B. G. 5.3)
is strongest of all Gaul in cavalry
Ubinam gentium sumus? (Cat. 1.9)
Where in
the world are we?
(where of nations?)
ubicumque terrārum et gentium (Verr.
5.143)
wherever in the whole world
Rēs erat eō iam locī ut, etc. (Sest. 68)
The business had now reached such a point that, etc.
eō miseriārum (Iug. 14.3)
to that
[level] of misery
inde locī
next in order (thence of
place) [poetical]
b. The poets and later writers often use the partitive genitive after adjectives, instead of a noun in its proper case.
Sequimur tē, sāncte deōrum (Aen. 4.576)
We follow thee, O holy deity.
[For sāncte deus (§ 49.g,
Note)]
nigrae lānārum (Plin. H. N. 8.193)
black
wools
[For nigrae lānae]
expedītī mīlitum (Liv. 30.9)
light-armed
soldiers
[For expedītī mīlitēs]
hominum cūnctōs (Ov. M. 4.631)
all
men
[For cūnctōs hominēs cf. e.]
c. Cardinal numerals (except mīlia) regularly take the ablative with ē (ex) or dē instead of the partitive genitive. So also quīdam (a certain one,) commonly, and other words occasionally.
ūnus ex tribūnīs
one of the
tribunes
[But also, ūnus tribūnōrum (cf. a.2)]
minumus ex illīs (Iug. 11)
the youngest
of them
medius ex tribus (ib.)
the middle one of
the three
quīdam ex mīlitibus
certain of the
soldiers
ūnus dē multīs (Fin. 2.66)
one of the
many
paucī dē nostrīs cadunt (B. G. 1.15)
a
few of our men fall
hominem dē comitibus meīs
a man of my
companions
d. Uterque (both; properly each) and quisque (each) with nouns are regularly used as adjectives in agreement, but with pronouns take a partitive genitive.
uterque cōnsul
both the
consuls
BUT
uterque nostrum
both of us
ūnus quisque vestrum
each one of
you
utraque castra
both camps
e. Numbers and words of quantity including the whole of any thing take a case in agreement, and not the partitive genitive. So also words denoting a part when only that part is thought of.
nōs omnēs
all of us (we
all)
[Not omnēs nostrum]
Quot sunt hostēs?
How many of the enemy
are there?
Cavē inimīcōs, quī multī sunt.
Beware of
your enemies, who are many.
multī mīlitēs
many of the soldiers
nēmō Rōmānus
not one Roman
Objective Genitive
347. The Objective Genitive is used with nouns, adjectives, and verbs.
348. Nouns of action, agency, and feeling govern the Genitive of the Object.
| cāritās tuī affection for you | dēsīderium ōtī longing for rest |
| vacātiō mūneris relief from duty | grātia beneficī gratitude for kindness |
| fuga malōrum refuge from disaster | precātiō deōrum prayer to the gods |
| contentiō honōrum struggle for office | opīniō virtūtis reputation for valor |
Note— This usage is an extension of the idea of belonging to (Possessive Genitive). Thus in the phrase odium Caesaris (hate of Cæsar) the hate in a passive sense belongs to Cæsar, as odium, though in its active sense he is the object of it, as hate (cf. a.). The distinction between the possessive (subjective) and the objective genitive is very unstable and is often lost sight of. It is illustrated by the following example: the phrase amor patris (love of a father) may mean love felt by a father, a father's love (Subjective Genitive), or love towards a father (Objective Genitive).
a. The objective genitive is sometimes replaced by a possessive pronoun or other derivative adjective.
mea invidia
my unpopularity (the
dislike of which I am the object).
[Cf. odium meī (Har. Resp. 5) hatred of me]
laudātor meus (Att. 1.16.5)
my
eulogist (one who praises me)
[Cf. nostrī laudātor (id. 1.14.6).]
Clōdiānum crīmen (Mil. 72)
the murder of
Clodius (the Clodian charge)
[As we say, the Nathan murder]
metus hostīlis (Iug. 41)
fear of the
enemy (hostile fear)
Ea quae faciēbat, tuā sē fīdūciā facere dīcēbat. (Verr. 5.176)
What he was doing, he said he did relying on you. (with your reliance)
Neque neglegentiā tuā, neque id odiō fēcit tuō. (Ter. Ph. 1016)
He did this neither from neglect nor from hatred of you.
b. Rarely the objective genitive is used with a noun already limited by another genitive.
animī multārum rērum percursiō (Tusc. 4.31)
the mind's traversing of many things
c. A noun with a preposition is often used instead of the objective genitive.
odium in Antōnium (Fam. 10.5.3)
hate of
Antony
merita ergā mē (id. 1.1.1)
services to
me
meam in tē pietātem (id. 1.9.1)
my
devotion to you
impetus in urbem (Phil. 12.29)
an attack
on the city
excessus ē vītā (Fin. 3.60)
departure
from life
[Also, excessus vītae (Tusc. 1.27.)]
adoptiō in Domitium (Tac. Ann. 12.25)
the adoption of Domitius
[A late and bold
extension of this construction.]
Note — So also in late writers the dative of reference (cf. § 366.b)
longō bellō māteria (Tac. H. 1.89)
resources for a long
war
349. Adjectives requiring an object of reference govern the Objective Genitive.
a. Adjectives denoting desire, knowledge, memory, fullness, power, sharing, guilt, and their opposites govern the genitive.
avidī laudis (Manil. 7)
greedy of
praise
fastīdiōsus litterārum
disdaining
letters
iūris perītus
skilled in
law
[So also the ablative, iūre, cf. § 418]
memorem vestrī, oblītum suī (Cat.
4.19)
mindful of you, forgetful of himself
ratiōnis et ōrātiōnis expertēs (Off.
1.50)
devoid of sense and speech
nostrae cōnsuētūdinis imperītī (B. G. 4.22)
unacquainted with our customs
plēnus fideī
full of good faith
omnis speī egēnam (Tac. Ann. 1.53)
destitute of all hope
tempestātum potentem (Aen. 1.80)
having
sway over the storms
impotēns īrae (Liv. 29.9.9)
ungovernable
in anger
coniūrātiōnis participēs (Cat. 3.14)
sharing in the conspiracy
affīnis reī capitālis (Verr. 2.2.94)
involved in a capital crime
īnsōns culpae (Liv. 22.49)
innocent of
guilt
b. Participles in -ns govern the genitive when they are used as adjectives, i.e. when they denote a constant disposition and not a particular act.
sī quem tuī amantiōrem cōgnōvistī (Q. Fr. 1.1.15)
if you have become acquainted with any one more fond of you
multitūdō īnsolēns bellī (B. C. 2.36)
a
crowd unused to war
Erat Iugurtha appetēns glōriae mīlitāris (Iug. 7)
Jugurtha was eager for military glory.
Note 1— Participles in -ns, when used as participles, take the case regularly governed by the verb to which they belong.
Sp. Maelium rēgnum appetentem interēmit (Cat. M. 56)
He put to death Spurius Mælius, who was aspiring to royal power.
Note 2— Occasionally participial forms in -ns are treated as participles (see note 1) even when they express a disposition or character.
virtūs quam aliī ipsam temperantiam dīcunt esse, aliī obtemperantem temperantiae praeceptīs et eam subsequentem (Tusc. 4.30)
observant of the teachings of temperance and obedient to
her
c. Verbals in -āx (§ 251) govern the genitive in poetry and later Latin.
iūstum et tenācem prōpositī virum (Hor. Od. 3.3)
a man just and steadfast to his purpose
circus capāx populī (Ov. A. A. 1.136)
a
circus big enough to hold the people
cibī vīnīque capācissimus (Liv. 9.16.13)
a very great eater and drinker (very able to contain food and wine)
d. The poets and later writers use the genitive with almost any adjective, to denote that with reference to which the quality exists (Genitive of Specification).
callidus reī mīlitāris (Tac. H. 2.32)
skilled in soldiership
pauper aquae (Hor. Od. 3.30.11)
scant of
water
nōtus animī paternī (id. 2.2.6)
famed for
a paternal spirit
fessī rērum (Aen. 1.178)
weary of
toil
integer vītae scelerisque pūrus (Hor. Od. 1.22.1)
upright in life, and unstained by guilt
Note— The Genitive of Specification is only an extension of the construction with adjectives requiring an object of reference (§ 349). Thus callidus denotes knowledge; pauper, want; pūrus, innocence; and so these words in a manner belong to the classes under a.
For the Ablative of Specification, the prose construction, see § 418. For adjectives of likeness etc. with the genitive, apparently objective, see § 385.c. For adjectives with animī (locative in origin), see § 358.
350. Verbs of remembering and forgetting take either the accusative or the genitive of the object.
a. Meminī takes the accusative when it has the literal sense of retaining in the mind what one has seen, heard, or learned. Hence the accusative is used of persons whom one remembers as acquaintances, or of things which one has experienced. So oblīvīscor in the opposite sense—to forget literally, to lose all memory of a thing (very rarely, of a person).
Cinnam meminī. (Phil. 5.17)
I remember
Cinna.
Utinam avum tuum meminissēs! (id. 1.34)
Oh! that you could remember your grandfather! (but he died before you were born)
Postumium, cûius statuam in Isthmō meminisse tē dīcis (Att. 13.32)
Postumius, whose statue you say you remember (to have seen) on the Isthmus
omnia meminit Sīron Epicūrī dogmata. (Acad. 2.106)
Siron remembers all the doctrines of Epicurus.
Multa ab aliīs audīta meminērunt. (De Or. 2.355)
They remember many things that they have heard from others.
Tōtam causam oblītus est. (Brut. 217)
He
forgot the whole case.
Hinc iam oblīvīscere Grâiōs. (Aen. 2.148)
From henceforth forget the Greeks.
(i.e. not merely disregard them, but banish them from your mind, as if you had never known them).
b. Meminī takes the genitive when it means to be mindful or regardful of a person or thing, to think of somebody or something (often with special interest or warmth of feeling). So oblīvīscor in the opposite sense—to disregard, or dismiss from the mind—and the adjective oblītus (careless or regardless).
Ipse suī meminerat. (Verr. 2.2.136)
He
was mindful of himself. (of his own interests)
Faciam ut hûius locī dieique meique semper
memineris. (Ter. Eun. 801)
I will make you remember this place and this day and me as long as you live.
Nec mē meminisse pigēbit Elissae, dum memor ipse meī. (Aen. 4.335)
Nor shall I feel regret at the thought of Elissa, so long as I remember myself.
Meminerint verēcundiae. (Off. 1.122)
Let
them cherish modesty.
Hūmānae īnfīrmitātis meminī. (Liv. 30.31.6)
I remember human weakness.
oblīvīscī temporum meōrum, meminisse āctiōnum (Fam. 1.9.8)
to disregard my own interests, to be mindful of the matters at issue
Nec tamen Epicūrī licet oblīvīscī. (Fin. 5.3)
And yet I must not forget Epicurus.
Oblīvīscere caedis atque incendiōrum. (Cat.
1.6
Turn your mind from slaughter and conflagrations. (dismiss them from your thoughts).
Note 1— With both meminī and oblīvīscor the personal and reflexive pronouns are regularly in the genitive; neuter pronouns and adjectives used substantively are regularly in the accusative; abstract nouns are often in the genitive. These uses come in each instance from the natural meaning of the verbs (as defined above).
Note 2— Meminī in the sense of mention takes the genitive.
eundem Achillam cûius suprā meminimus (B. C. 3.108)
that same Achillas whom I mentioned above
c. Reminīscor is rare. It takes the accusative in the literal sense of call to mind, recollect the genitive in the more figurative sense of be mindful of.
Dulcīs moriēns reminīscitur Argōs. (Aen. 10.782)
As he dies he calls to mind his beloved Argos.
Reminīscerētur et veteris incommodī populī Rōmānī et prīstinae virtūtis Helvētiōrum. (B. G. 1.13)
Let him remember both the former discomfiture of the Roman people and the ancient valor of
the Helvetians.
[A warning— let him bear it in mind (and beware)!]
d. Recordor (recollect, recall) regularly takes the accusative.
Recordāre cōnsēnsum illum theātrī. (Phil. 1.30)
Recall that unanimous agreement of the [audience in the] theatre.
Recordāminī omnīs cīvīlīs dissēnsiōnēs. (Cat. 3.24)
Call to mind all the civil wars.
Note— Recordor takes the genitive once (Pison. 12); it is never used with a personal object, but may be followed by dē with the ablative of the person or thing (cf. § 351, Note, below).
Dē tē recordor. (Scaur. 49)
I remember about you.
Dē illīs (lacrimīs) recordor. (Planc. 104)
I am reminded of those
tears.
Verbs of Reminding
351. Verbs of reminding take with the Accusative of the person a genitive of the thing; except in the case of a neuter pronoun, which is put in the accusative (cf. § 390.c). So admoneō, commoneō, commonefaciō, commonefīō. But moneō with the genitive is found in late writers only.
Catilīna admonēbat alium egestātis, alium cupiditātis
suae. (Sall. Cat. 21)
Catiline reminded one of his poverty, another of his cupidity.
Eōs hōc moneō. (Cat. 2.20)
I give them
this warning.
quod vōs lēx commonet (Verr. 3.40)
that
which the law reminds you of
Note— All these verbs often take dē with the ablative, and the accusative of nouns as well as of pronouns is sometimes used with them.
Saepius tē admoneō dē syngraphā Sittiānā. (Fam.
8.4.5)
I remind you again and again of Sittius's bond.
officium vostrum ut vōs malō cōgātis commonērier (Plaut. Ps. 150)
that you may by misfortune force yourselves to be reminded of your duty
Verbs of Accusing, Condemning and Acquitting
352. Verbs of accusing, condemning, and acquitting, take the Genitive of the Charge or Penalty.
Arguit mē furtī.
He accuses me of
theft.
pecūlātūs damnātus (pecūniae pūblicae damnātus) (Flacc. 43)
condemned for embezzlement
Videō nōn tē absolūtum esse improbitātis, sed illōs damnātōs esse caedis. (Verr. 2.1.72)
I see, not that you were acquitted of outrage, but that they were condemned for homicide.
a. Peculiar genitives, under this construction.
capitis, as in damnāre capitis to sentence to death
mâiestātis [laesae] treason
(crime against the dignity of the state)
repetundārum [rērum] extortion
(lit. of an action for reclaiming money)
vōtī damnātus (or reus bound [to the payment] of one's vow
(i.e. successful in one's effort)
pecūniae (damnāre, iūdicāre, see note)
duplī etc., as in duplī condemnāre condemn to pay twofold
Note— The origin of these genitive constructions is pointed at by the following.
pecūniae damnāre (Gel. 20.1.38)
to condemn to pay
money (in a case of injury to the person)
quantae pecūniae iūdicātī essent (id. xx.1.47)
how much
money they were adjudged to pay (in a mere suit for debt)
cōnfessī aeris ac dēbitī iūdicātī (id. xx.1. 42)
adjudged
to owe an admitted sum due
These expressions show that the Genitive of the penalty comes from the use of the genitive of value to express a sum of money due either as a debt or as a fine. Since in early civilizations all offences could be compounded by the payment of fines, the genitive came to be used of other punishments, not pecuniary. From this to the genitive of the actual crime is an easy transition, inasmuch as there is always a confusion between crime and penalty (cf. Eng. guilty of death). It is quite unnecessary to assume an ellipsis of crīmine or iūdiciō.
353. Other constructions for the Charge or Penalty are--
Frusinātēs tertiā parte agrī damnātī (Liv. 10.1)
the people of Frusino
condemned [to forfeit] a third part of their land
dē aleā
for gambling
dē ambitū for bribery
dē pecūniīs repetundīs
of extortion (cf. § 352.a,
above).
inter sīcāriōs (Rosc. Am. 90)
as an assassin (among the assassins)
dē vī et mâiestātis damnātī (Phil. 1.21)
convicted of assault and treason
Note— The accusative with ad and in occurs in later writers to express the penalty.
ad mortem (Tac. Ann. 16.21)
to death
ad (in) metalla
to the mines
Verbs of Feeling
354. Many verbs of feeling take the genitive of the object which excites the feeling.
a. Verbs of pity, as misereor and miserēscō, take the Genitive.
Miserēminī familiae, iūdicēs, miserēminī patris, miserēminī
fīlī. (Flacc. 106)
Have pity on the family, etc.
Miserēre animī nōn dīgna ferentis. (Aen. 2.144)
Pity a soul that endures unworthy things.
Miserēscite rēgis. (id. 8.573)
Pity the
king. [poetical]
Note— But miseror, commiseror (bewail) take the accusative
commūnem condiciōnem miserārī (Mur. 55)
bewail the common lot
b. As impersonals, miseret, paenitet, piget, pudet, taedet (or pertaesum est), take the genitive of the cause of the feeling and the Accusative of the person affected.
quōs īnfāmiae suae neque pudet neque taedet (Verr. 1.35)
who are neither ashamed nor weary of their dishonor
Mē miseret parietum ipsōrum. (Phil.
2.69)
I pity the very walls.
Mē cīvitātis mōrum piget taedetque. (Iug.
4)
I am sick and tired of the ways of the state.
Decemvirōrum vōs pertaesum est. (Liv. 3.67)
You became tired of the decemvirs.
c. With miseret, paenitet, etc., the cause of the feeling may be expressed by an infinitive or a clause.
Neque mē paenitet mortālīs inimīcitiās habēre. (Rab. Post. 32)
Nor am I sorry to have deadly enmities.
Nōn dedisse istunc pudet; mē quia nōn accēpī
piget. (Pl. Pseud. 282)
He is ashamed not to have given; I am sorry because I have not received.
Note— Miseret etc. are sometimes used personally with a neuter pronoun as subject.
Nōn tē haec pudent? (Ter. Ad. 754)
Do not these things shame you?
355. The impersonals interest and rēfert take the genitive of the person (rarely of the thing) affected. The subject of the verb is a neuter pronoun or a substantive clause.
Clōdī intererat Milōnem perīre. (cf. Mil. 56)
It was the interest of Clodius that Milo should die.
aliquid quod illōrum magis quam suā rētulisse vidērētur (Iug. 111)
something which seemed to be more for their interest than his own
Videō enim quid meā intersit, quid utrīusque nostrum. (Fam. 7.23.4)
For I see what is for my good and for the good of us both.
a. Instead of the genitive of a personal pronoun the corresponding possessive is used in the ablative singular feminine after interest or rēfert.
Quid tuā id rēfert? Māgnī. (Ter. Ph. 723)
How does that concern you? Much.
[See also the last two examples above.]
Vehementer intererat vestrā quī patrēs estis. (Plin. Ep. 4.13.4)
It would be very much to your advantage, you who are fathers.
Note— This is the only construction with rēfert in classic prose, except in one passage in Sallust (see example above).
b. The accusative with ad is used with interest and rēfert to express the thing with reference to which one is interested.
Māgnī ad honōrem nostrum interest. (Fam. 16.1)
It is of great consequence to our honor.
Rēfert etiam ad frūctūs. (Varr. R. R. 1.16.6)
It makes a difference as to the crop.
Note 1— Very rarely the person is expressed by ad and the accusative, or (with rēfert) by the dative (probably a popular corruption).
Quid id ad mē aut ad meam
rem rēfert? (Pl. Per. 513)
What difference does that make to me or to my interests?
Quid rēferat intrā nātūrae fīnīs vīventī? (Hor. S.
1.1.49)
What difference does it make to me who live within the limits of natural desire?
nōn rēferre dēdecorī (Tac. Ann. 15.65)
that it makes no difference as to the disgrace
Note 2— The degree of interest is expressed by a Genitive of Value, an adverb, or an adverbial accusative.
Verbs of Plenty and Want
356. Verbs of Plenty and Want sometimes govern the genitive (cf. § 409.a, Note).
Convīvium vīcīnōrum compleō. (Cat. M. 46; in the mouth of Cato)
I fill up the banquet with my neighbors.
Implentur veteris Bacchī pinguisque ferīnae. (Aen. 1.215)
They fill themselves with old wine and fat venison.
nē quis auxilī egeat (B. G. 6.11)
lest any require aid
Quid est quod dēfēnsiōnis indigeat? (Rosc. Am. 34)
What is there that needs defence?
quae ad cōnsōlandum mâiōris ingenī et ad ferendum singulāris virtūtis indigent (Fam. 6.4.2)
[sorrows] which for their comforting need more ability, and for endurance unusual
courage
Note— Verbs of plenty and want more commonly take the ablative (see § 409.a, § 401), except egeō, which takes either case, and indigeō. But the genitive is by a Greek idiom often used in poetry instead of the Ablative with all words denoting separation and want (cf. § 357.b.3).
abstinētō īrārum (Hor. Od. 3.27.69)
refrain from wrath
operum solūtīs (id. 3.17.16)
free from toils
Dēsine mollium querellārum. (id. 2.9.17)
Have done with weak complaints.
357. The genitive is used with certain special verbs.
a. The genitive sometimes follows potior (get possession of); as always in the phrase potīrī rērum (to be master of affairs).
illīus rēgnī potīrī (Fam. 1.7.5)
to
become master of that kingdom
Cleanthēs sōlem dominārī et rērum potīrī putat. (Acad. 2.126)
Cleanthes thinks the sun holds sway and is lord of the universe.
Note— But potior usually takes the ablative (see § 410).
b. Some other verbs rarely take the genitive.
1. By analogy with those mentioned in § 354.
neque hûius sīs veritus fēminae prīmāriae (Ter. Ph. 971)
and you had no respect for this high-born lady
2. As akin to adjectives which take the genitive.
Fastīdit meī. (Plaut. Aul. 245)
He
disdains me.
[Cf. fastīdiōsus]
Studet tuī. (quoted N. D. 3.72)
He is zealous for you.
[Cf. studiōsus]
3. In imitation of the Greek.
Iūstitiaene prius mīrer, bellīne labōrum?
(Aen. 11.126)
Shall I rather admire his justice or his toils in war?
Neque ille sēpositī ciceris nec longae invīdit avēnae. (Hor. S. 2.6.84)
Nor did he grudge his garnered peas, etc.
[But cf. invidus, parcus]
Labōrum dēcipitur. (Hor. Od. 2.13.38)
He
is beguiled of his woes.
Mē labōrum levās. (Pl. Rud. 247)
You
relieve me of my troubles.
358. The apparent genitive animī (really locative) is used with a few verbs and adjectives of feeling and the like.
Antiphō mē excruciat animī. (Ter. Ph. 187)
Antipho tortures my mind. (me in my mind)
quī pendet animī (Tusc. 4.35)
who is in
suspense
Mē animī fallit. (Lucr. 1.922)
My mind
deceives me.
So, by analogy:
Dēsipiēbam mentis. (Pl. Epid. 138)
I was
out of my head.
aeger animī
sick at heart
cōnfūsus animī
disturbed in spirit
sānus mentis aut animī (Pl. Trin.
454)
sound in mind or heart
359. Peculiar Genitive constructions are the following.
a. A poetical genitive occurs rarely in exclamations, in imitation of the Greek (Genitive of Exclamation).
Dī immortālēs, mercimōnī lepidī! (Pl. Most. 912)
Good heavens! what a charming bargain!
Foederis heu tacitī! (Prop. 4.7.21)
Alas
for the unspoken agreement!
b. The genitive is often used with the ablatives causā, grātiā (for the sake of); ergō (because of); and the indeclinable īnstar (like); also with prīdiē (the day before) postrīdiē (the day after); tenus (as far as).
honōris causā
with due
respect
(for the sake of honor)
verbī grātiā
for example
êius lēgis ergō
on account of this
law
equus īnstar montis (Aen. 2.15)
a horse
huge as a mountain (the image of a mountain)
laterum tenus (id. 10.210)
as far as the
sides
Note 1— Of these the genitive with causā is a development from the possessive genitive and resembles that in nōmen īnsāniae (§ 343.d). The others are of various origin.
Note 2— In prose of the Republican Period prīdiē and postrīdiē are thus used only in the expressions
prīdiē (postrīdiē)
êius diēī
the day before (after) that
(cf. “the eve, the morrow of that day”)
Tacitus uses the construction with other words.
postrīdiē īnsidiārum
the day after the plot
For the accusative, see § 432.a. Tenus takes also the ablative (§ 221.26).
360. The dative is probably, like the genitive, a grammatical case, that is, it is a form appropriated to the expression of a variety of relations other than that of the direct object. But it is held by some to be a locative with the primary meaning of to or towards, and the poetic uses (like it clāmor caelō Aen. 5.451) are regarded as survivals of the original use.
In Latin the dative has two classes of meanings.
These two classes of datives approach each other in some cases and are occasionally confounded, as in §§ 383-384.
The uses of the dative are the following.
| II. Special or Idiomatic Uses | 1. Of Possession (with esse; § 373) |
| 2. Of Agency (with Gerundive) (§ 374) | |
| 3. Of Reference (datīvus commodī; § 376 - § 381) | |
| 4. Of Purpose or End (predicate use) (§ 382) | |
| 5. Of Fitness etc. (with Adjectives) (§§ 383-384). |
361. The dative is used to denote the object indirectly affected by an action. This is called the indirect object (§ 274). It is usually denoted in English by the objective with to.
Cēdite temporī.
Yield to the
occasion.
Prōvincia Cicerōnī obtigit.
The province
fell by lot to Cicero.
Inimīcīs nōn crēdimus.
We do not
trust [to] our enemies.
362. The Dative of the Indirect object with the accusative of the direct may be used with any transitive verb whose meaning allows (see § 274).
Dō tibi librum.
I give you a book.
Illud tibi affīrmō. (Fam. 1.7.5)
This I
assure you.
Commendō tibi êius omnia negōtia. (id. 1.3)
I put all his affairs in your hands. (commit them to you)
Dabis profectō misericordiae quod īrācundiae
negāvistī. (Deiot. 40)
You will surely grant to mercy what you refused to wrath.
Litterās ā tē mihi stator tuus reddidit (Fam. 2.17)
Your messenger delivered to me a letter from you.
a. Many verbs have both a transitive and an intransitive use, and take either the accusative with the dative, or the dative alone.
Mihi id aurum crēdidit. (cf. Plaut. Aul.
15)
He trusted that gold to me.
Equō nē crēdite. (Aen. 2.48)
Do not put
your trust in the horse.
Concessit senātus postulātiōnī tuae. (Mur. 47)
The senate yielded to your demand.
concēdere amīcīs quidquid velint (Lael. 38)
to grant to friends all they may wish
363. Certain verbs implying motion vary in their construction between the Dative of the Indirect Object and the Accusative of the End of Motion (§§ 426 - 427).
litterās quās ad Pompêium scrīpsī (Att. 3.8.4)
the letter which I have written [and sent] to Pompey.
[Cf. nōn quō habērem quod tibi
scrīberem (id. 4.4A) not that I had anything to write to you]
Litterae extemplō Rōmam scrīptae. (Liv. 41.16)
A letter was immediately written [and sent] to Rome.
Hostīs in fugam dat. (B. G. 5.51)
He
puts the enemy to flight.
[Cf. ut mē dem fugae (Att. 7.23) to take to flight]
Omnēs rem ad Pompêium dēferrī volunt. (Fam. 1.1)
All wish the matter to be put in the hands of Pompey
(referred to Pompey).
mihi litterās mittere (Fam. 7.12)
to
send me a letter
Eum librum tibi mīsī. (id. 7.19)
I
sent you that book.
Nec quicquam quod nōn mihi Caesar dētulerit (id. 4.13)
And nothing which Cæsar did not communicate to me.
Cūrēs ut mihi vehantur (id. 8.4.5)
Take care that they be conveyed to me.
cum alius aliī subsidium ferrent (B. G. 2.26)
while one lent aid to another
364. Certain verbs may take either the dative of the person and the accusative of the thing, or (in a different sense) the accusative of the person and the ablative of the thing.1
Dōnat corōnās suīs.
He presents wreaths
to his men. OR
Dōnat suōs corōnīs.
He presents his men
with wreaths.
vincula exuere sibi (Ov. M. 7.772)
to shake off the leash (from himself)
Omnīs armīs exuit. (B. G. 5.51)
He
stripped them all of their arms.
Note 1— Interdīcō (forbid) takes either (1) the dative of the person and the ablative of the thing, or (2) in later writers, the dative of the person and the accusative of the thing.
aquā et īgnī alicui
interdīcere
to forbid one the use of fire and water
[The regular formula for banishment.]
Interdīxit histriōnibus scaenam. (Suet. Dom. 7)
He forbade the actors [to appear on] the stage.
(He prohibited the stage to the
actors).
Fēminīs (dat) purpurae ūsū interdīcēmus? (Liv. 34.7)
Shall we forbid women the wearing of
purple?
Note 2— The dative with the accusative is used in poetry with many verbs of preventing, protecting, and the like, which usually take the accusative and ablative. Interclūdō and prohibeō sometimes take the dative and accusative, even in prose.
hīsce omnīs aditūs ad
Sullam interclūdere (Rosc. Am. 110)
to shut these men off from all access to Sulla (close to them every approach).
[Cf. utī commeātū Caesarem interclūderet (B. G. 1.48) to shut Cæsar off from
supplies]
Hunc (oestrum) arcēbis pecorī (Georg. 3.154)
You shall keep this away from the flock.
[Cf. Illum arcuit Galliā. (Phil. 5.37) He excluded him from Gaul.]
sōlstitium pecorī dēfendite (Ecl. 7.47)
keep the summer heat from the flock
[Cf. utī sē ā contumēliīs inimīcōrum
dēfenderet (B. C. 1.22) to defend himself from the slanders of his enemies]
365. Verbs which in the active voice take the accusative and dative retain the dative when used in the passive.
Nūntiābantur haec eadem Cūriōnī. (B. C. 2.37)
These same things were announced to Curio.
[Active: nūntiābant (quīdam) haec eadem Cūriōnī.]
Nec docendī Caesaris propinquīs êius spatium datur, nec tribūnīs plēbis suī perīculī dēprecandī facultās tribuitur. (id. 1.5)
No time is given Cæsar's relatives to inform him, and no
opportunity is granted to the tribunes of the plebs to avert danger from themselves.
Prōvinciae prīvātīs dēcernuntur. (id. 1.6)
Provinces are voted to private citizens.
366. The Dative of the Indirect Object may be used with any intransitive verb whose meaning allows.
Cēdant arma togae. (Phil. 2.20)
Let arms
give place to the toga.
Caesarī respondet.
He replies to
Cæsar.
Caesarī respondētur.
A reply is given to
Cæsar.
(Cæsar is replied to) [Cf. § 372]
Respondī maximīs crīminibus. (Phil. 2.36)
I have answered the heaviest charges.
ut ita cuique ēveniat (id. 2.119)
that it
may so turn out to each
Note 1— Intransitive verbs have no direct object. The indirect object, therefore, in these cases stands alone as in the second example (but cf. § 362.a).
Note 2— Cēdō (yield) sometimes takes the ablative of the thing along with the dative of the person.
cēdere alicui possessiōne hortōrum (cf. Mil. 75)
to give up to one the possession of a garden
a. Many phrases consisting of a noun with the copula sum or a copulative verb are equivalent to an intransitive verb and take a kind of indirect object (cf. § 367.a, Note 2).
auctor esse alicui
to advise or
instigate one (cf. persuādeō)
Quis huic reī testis est (Quinct. 37)
Who
testifies (is witness) to this fact?
Is fīnis populātiōnibus fuit (Liv. 2.30.9)
This put an end to the raids.
b. The dative is sometimes used without a copulative verb in a sense approaching that of the genitive (cf. § 367.d, § 377).
lēgātus frātrī (Mur. 32)
a lieutenant to
his brother
(i.e. a man assigned to his brother)
ministrī sceleribus (Tac. Ann. 6.36)
agents of crime
[Cf. sēditiōnis ministrī (id. 1.17) agents of sedition]
miseriīs suīs remedium mortem exspectāre (Sall. Cat. 40)
to look for death as a cure for their miseries
[Cf. sōlus meārum miseriārumst
remedium (Ter. Ad. 294).]
Note — The cases in a. and b. differ from the constructions of § 367.a, Note 2 and § 377 in that the dative is more closely connected in idea with some single word to which it serves as an indirect object.
367. Many verbs signifying to favor, help, please, trust, and their contraries; also to believe, persuade, command, obey, serve, resist, envy, threaten, pardon, and spare,1 take the dative.
Cūr mihi invidēs?
Why do you envy
me?
Mihi parcit atque īgnōscit.
He spares and
pardons me.
īgnōsce patriō dolōrī (Liv. 3.48)
excuse
a father's grief
subvenī patriae, opitulāre conlēgae (Fam.
10.10.2)
come to the aid of your country, help your colleague
Mihi nōn displicet. (Clu. 144)
It does
not displease me.
Nōn omnibus serviō. (Att. 13.49)
I am not
a servant to every man.
Nōn parcam operae. (Fam. 13.27)
I will
spare no pains.
Sīc mihi persuāsī. (Cat. M. 78)
So I have
persuaded myself.
Mihi Fabius dēbēbit īgnōscere sī minus êius fāmae parcere
vidēbor quam anteā cōnsuluī. (Tull. 3)
Fabius will have to pardon me if I seem to spare his reputation less than I have heretofore regarded it.
Huic legiōnī Caesar cōnfīdēbat maximē. (B. G. 1.40.15)
In this legion Cæsar trusted most.
In these verbs the Latin retains an original intransitive meaning. Thus, invidēre (to envy) is literally to look askance at; servīre is to be a slave to; suādēre is to make a thing pleasant (sweet) to.
a. Some verbs apparently of the same meanings take the accusative. Such are iuvō, adiuvō (help); laedō (injure); iubeō (order) dēficiō (fail) dēlectō (please).
Hīc pulvis oculum meum laedit.
This dust hurts my eye.
[Cf. Multa oculīs nocent. Many
things are injurious to the eyes.]
Note 1— Fīdō and cōnfīdō take also the ablative (§ 431).
Multum nātūrā locī cōnfīdēbant. (B. G. 3.9)
They had great confidence in the strength of their position.
Note 2— Some common phrases regularly take the dative precisely like verbs of similar meaning. Such are: praestō esse (be on hand, cf. adesse); mōrem gerere (humor, (cf. mōrigerārī); grātum facere (do a favor, cf. grātificārī); dictō audiēns esse (be obedient, cf. oboedīre); cui fidem habēbat [(B. G. 1.19) in whom he had confidence, cf. cōnfīdēbat].
So also many phrases where no corresponding verb exists. Such are: bene (male, pulchrē, aegrē, etc.) esse [be well (ill, etc.) off]; iniūriam facere (do injustice to); diem dīcere (bring to trial, name a day for, etc.); agere grātiās (express one's thanks) habēre grātiam (feel thankful); referre grātiam (repay a favor); opus esse (be necessary); damnum dare (inflict an injury); acceptum (expēnsum) ferre (esse) [credit, charge]; honōrem habēre (to pay honor to).
b. Some verbs are used transitively with the accusative or intransitively with the dative without perceptible difference of meaning. Such are adūlor, aemulor, dēspērō, praestōlor, medeor.
Adūlātus est Antōniō. (Nep. Att. 8)
He
flattered Antony.
adūlārī Nerōnem (Tac. Ann. 16.19)
to
flatter Nero
Pācem nōn dēspērās. (Att. 8.15.3)
You do
not despair of peace.
Salūtī dēspērāre vetuit. (Clu. 68)
He
forbade him to despair of safety.
c. Some verbs are used transitively with the accusative or intransitively with the dative with a difference of meaning.
Partī cīvium cōnsulunt. (Off. 1.85)
They
consult for a part of the citizens.
cum tē cōnsuluissem (Fam. 11.29)
when I
had consulted you
metuēns puerīs (Plaut. Am. 1113)
anxious
for the children
Nec metuunt deōs. (Ter. Hec. 772)
They
fear not even the gods.
[So also timeō]
prōspicite patriae (Cat. 4.3)
have regard
for the state
prōspicere sēdem senectūtī (Liv. 4.49.14)
to provide a habitation for old age
[So also prōvideō]
d. A few verbal nouns [as īnsidiae (ambush); obtemperātiō (obedience)] rarely take the dative like the corresponding verbs.
īnsidiae cōnsulī (Sall. Cat. 32)
the plot
against the consul
(cf. īnsidior).
obtemperātiō lēgibus (Legg. 1.42)
obedience to the laws
(cf. obtemperō).
sibi ipsī respōnsiō (De Or. 3.207)
an
answer to himself
(cf. respondeō).
Note— In these cases the dative depends immediately upon the verbal force of the noun and not on any complex idea (cf. § 366.a-b).
368. The dative is used:
quod mihi maximē lubet (Fam. 1.8.3)
what most pleases me
quasi tibi nōn licēret (id. 6.8)
as
if you were not permitted
Mihi ipse numquam satisfaciō (Fam. 1.1)
I never satisfy myself.
optimō virō maledīcere (Deiot. 28)
to
speak ill of a most excellent man
Pulchrum est benefacere reī pūblicae. (Sall. Cat. 3)
It is a glorious thing to benefit the state.
Note— These are not real compounds, but phrases, and were apparently felt as such by the Romans.
Satis officiō meō, satis illōrum voluntātī quī ā mē hōc
petīvērunt factumesse arbitrābor. (Verr. 5.130)
I shall consider that enough has been done for my duty, enough for the wishes of those who asked this of me.
Pompêiō sē grātificārī putant. (Fam. 1.1)
They think they are doing Pompey a service.
Grātulor tibi, mī Balbe. (id. 6.12)
I
congratulate you, my dear Balbus.
Tibi permittō respondēre. (N. D. 3.4)
I give you leave to answer.
Mihi plaudō ipse domī. (Hor. S. 1.1.66)
I applaud myself at home.
cum inimīcī M. Fontêī vōbīs ac populō Rōmānō minentur, amīcī ac propinquī supplicent vōbīs (Font. 35)
while the enemies of Marcus Fonteius are threatening you and the Roman people too, while his friends and
relatives are beseeching you
Note — Misceō and iungō sometimes take the Dative (see § 413.a, Note). Haereō usually takes the ablative, with or without in, rarely the dative.
haerentem capitī corōnam (Hor. S. 1.10.49)
a wreath clinging to the head.
a. The dative is often used by the poets in constructions which would in prose require a noun with a preposition. So especially with verbs of contending (§ 413.b).
Contendis Homērō (Prop. 1.7.3)
You vie
with Homer.
[In prose: cum Homērō]
Placitōne etiam pūgnābis amōrī? (Aen. 4.38)
Will you struggle even against a love that pleases you?
Tibi certat. (Ecl. 5.8)
[He] vies with
you.
[tēcum]
Differt sermōnī (Hor. S. 1.4.48)
[It] differs from prose.
[ā sermōne, § 401]
Laterī abdidit ēnsem (Aen. 2.553)
[He] buried the sword in his side.
[in latere, § 430]
For the dative instead of ad with the accusative, see § 428.h.
369. Some verbs ordinarily intransitive may have an accusative of the direct object along with the dative of the indirect (cf. § 362.a).
cui cum rēx crucem minārētur (Tusc.
1.102)
and when the king threatened him with the cross
Crētēnsibus obsidēs imperāvīt. (Manil. 35)
He exacted hostages of the Cretans.
omnia sibi īgnōscere (Vell. 2.30)
to
pardon one's self everything
Ascaniōne pater Rōmānās invidet arcēs?
(Aen. 4.234)
Does the father envy Ascanius his Roman citadels?
[With invideō this construction is poetic or
late.]
a. With the passive voice this dative may be retained.
quī iam nunc sanguinem meum sibi indulgērī aequum cēnset (Liv. 40.15.16)
who even now thinks it right that my blood should be granted to him as a favor
Singulīs cēnsōribus dēnāriī trecentī imperātī sunt. (Verr. 2.137)
Three hundred denarii were exacted of each censor.
Scaevolae concessa est fācundiae virtūs. (Quint. 12.3.9)
To Scaevola has been granted excellence in oratory.
370. Many verbs compounded with ad, ante, con, in, inter, ob, post, prae, prō, sub, super, and some with circum, use the Dative of the Indirect Object.
Neque enim adsentior eīs. (Lael. 13)
For
I do not agree with them.
quantum nātūra hominis pecudibus antecēdit (Off. 1.105)
so far as man's nature is superior to brutes
sī sibi ipse cōnsentit (id. 1.5)
if he is
in accord with himself
Virtūtēs semper voluptātibus inhaerent. (Fin. 1.68)
Virtues are always connected with pleasures.
Omnibus negōtiīs nōn interfuit sōlum sed praefuit (id. 1.6)
He not only had a hand in all matters, but took the lead in them.
Tempestātī obsequī artis est. (Fam. 1.9.21)
It is a point of skill to yield to the weather.
Nec umquam succumbet inimīcīs. (Deiot. 36)
And he will never yield to his foes.
cum et Brūtus cuilibet ducum praeferendus vidērētur et Vatīnius nūllī nōn esset postferendus (Vell. 2.69)
since Brutus seemed worthy of being put before any of the generals and Vatinius
deserved to be put after all of them
a. In these cases the dative depends not on the preposition, but on the compound verb in its acquired meaning. Hence, if the acquired meaning is not suited to an indirect object, the original construction of the simple verb remains.
Thus in convocat suōs (he calls his men together) the idea of calling is not so modified as to make an indirect object appropriate. So hominem interficere (to make way with a man, i.e. kill him). But in praeficere imperātōrem bellō (to put a man as commander-in-chief in charge of a war) the idea resulting from the composition is suited to an indirect object (see also b. and § 371, below; also § 388.b).
Note 1— Some of these verbs, being originally transitive, take also a direct object
nē offerāmus nōs perīculīs (Off. 1.83)
that we may not expose ourselves to perils
Note 2— The construction of § 370 is not different in its nature from that of § 362, § 366, and § 367; but the compound verbs make a convenient group.
b. Some compounds of ad, ante, ob, with a few others, have acquired a transitive meaning, and take the accusative (cf. § 388.b).1
Nōs oppūgnat (Fam. 1.1)
He opposes
us.
Quis audeat bene comitātum aggredī? (Phil. 12.25)
Who would dare encounter a man well attended?
mūnus obīre (Lael. 7)
to attend to a
duty
c. The adjective obvius and the adverb obviam with a verb take the Dative.
sī ille obvius eī futūrus nōn erat (Mil. 47)
if he was not intending to get in his way
Mihi obviam vēnistī. (Fam. 2.16.3)
You
came to meet me.
371. When place or motion is distinctly thought of, the verbs mentioned in § 370 (above) regularly take a noun with a preposition.
Inhaeret in visceribus. (Tusc. 4.24)
It
remains fixed in the vitals.
homine coniūnctō mēcum (Tull. 4)
a man
united to me
Cum hōc concurrit ipse Eumenēs. (Nep. Eum. 4.1)
Eumenes himself engages in combat with him.
(runs together)
Inserite oculōs in cūriam (Font. 43)
Fix
your eyes on the senate house.
īgnis quī est ob ōs offūsus (Tim. 14)
the
fire which is diffused before the sight
Obicitur contrā istōrum impetūs Macedonia.
(Font. 44)
Macedonia is set to withstand their attacks.
[Cf. sī quis vōbīs error obiectus (Caec. 5)
if any mistake has been caused you]
In segetem flamma incidit. (Aen. 2.304)
The fire falls upon the standing grain.
Note— But the usage varies in different authors, in different words, and often in the same word and the same sense.
372. Intransitive verbs that govern the Dative are used impersonally in the passive (§ 208.d). The dative is retained (cf. § 365).
Cui parcī potuit (Liv. 21.14)
Who could
be spared?
Nōn modo nōn invidētur illī aetātī vērum etiam favētur. (Off. 2.45)
That age (youth) not only is not envied, but is even favored.
Temporī serviendum est (Fam. 9.7)
We must
serve the exigency of the occasion.
Note— In poetry the personal construction is sometimes found.
Cūr invideor (Hor. A. P. 56)
Why am I envied?
373. The dative is used with esse and similar words to denote possession.
Est mihi domī pater (Ecl. 3.33)
I have a
father at home.
(there is to me)
Hominī cum deō similitūdō est. (Legg. 1.25)
Man has a likeness to God.
quibus opēs nūllae sunt (Sall. Cat. 37)
[those] who have no wealth
Note— The genitive or a possessive with esse emphasizes the possessor; the dative, the fact of possession.
Liber est meus.
The book is MINE (and no one's
else).
Est mihi liber.
I HAVE a book (among other
things).
a. With nōmen est, and similar expressions, the name is often put in the dative by a kind of apposition with the person; but the Nominative is also common.
Puerō ab inopiā Egeriō inditum nōmen (id. 1.34)
The name Egerius
was given the boy from his poverty.
cui nōmen Arethūsa (Verr. 4.118)
[a fount] called
Arethusa
Note— In early Latin the dative is usual; Cicero prefers the nominative, Livy the dative; Sallust uses the dative only. In later Latin the genitive also occurs (cf. § 343.d).
Q. Metellō Macedonicī nōmen inditum est (Vell.
1.11)
The name of Macedonicus was given to Quintus Metellus.
b. Dēsum takes the dative; so occasionally absum (which regularly has the ablative).
hōc ūnum Caesarī dēfuit (B.G. 4.26)
this
only was lacking to Cæsar
Quid huic abesse poterit? (De Or. 1.48)
what can be wanting to him?
374. The Dative of the Agent is used with the gerundive to denote the person on whom the necessity rests.
Haec vōbīs prōvincia est dēfendenda (Manil. 14)
This province is for you to defend.
(to be defended by you)
Mihi est pūgnandum
I have to fight.
(The need of fighting is to me.)
[cf.
mihi est liber I have a book, § 373,
Note)]
a. This is the regular way of expressing the agent with the second or passive periphrastic conjugation (§ 196).
Note 1— The Ablative of the Agent with ab (§ 405) is sometimes used with the second periphrastic conjugation when the dative would be ambiguous or when a stronger expression is desired.
quibus est ā vōbīs
cōnsulendum (Manil. 6)
for whom you must consult
[Here two datives, quibus and
vōbīs, would have been ambiguous.]
rem ab omnibus vōbīs prōvidendam (Rab. 4)
that the matter must be attended to by all of you
[The dative might mean for all of you.]
Note 2— The Dative of the Agent is either a special use of the Dative of Possession or a development of the Dative of Reference (§ 376).
375. The Dative of the Agent is common with perfect participles (especially when used in an adjective sense), but rare with other parts of the verb.
Mihi dēlīberātum et cōnstitūtum est. (Leg. Agr. 1.25)
I have deliberated and resolved.
(It has been deliberated by me.)
Mihi rēs prōvīsa est. (Verr. 4.91)
The
matter has been provided for by me.
Sīc dissimillimīs bēstiolīs commūniter cibus quaeritur (N. D. 2.123)
So, by very different creatures food is sought in common.
a. The Dative of the Agent is used by the poets and later writers with almost any passive verb.
neque cernitur ūllī (Aen. 1.440)
nor is
seen by any
Fēlīx est dicta sorōrī (Ov. Fast. 3.1.597)
She was called happy by her sister.
Aelia Paetina Narcissō fovēbātur. (Tac. Ann. 12.1)
Ælia Pœtina was favored by Narcissus.
b. The dative of the person who sees or thinks is regularly used after videor (seem).
vidētur mihi
it seems (or seems good) to me
Dīs aliter vīsum [est]. (Aen. 2.428)
It seemed otherwise to the gods.
Videor mihi perspicere ipsīus animum (Fam. 4.13.5)
I seem (to myself) to see the soul of the man himself.
Note— The verb probāre (approve, originally a mercantile word), takes a Dative of Reference (§ 376), which has become so firmly attached that it is often retained with the passive, seemingly as Dative of Agent.
Haec sententia et illī et nōbīs probābātur (Fam. 1.7.5)
This view met both his approval and mine.
(was made acceptable both to him and to
me)
Hōc cōnsilium plērīsque nōn probābātur (B. C. 1.72)
This plan was not approved by the majority.
[But also, cōnsilium ā cūnctīs
probābātur (id. 1.74)]
376. The dative often depends, not on any particular word, but on the general meaning of the sentence (Dative of Reference). The dative in this construction is often called the Dative of Advantage or Disadvantage,1 as denoting the person or thing for whose benefit or to whose prejudice the action is performed.
Tibi arās. (Plaut. Merc. 71)
You plough
for yourself.
Tuās rēs tibi habētō. (Plaut. Trin. 266)
Keep your goods to yourself.
(formula of divorce)
Laudāvit mihi frātrem.
He praised my
brother (out of regard for me).
[laudāvit frātrem meum would imply no such motive].
Meritōs mactāvit honōrēs, taurum Neptūnō, taurum tibi,
pulcher Apollo (Aen. 3.118)
He offered the sacrifices due, a bull to Neptune, a bull to thee, beautiful Apollo.
Note— In this construction the meaning of the sentence is complete without the dative, which is not, as in the preceding constructions, closely connected with any single word. Thus the Dative of Reference is easily distinguishable in most instances even when the sentence consists of only two words, as in the first example.
377. The Dative of Reference is often used to qualify a whole idea, instead of the possessive genitive modifying a single word.
iter Poenīs vel corporibus suīs obstruere (Cat. M. 75)
to block the march of the Carthaginians even with their own bodies
(to block, etc., for the disadvantage of, etc.)
Sē in cōnspectum nautīs dedit. (Verr. 5.86)
He put himself in sight of the sailors.
(He put himself to the sailors into sight.)
Versātur mihi ante oculōs. (id. 5.123)
It
comes before my eyes.
(It comes to me before the eyes.)
378. The dative is used of the person from whose point of view an opinion is stated or a situation or a direction is defined. This is often called the Dative of the Person Judging,2 but is merely a weakened variety of the Dative of Reference. It is used:
Platō mihi ūnus īnstar est centum mīlium. (Brut. 191)
In my opinion (to me) Plato alone is worth a hundred thousand.
Erit ille mihi semper deus. (Ecl. 1.7)
He will always be a god to me (in my regard).
Quae est ista servitūs tam clārō hominī? (Par. 41)
What is that slavery according to the view of this distinguished man?
oppidum prīmum Thessaliae venientibus ab Ēpīrō (B. C. 3.80)
the first town of Thessaly as you come from Epirus.
(to those coming, etc.)
laevā parte sinum intrantī (Liv. 26.26)
on the left as you sail up the gulf
(to one entering)
Est urbe ēgressīs tumulus. (Aen. 2.713)
There is, as you come out of the city, a mound (to those having come out).
Note— The Dative of the Person Judging is (by a Greek idiom) rarely modified by nōlēns, volēns (participles of nōlō, volō), or by some similar word.
ut quibusque bellum invītīs aut cupientibus erat (Tac. Ann. 1.59)
as each might receive the
war reluctantly or gladly
ut mīlitibus labōs volentibus esset (Iug. 100)
that the soldiers might assume the task willingly
379. The Dative of Reference is used idiomatically without any verb in colloquial questions and exclamations.
Quō mihi fortūnam? (Hor. Ep. 1.5.12)
Of
what use to me is fortune?
Unde mihi lapidem. (Hor. S. 2.7.116)
Where can I get a stone?
Quō tibi, Tillī (id. 1.6.24)
What use for
you, Tillius?
a. The Dative of Reference is sometimes used after interjections.
Ei (hei) mihi! (Aen. 2.274)
Ah me!
Vae victī. (Liv. 5.48)
Woe to the
conquered.
Em tibi.
There, take that (there
for you)!
[Cf. § 380]
Note— To express FOR—meaning instead of, in defense of, in behalf of—the ablative with prō is used.
prō patriā morī (Hor. Od. 3.2.13)
to die for one's country
Ego ībō prō tē. (Plaut. Most. 1131)
I will go instead of you.
380. The dative of the personal pronouns is used to show a certain interest felt by the person indicated.1 This construction is called the Ethical Dative.2 It is really a faded variety of the Dative of Reference.
Quid mihi Celsus agit? (Hor. Ep. 1.3.15)
Pray, what is Celsus doing?
Suō sibi servit patrī. (Plaut. Capt. 5)
He serves his own father.
At tibi repente venit mihi Canīnius. (Fam. 9.2)
But, look you, of a sudden comes to me Caninius.
Hem tibi talentum argentī. (Pl. Truc. 60)
Hark ye, a talent of silver.
Quid tibi vīs?
What would you
have?
(What do you wish for yourself?)
381. Many verbs of taking away and the like take the dative (especially of a person) instead of the Ablative of Separation (§ 401).
Such are compounds of ab, dē, ex, and a few of ad.
Aureum eī dētrāxit amiculum. (N. D. 3.83)
He took from him his cloak of gold.
Hunc mihi terrōrem ēripe. (Cat. 1.18)
Take from me this terror.
Vītam adulēscentibus vīs aufert. (Cat. M. 71)
Violence deprives young men of life.
Nihil enim tibi dētrāxit senātus. (Fam. 1.5 B)
For, the senate has taken nothing from you.
Nec mihi hunc errōrem extorquērī volō. (Cat. M. 85)
Nor do I wish this error wrested from me.
Note— The Dative of Separation is a variety of the Dative of Reference. It represents the action as done to the person or thing, and is thus more vivid than the ablative.
a. The distinct idea of motion requires the ablative with a preposition—thus generally with names of things (§ 426.1).
Illum ex perīculō ēripuit (B. G. 4.12)
He
dragged him out of danger.
Note— Sometimes the dative of the person and the ablative of the thing with a preposition are both used with the same verb.
Mihi praeda dē manibus
ēripitur. (Verr. 2.1.142)
The booty is wrested from my hands.
382. The dative is used to denote the purpose or end, often with another dative of the person or thing affected.
This use of the dative, once apparently general, remains in only a few constructions, as follows.
Reī pūblicae clādī sunt. (Iug. 85.43)
They are ruin to the state.
(they are for a disaster to the state)
Māgnō ūsuī nostrīs fuit. (B. G. 4.25)
It was of great service to our men.
(to our men for great use)
Tertiam aciem nostrīs subsidiō mīsit (id. 1.52)
He sent the third line as a relief to our men.
Suīs salūtī fuit. (id. 7.50)
He was
the salvation of his men.
Ēvēnit facile quod dīs cordī esset. (Liv. 1.39)
That came to pass easily which was desired by the gods.
(was for a pleasure [lit. heart] to the gods)
Note 1— This construction is often called the Dative of Service, or the Double Dative construction. The verb is usually sum. The noun expressing the end for which is regularly abstract and singular in number and is never modified by an adjective, except one of degree (māgnus, minor, etc.), or by a genitive.
Note 2— The word frūgī used as an adjective is a dative of this kind.
Cōgis mē dīcere inimīcum Frūgī.(Font. 39)
You compel me to call my enemy Honest.
hominēs satis fortēs et plānē frūgī (Verr. 3.67)
men brave enough and thoroughly honest
[Cf. Erō frūgī bonae. (Plaut. Pseud.
468) I will be good for something. See § 122.b.]
Locum castrīs dēligit. (B. G. 7.16)
He selects a site for a camp.
receptuī canere
to sound a
retreat
(for a retreat)
receptuī sīgnum (Phil. 13.15)
the signal for retreat
Optāvit locum rēgnō. (Aen. 3.109)
He
chose a place for a kingdom.
locum īnsidiīs circumspectāre (Liv. 21.53)
to look about for a place for an ambush
[Cf. locum sēditiōnis quaerere (id.
3.46).]
For the Dative of the Gerundive denoting Purpose, see § 505.b.
383. The dative is used after adjectives or adverbs, to denote that to which the given quality is directed, for which it exists, or towards which it tends.
Note— The dative with certain adjectives is in origin a Dative of Purpose or End.
384. The dative is used with adjectives (and a few Adverbs) of fitness, nearness, likeness, service, inclination, and their opposites.1
Nihil est tam nātūrae aptum. (Lael. 17)
Nothing is so fitted to nature.
Nihil difficile amantī putō. (Or. 33)
I
think nothing hard to a lover.
Castrīs idōneum locum dēlēgit. (B. G. 1.49)
He selected a place suitable for a camp.
Tribūnī nōbīs sunt amīcī. (Q. Fr. 1.2.16)
The tribunes are friendly to us.
Esse propitius potest nēminī. (N. D. 1.124)
He can be gracious to nobody.
Māgnīs autem virīs prosperae semper omnēs rēs. (id. 2.167)
But to great men everything is always favorable.
sēdēs huic nostrō nōn importūna sermōnī (De Or. 3.18)
a place not unsuitable for this conversation of ours
cui fundō erat affīnis M. Tullius (Tull. 14)
to which estate Marcus Tullius was next neighbor
convenienter nātūrae vīvere (Off. 3.13)
to live in accordance with nature
(ὁμολογουμένως τῇ φύσει)
Note 1— So, also, in poetic and colloquial use, with īdem.
Invītum quī servat idem facit occīdentī.
He who saves a man against his will does the same as one who kills him.
Note 2— Adjectives of likeness are often followed by atque (ac as). So also the adverbs aequē, pariter, similiter, etc. The pronoun īdem has regularly atque or a relative.
sī parem sapientiam habet ac formam (Plaut. Mil.
1251)
if he has sense equal to his beauty
(like as his beauty)
Tē suspicor eīsdem rēbus quibus mē ipsum commovērī. (Cat. M. 1)
I suspect you are disturbed by the same things by which I am.
385. Other constructions are sometimes found where the dative might be expected.
a. Adjectives of fitness or use take oftener the accusative with ad to denote the purpose or end; but regularly the dative of persons.
aptus ad rem mīlitārem
fit for a
soldier's duty
locus ad īnsidiās aptior (Mil. 53)
a
place fitter for lying in wait
Nōbīs ūtile est ad hanc rem (cf. Ter. And.
287)
It is of use to us for this thing.
b. Adjectives and nouns of inclination and the like may take the accusative with in or ergā.
cōmis in uxōrem (Hor. Ep. 2.2.133)
kind
to his wife
dīvīna bonitās ergā hominēs (N. D. 2.60)
the divine goodness towards men
dē benevolentiā quam quisque habeat ergā nōs (Off. 1.47)
in regard to each man's good will which he has towards us
grātiōrem mē esse in tē (Fam. 11.10)
that
I am more grateful to you
c. Some adjectives of likeness, nearness, belonging, and a few others, ordinarily requiring the dative, often take the Possessive Genitive.2
quod ut illī proprium ac perpetuum sit . . . optāre dēbētis (Manil. 48)
which you ought to pray may be secure (his own) and lasting to him. [dat.]
Fuit hōc quondam proprium populī Rōmānī. (id. 32)
This was once the peculiar characteristic of the Roman people. [gen.]
cum utrīque sīs maximē necessārius (Att. 9.7 A)
since you are especially bound to both [dat.]
prōcūrātor aequē utrīusque necessārius (Quinct. 86)
an agent closely connected with both alike [gen.]
amīcus Cicerōnī
friendly to
Cicero
BUT
Cicerōnis amīcus
a friend of Cicero
AND EVEN
Cicerōnis amīcissimus
a very great friend of Cicero
crēticus et êius aequālis paean (Or. 215)
the cretic and its equivalent the pœan
Hī erant affīnēs istīus. (Verr. 2.36)
These were this man's fellows.
Dominī similis es. (Ter. Eun. 496)
You're like your master
(your master's like).
ut essēmus similēs deōrum (N. D. 1.91)
that we might be like the gods
Est similis mâiōrum suom. (Ter. Ad. 411)
He's like his ancestors.
patris similis esse (Off. 1.121)
to
be like his father
Sīmia quam similis turpissima bēstia nōbīs! (N. D. 1.97, quoted from Enn.)
How like us is that wretched beast the ape!
Sī enim hōc illī simile sit, est illud huic. (id. 1.90)
For if this is like that, that is like this.
Note— The genitive in this construction is not objective like those in § 349, but possessive (cf. § 343).
For the dative or accusative with propior, proximus, propius, proximē, see § 432.a.
2. Such are aequālis, affīnis, aliēnus, amīcus, cōgnātus, commūnis, cōnsanguineus, contrārius, dispār, familiāris, fīnitimus, inimīcus, necessārius, pār, pecūliāris, propinquus, proprius (regularly genitive), sacer, similis, superstes, vīcīnus.
386. The accusative originally served to connect the noun more or less loosely with the verb idea, whether expressed by a verb proper or by a verbal noun or adjective. Its earliest use was perhaps to repeat the verb idea as in the Cognate Accusative (run a race, fight a battle, see § 390). From this it would be a short step to the Factitive Accusative (denoting the result of an act, as in make a table, drill a hole, cf. § 273, Note 1). From this last could easily come the common accusative (of affecting, break a table, plug a hole, see § 387.a). Traces of all these uses appear in the language, and the loose connection of noun with verbidea is seen in the use of stems in composition (cf. § 265.3).1 It is impossible, however, to derive the various constructions of the accusative with certainty from any single function of that case.
The uses of the accusative may be classified as follows.
| I. Primary Object: | 1. Directly affected by the Action (§ 387.a) | |
| 2. Effect of the Action | Thing produced (§ 387.a) Cognate Accusative (§ 390) |
|
| II. Two Accusatives: | 1. Predicate Accusative (Of Naming etc.) (§ 393) | |
| 2. Of Asking or Teaching (§ 396) | ||
| 3. Of Concealing (§ 396.c) | ||
| III. Idiomatic Uses: | 1. Adverbial (§ 397.a). | |
| 2. Of Specification (Greek Accusative) (§ 397.b) | ||
| 3. Of Extent and Duration (§ 423, § 425) | ||
| 4. Of Exclamation (§ 397.d) | ||
| 5. Subject of Infinitive (§ 397.e) | ||
387. The direct object of a transitive verb is put in the accusative (§ 274).
a. The Accusative of the Direct Object denotes (1) that which is directly affected, or (2) that which is caused or produced by the action of the verb.
Note— There is no definite line by which transitive verbs can be distinguished from intransitive. Verbs which usually take a direct object (expressed or implied) are called transitive, but many of these are often used intransitively or absolutely. Thus timeō (I fear) is transitive in the sentence inimīcum timeō (I fear my enemy) but intransitive (absolute) in nōlī timēre (don't be afraid). Again, many verbs are transitive in one sense and intransitive in another.
Helvētiōs superāvērunt Rōmānī
The Romans overcame the
Helvetians.
BUT
Nihil superābat.
Nothing remained (was left over).
So also many verbs commonly intransitive may be used transitively with a slight change of meaning.
rīdēs
you are laughing
BUT
Mē rīdēs.
You're laughing at me.
b. The object of a transitive verb in the active voice becomes its subject in the passive, and is put in the nominative (§ 275).
Brūtus Caesarem interfēcit.
Brutus killed
Cæsar.
Caesar ā Brūtō interfectus est.
Cæsar was
killed by Brutus.
Domum aedificat.
He builds a
house.
Domus aedificātur.
The house is
building (being built).
388. Certain special verbs require notice.
a. Many verbs apparently intransitive, expressing feeling, take an accusative, and may be used in the passive.
Meum cāsum lūctumque doluērunt (Sest. 145)
They grieved at my calamity and sorrow.
sī nōn Acrisium rīsissent Iuppiter et Venus (Hor. Od. 3.16.5)
if Jupiter and Venus had not laughed at Acrisius.
Rīdētur ab omnī conventū (Hor. S. 1.7.22)
He is laughed at by the whole assembly.
For the Cognate Accusative with verbs of taste, smell, and the like, see § 390.a.
Note— Some verbs commonly intransitive may be used transitively (especially in poetry) from a similarity of meaning with other verbs that take the accusative.
gemēns īgnōminiam (Georg. 3.226)
groaning at the disgrace
[Cf. doleō]
festīnāre fugam (Aen. 4.575)
to hasten their flight
[Cf. accelerō]
Cōmptōs ārsit crīnīs. (Hor. Od. 4.9.13)
She burned with love for his well-combed locks.
[Cf. adamō]
b. Verbs of motion, compounds of circum, trāns, and praeter, and a few others, frequently become transitive, and take the accusative (cf. § 370.b).
mortem obīre
to die
(to meet
death)
Cōnsulātum ineunt. (Liv. 2.28)
They enter
upon the consulship.
Nēminem convēnī. (Fam. 9.14)
I met no
one.
sī īnsulam adīsset (B. G. 4.20)
if he
should go to the island
trānsīre flūmen (id. 2.23)
to cross the
river
(Cf. § 395.)
cīvēs quī circumstant senātum (Cat. 1.21)
the citizens who stand about the senate.
Note— Among such verbs are some compounds of ad, in, per, and sub.
c. The accusative is used after the impersonals decet, dēdecet, dēlectat, iuvat, oportet, fallit, fugit, praeterit.
ita ut vōs decet (Plaut. Most. 729)
so as
befits you
Mē pedibus dēlectat claudere verba. (Hor. S. 2.1.28)
My delight is (it pleases me) to arrange words in measure.
Nisi mē fallit.
Unless I am
mistaken.
(unless it deceives me)
Iūvit mē tibi tuās litterās prōfuisse (Fam. 5.21.3)
It pleased me that your literary studies had profited you.
Tē nōn praeterit. (Fam. 1.8.2)
It does
not escape your notice.
Note 1— So after latet in poetry and post-classical prose.
Latet plērōsque. (Plin. N. H. 2.82)
It is unknown to most
persons.
Note 2— These verbs are merely ordinary transitives with an idiomatic signification. Hence most of them are also used personally.
Note 3— Decet and latet sometimes take the Dative.
Ita nōbīs decet (Ter. Ad. 928)
Thus it befits us.
Hostīque Rōma latet. (Sil. It. 12.614)
And Rome lies hidden from the foe.
d. A few verbs in isolated expressions take the accusative from a forcing of their meaning. Such expressions are.
ferīre foedus
to strike a
treaty
(i.e. to sanction by striking down a victim)
vincere iūdicium (spōnsiōnem, rem, hōc)
to prevail on a trial, etc.
[As if the case were a difficulty to overcome; cf. vincere iter (Aen. 6.688).]
aequor nāvigāre (Aen. 1.67)
to sail the
sea
[As if it were trānsīre, § 388.b, above]
Maria aspera iūrō. (id. 6.351)
I swear by
the rough seas.
[Cf. (id. 6.324). The accusative with verbs of swearing is chiefly poetic.]
noctīs dormīre
to sleep [whole]
nights
(to spend in sleep)
Note 1— These accusatives are of various kinds. The last example approaches the cognate construction (cf. the second example under § 390).
Note 2— In early and popular usage some nouns and adjectives derived from transitive verbs retain verbal force sufficient to govern the accusative.
Quid tibi istanc tāctiō est? (Plaut. Poen. 1308)
What business have you to touch her?
[Cf. tangō.]
mīrābundī bēstiam (Ap. Met. 4.16)
full of wonder at the creature
[Cf. mīror]
vītābundus castra (Liv. 25.13)
trying to avoid the camp
[Cf. vītō]
389. Many verbs ordinarily transitive may be used absolutely, having their natural object in the ablative with dē (§ 273, Note 2)
priusquam Pompōnius dē êius adventū
cōgnōsceret (B. C. 3.101)
before Pomponius could learn of his coming
[Cf. êius adventū
cōgnitō his arrival being discovered]
For accusative and genitive after impersonals, see § 354.b. For the accusative after the impersonal gerundive with esse, see § 500.3.
390. An intransitive verb often takes the accusative of a noun of kindred meaning, usually modified by an adjective or in some other manner. This construction is called the Cognate Accusative or Accusative of Kindred Signification.
tūtiōrem vītam vīvere (Verr. 2.118)
to
live a safer life
Tertiam iam aetātem hominum vīvēbat. (Cat. M. 31)
He was now living the third generation of men.
servitūtem servīre
to be in
slavery
coīre societātem
to [go together
and] form an alliance
a. Verbs of taste, smell, and the like take a Cognate Accusative of the quality.
vīnum redolēns (Phil. 2.63)
smelling [of] wine
Herbam mella sapiunt. (Plin. H. N. 11.18)
The honey tastes [of] grass.
olēre malitiam (Rosc. Com. 20)
to have
the odor of malice
Cordubae nātīs poētīs, pingue quiddam sonantibus atque peregrīnum (Arch. 26)
to poets born at Cordova, whose speech had a somewhat thick and foreign accent.
b. The Cognate Accusative is often loosely used by the poets.
huic errōrī similem [errōrem] īnsānīre (Hor. S. 2.3.62)
to suffer a delusion like
this
saltāre Cyclōpa (id. 1.5.63)
to dance the
Cyclops
(represent in dancing)
Bacchānālia vīvere (Iuv. 2.3)
to live in
revellings
Amaryllida resonāre (Ecl. 1.5)
to
re-echo [the name of] Amaryllis
Intonuit laevum. (Aen. 2.693)
It
thundered on the left.
dulce rīdentem, dulce loquentem (Hor. Od. 1.22.23)
sweetly smiling, sweetly prattling.
acerba tuēns (Aen. 9.794)
looking
fiercely.
[cf. Eng. “to look daggers.”]
Torvum clāmat. (id. 7.399)
He cries
harshly.
c. A neuter pronoun or an adjective of indefinite meaning is very common as Cognate Accusative (cf. § 214.d, § 397.a).
Empedoclēs multa alia peccat. (N. D. 1.29)
Empedocles commits many other errors.
Ego illud adsentior Theophrastō. (De Or. 3.184)
In this I agree with Theophrastus.
Multum tē ista fefellit opīniō (Verr. 2.1.88)
You were much deceived in this expectation.
(This expectation deceived you much.)
Plūs valeō.
I have more strength.
Plūrimum potest
He is strongest.
Quid mē ista laedunt? (Leg. Agr. 2.32)
What harm do those things do me?
Hōc tē moneō.
I give you this
warning.
(cf. d, Note 1, below)
Id laetor.
I rejoice at
this.
(cf. d, Note 1, below)
Quid moror?
Why do I delay?
quae hominēs arant, nāvigant, aedificant (Sall. Cat. 2.7)
what men do in ploughing, sailing, and building
d. So in many common phrases:
sī quid ille sē velit (B. G. 1.34)
if he
should want anything of him
(if he should want him in anything)
Numquid, Geta, aliud mē vīs? (Ter. Ph. 151)
Can I do anything more for you, Geta?
(There is nothing you want of me, is there?)
[A common form of leave-taking]
Quid est quod, etc.?
why is it that, etc.?
[cf. Hōc erat quod, etc.? (Aen. 2.664) Was it for this that, etc.?]
Note 1— In these cases substantives with a definite meaning would be in some other construction.
In hōc eōdem peccat
He errs in this same point.
bonīs rēbus laetārī
to rejoice at
prosperity
[Also: in, dē, or ex.]
dē testāmentō monēre
to remind one of the will
[Later: Genitive, § 351]
officī admonēre
to remind one of his duty
[Also: dē officiō]
Note 2— In some of these cases the connection of the Accusative with the verb has so faded out that the words have become real adverbs.
multum, plūs, plūrimum
plērumque for the most part, generally
cēterum, cētera for the rest, otherwise, but
prīmum first
nihil by no means,
not at all
aliquid somewhat
quid why
facile easily
So in the comparative of adverbs (§ 218). But the line cannot be sharply drawn, and some of the examples under b. may be classed as adverbial.
391. Some transitive verbs take a second accusative in addition to their Direct Object. This second accusative is either (1) a predicate accusative or (2) a secondary object.
Predicate Accusative
392. An accusative in the predicate referring to the same person or thing as the direct object, but not in apposition with it, is called a predicate accusative.
393. Verbs of naming, choosing, appointing, making, esteeming, showing, and the like, may take a predicate accusative along with the direct object.
ō Spartace, quem enim tē potius appellem? (Phil. 13.22)
O Spartacus, for what else shall I call you (than Spartacus)?
Cicerōnem cōnsulem creāre
to elect Cicero
consul
Mē augurem nōmināvērunt. (Phil. 2.4)
They
nominated me for augur.
cum grātiās ageret quod sē cōnsulem fēcisset (De Or. 2.268)
when he thanked him because he had made him consul
(supported his candidacy)
Hominem prae sē nēminem putāvit. (Rosc. Am. 135)
He thought nobody a man in comparison with himself.
Ducem sē praebuit. (Vat. 33)
He offered
himself as a leader.
Note— The predicate accusative may be an adjective.
hominēs mītīs reddidit et mānsuētōs (Inv. 1.2)
has made men mild and gentle
a. In changing from the active voice to the passive, the predicate accusative becomes predicate nominative (§ 284).
Rēx ab suīs appellātur (B. G. 8.4)
He is called king by his subjects.
[Active:
suī eum rēgem appellant.]
Secondary Object
394. The Accusative of the Secondary Object is used (along with the direct object) to denote something more remotely affected by the action of the verb.
395. Transitive verbs compounded with prepositions sometimes take (in addition to the direct object) a secondary object, originally governed by the preposition.
Caesar Germānōs flūmen trāicit. (B. C. 1.83)
Cæsar throws the Germans across the river.
Idem iūs iūrandum adigit Afrānium. (id. 1.76)
He exacts the same oath from Afranius.
quōs Pompêius omnia sua praesidia circumdūxit (id. 3.61)
whom Pompey conducted through all his garrison
Note 1— This construction is common only with trādūcō, trāiciō, and trānsportō. The preposition is sometimes repeated with compounds of trāns, and usually with compounds of the other prepositions. The ablative is also used.
dōnec rēs suās trāns Halyn flūmen trāicerent (Liv.
38.25)
till they should get their possessions across the river Halys
(Exercitus) Padō trāiectus Cremōnam (id. 21.56)
The army was conveyed across the Po to Cremona
(by way of the Po, § 429.a).
Note 2— The secondary object may be retained with a passive verb.
Belgae Rhēnum trāductī sunt. (B. G. 2.4)
The Belgians were led over the Rhine.
Note 3— The double construction indicated in § 395 is possible only when the force of the preposition and the force of the verb are each distinctly felt in the compound, the verb governing the direct, and the preposition the secondary object.
But often the two parts of the compound become closely united to form a transitive verb of simple meaning. In this case the compound verb is transitive solely by virtue of its prepositional part and can have but one accusative,—the same which was formerly the secondary object, but which now becomes the direct. So trāiciō comes to mean either (1) to pierce (anybody) [by hurling] or (2) to cross (a river etc.).
Gladiō hominem trāiēcit.
He pierced the man with a
sword.
[Here iaciō has lost all transitive force, and serves simply to give the force of a verb to the meaning of trāns, and to tell the manner of the act.]
Rhodanum trāiēcit.
He crossed the Rhone.
[Here iaciō has become simply a verb of motion, and trāiciō is hardly distinguishable from trānseō.]
In these examples hominem and Rhodanum, which would be secondary objects if trāiēcit were used in its primary signification, have become the direct objects. Hence in the passive construction they become the subjects and are put in the nominative.
Homō trāiectus est gladiō
The man was pierced with a
sword.
Rhodanus trāiectus est.
The Rhone was
crossed.
The poetical trāiectus lōra [(Aen. 2.273) pierced with thongs] comes from a mixture of two constructions: (1) eum trāiēcit lōra (he drove thongs through him1) and (2) eum trāiēcit lōrīs (He pierced him with thongs.) In putting the sentence into a passive form, the direct object of the former (lōra) is irregularly kept, and the direct object of the latter (eum) is made the subject.
396. Some verbs of asking and teaching may take two accusatives, one of the person (direct object), and the other of the thing (secondary object).
Mē sententiam rogāvit.
She asked me my
opinion.
Otium dīvōs rogat. (Hor. Od. 2.16.1)
He
prays the gods for rest.
Haec praetōrem postulābās. (Tull. 39)
You
demanded this of the prœtor.
aedīlīs populum rogāre (Liv. 6.42)
to ask
the people [to elect] œdiles
docēre puerōs elementa
to teach children
their A B C's.
Note— This construction is found in classical authors with ōrō, poscō, reposcō,rogō, interrogō, flāgitō, doceō.
a. Some verbs of asking take the ablative of the person with a preposition instead of the accusative. So, always, petō (ab), quaerō (ex, ab, dē); usually poscō (ab), flāgitō (ab), postulō (ab), and occasionally others.
Pācem ab Rōmānīs petiērunt (B. G. 2.13)
They sought peace from the Romans.
quod quaesīvit ex mē P. Apulêius (Phil. 6.1)
what Publius Apuleius asked of me
b. With the passive of some verbs of asking or teaching, the person or the thing may be used as subject (cf. c, Note 2, below).
Caesar sententiam rogātus est.
Cæsar was
asked his opinion.
Id ab eō flāgitābātur. (B. C. 1.71)
This was urgently demanded of him.
Note— The accusative of the thing may be retained with the passive of rogō, and of verbs of teaching, and occasionally with a few other verbs.
Fuerant hōc rogātī. (Cael. 64)
They had been asked this.
Poscor meum Laelapa. (Ov. M. 7.771)
I am asked for my Lælaps.
Cicerō cūncta ēdoctus (Sall. Cat. 45)
Cicero, being informed of everything.
But with most verbs of asking in prose the accusative of the thing becomes the subject nominative, and the accusative of the person is put in the ablative with a preposition.
Nē postulantur quidem vīrēs ā senectüte. (Cat. M.
34)
Strength is not even expected of an old man (asked from old age).
c. The verb cēlō (conceal) may take two accusatives, and the usually intransitive lateō (lie hid) an accusative of the person.
Nōn tē cēlāvī sermōnem T. Ampī. (Fam.
2.16.3)
I did not conceal from you the talk of Titus Ampius.
Nec latuēre dolī frātrem Iūnōnis. (Aen. 1.130)
Nor did the wiles of Juno escape the notice of her brother.
Note 1— The accusative of the person with lateō is late or poetical (§ 388.c, Note 1).
Note 2— All the double constructions indicated in § 396 arise from the wavering meaning of the verbs. Thus doceō means both to show a thing, and to instruct a person; cēlō, to keep [a person] in the dark, and to hide a thing; rogō, to question a person, and to ask a question or a thing. Thus either accusative may be regarded as the direct object, and so become the subject of the passive (cf. b. above), but for convenience the accusative of the thing is usually called secondary.
397. The accusative has the following special uses.
a. The accusative is found in a few adverbial phrases (Adverbial Accusative).
id temporis
at that time
id (istuc) aetātis
at that age
id (quod) genus
of that (what) sort
(perhaps originally nom.)
meam vicem
on my part
bonam partem
in a great measure
maximam partem
for the most part
virīle (muliebre) secus
of the male (female）sex
(probably originally in apposition)
quod sī
but if
(as to which, if)
quod nisi
if not
b. The so-called synecdochical or Greek Accusative, found in poetry and later Latin, is used to denote the part affected.
Caput nectentur. (Aen. 5.309)
Their heads
shall be bound.
(they shall be bound about the head)
ārdentīs oculōs suffectī sanguine et īgnī (id. 2.210)
their glaring eyes bloodshot and blazing with fire
(suffused as to their eyes with blood and fire)
nūda genū (id. 1.320)
with her knee
bare (bare as to the knee).
femur trāgulā ictus (Liv. 21.7.10)
wounded in the thigh by a dart
Note— This construction is also called the Accusative of Specification.
c. In many apparently similar expressions the accusative may be regarded as the direct object of a verb in the middle voice (§ 156.a).
Inūtile ferrum cingitur. (Aen. 2.510)
He
girds on the useless steel.
nodō sinūs collēcta fluentīs (id. 1.320)
having her flowing folds gathered in a knot
Umerōs īnsternor pelle leōnis. (id. 2.722)
I cover my shoulders with a lion's skin.
Prōtinus induitur faciem cultumque Diānae. (Ov. M. 2.425)
Forthwith she assumes the shape and garb of Diana.
d. The accusative is used in exclamations.
Ō fortūnātam rem pūblicam!
O fortunate republic!
[cf. Ō fortūnāta morte (Phil. 14.31) O, happy death! (§
339.a)]
Ō mē īnfēlīcem! (Mil. 102)
Oh, unhappy I!
Mē miserum!
Ah, wretched me!
Ēn quattuor ārās! (Ecl. 5.65)
Lo, four altars!
Ellum! (= em illum)
There he is! [Cf. § 146.a, Note 2]
Eccōs! (= ecce eōs)
There they are, look at them!
Prō deum fidem!
Good heavens!
(O protection of the gods!)
Hōcine saeclum! (Ter. Ad. 304)
O this generation!
Huncine hominem! (Verr. 5.62)
This man, good heavens!
Note 1— Such expressions usually depend upon some long-forgotten verb. The substantive is commonly accompanied by an adjective. The use of -ne in some cases suggests an original question, as in quid? (What? Why? Tell me.)
Note 2— The omission of the verb has given rise to some other idiomatic Accusatives.
salūtem (sc. dīcit)
greetings
[in addressing a letter]
mē dīus fidius (sc. adiuvet)
so help me heaven
(the god of faith)
Unde mihī lapidem? (Hor. S. 2.7.116)
Where can I get a stone?
Quō mihi fortūnam? (Hor. Ep. 1.5.12)
Of what use to me is fortune?
[No verb thought of.]
e. The subject of an infinitive is in the Accusative.
Intellegō tē sapere. (Fam. 7.32.3)
I
perceive that you are wise.
Eās rēs iactārī nōlēbat. (B. G. 1.18)
He
was unwilling that these matters should be discussed.
Note— This construction is especially common with verbs of knowing, thinking, telling, and perceiving (§ 580).
f. The Accusative in later writers is sometimes used in apposition with a clause.
Dēserunt tribūnal ... manūs intentantēs, causam discordiae et initium armōrum. (Tac. Ann. 1.27)
They abandon the tribunal shaking their fists—a cause of dissension and the beginning of
war.
Note— This construction is an extension (under Greek influence) of a usage more nearly within the ordinary rules, such as:
Eumenem prōdidēre Antiochō, pācis mercēdem. (Sall. Ep. Mith. 8)
They betrayed Eumenes to Antiochus, the price of peace.
[Here Eumenes may be regarded as the price, although the real price is the betrayal.]
For the Accusative of the End of Motion, see § 427.2; for the Accusative of Duration of Time and Extent of Space, see § 423, § 425; for the Accusative with Prepositions, see § 220.
398. Under the name ablative are included the meanings and, in part, the forms of three cases—the ablative proper, expressing the relation FROM; the locative, IN; and the instrumental, WITH or BY. These three cases were originally not wholly distinct in meaning, and their confusion was rendered more certain (1) by the development of meanings that approached each other and (2) by phonetic decay, by means of which these cases have become largely identical in form. Compare, for the first, the phrases ā parte dexterā (ON the right); quam ob causam (FROM which cause); ad fāmam [AT (in consequence of) the report]; and, for the second, the like forms of the dative and ablative plural, the old dative in -ē of the 5th declension (§ 96), and the loss of the original -d of the ablative (§ 49.e; cf. § 43, Note 1; § 92.f; § 214.a, Note).
The relation of FROM includes separation, source, cause, agent, and comparison; that of WITH or BY— accompaniment, instrument, means, manner, quality, and price; that of IN or AT— place, time, circumstance . This classification according to the original cases (to which, however, too great a degree of certainty should not be attached)1 is set forth in the following table.
| I. Ablative Proper (from) (Separative): |
1. Of Separation, Privation, and Want (§ 400) |
| 2. Of Source (participles of origin etc.) (§ 403) | |
| 3. Of Cause (labōrō, exsiliō, etc.) (§ 404) | |
| 4. Of Agent (with ab after Passives) (§ 405) | |
| 5. Of Comparison (THAN) (§ 406) |
| II. Instrumental Ablative (with): |
1. Of Manner, Means, and Instrument (§ 408 ff.) |
| 2. Of Object of the Deponents ūtor etc. (§ 410) | |
| 3. Of Accompaniment (with cum) (§ 413) | |
| 4. Of Degree of Difference (§ 414) | |
| 5. Of Quality (with Adjectives) (§ 415) | |
| 6. Of Price and Exchange (§ 416) | |
| 7. Of Specification (§ 418) | |
| 8. Ablative Absolute (§ 419) |
| III. Locative Ablative (in, on, at): |
1. Of Place where (commonly with in) (§ 421) |
| 2. Of Time and Circumstance (§ 423) |
399. The ablative is used to denote the relations expressed in English by the prepositions from; in, at; with, and by.
līberāre metū
to deliver from fear
excultus doctrīnā
trained in
learning
hōc ipsō tempore
at this very time
caecus avāritiā
blind with avarice
occīsus gladiō
slain by the sword
400. Words signifying separation or privation are followed by the ablative.
401. Verbs meaning to remove, set free, be absent, deprive, and want, take the ablative (sometimes with ab or ex).
Oculīs sē prīvāvit. (Fin. 5.87)
He
deprived himself of eyes.
Omnī Galliā Rōmānīs interdīcit. (B. G. 1.46)
He (Ariovistus) bars the Romans from the whole of Gaul.
Eī aquā et īgnī interdīcitur. (Vell.
2.45)
He is debarred the use of fire and water.
[The regular formula of banishment.]
voluptātibus carēre (Cat. M. 7)
to lack
enjoyments
Nōn egeō medicīnā. (Lael. 10)
I want no
physic.
Levāmur superstitiōne, līberāmur mortis metū. (Fin. 1.63)
We are relieved from superstition, we are freed from fear of death.
solūtī ā cupiditātibus (Leg. Agr. 1.27)
freed from desires.
multōs ex hīs incommodīs pecūniā sē līberāsse (Verr. 5.23)
that many have freed themselves by money from these inconveniences
For the genitive with verbs of separation and want, see § 356, Note
402. Verbs compounded with ā, ab, dē, ex, (1) take the simple ablative when used figuratively; but (2) when used literally to denote actual separation or motion, they usually require a preposition (§ 426.1).
dēsine commūnibus locīs (Acad. 2.80)
quit commonplaces.
abīre magistrātū
to leave one's office
abstinēre iniūriā
to refrain from wrong
dē prōvinciā dēcēdere (Verr. 2.48)
to withdraw from one's
province
ab iūre abīre (id. 2.114)
to go outside of the law
Ex cīvitāte excessēre (B. G. 6.8)
They departed from the
state.
[But cf. Fīnibus suīs excesserant (id. 4.18)
They had left their own territory.]
ā māgnō dēmissum nōmen Iūlō (Aen. 1.288)
a name descended (sent down) from great Iulus
For the dative used instead of the Ablative of Separation, see § 381. For the ablative of the actual place whence in idiomatic expressions, see § 427.1, § 428.f.
a. Adjectives denoting freedom and want are followed by the ablative.
urbs nūda praesidiō (Att. 7.13)
the city
naked of defence
immūnis mīlitiā (Liv. 1.43)
free of
military service
plēbs orba tribūnīs (Leg. 3.9)
the people
deprived of tribunes
Note— A preposition sometimes occurs.
ā culpā vacuus (Sall. Cat. 14)
free from blame
līberī ā dēliciīs (Leg. Agr. 1.27)
free from luxuries
Messāna ab hīs rēbus vacua atque nūda est. (Verr.
4.3)
Messana is empty and bare of these things.
For the genitive with adjectives of want, see § 349.a.
403. The ablative (usually with a preposition) is used to denote the source from which anything is derived, or the Material of which it consists.
Rhēnus oritur ex Lepontiīs. (B. G. 4.10)
The Rhine rises in (from) the country of the Lepontii.
Ab hīs sermō oritur. (Lael. 5)
The
conversation is begun by (arises from) them.
Cûius ratiōnis vim atque ūtilitātem ex illō caelestī Epicūrī volūmine accēpimus (N. D.
1.43)
We have learned the power and advantage of this reasoning from that divine book of Epicurus.
suāvitātem odōrum quī afflārentur ē flōribus (Cat. M. 59)
the sweetness of the odors which breathed from the flowers
Erat tōtus ex fraude et mendāciō
factus. (Clu. 72)
He was entirely made up of fraud and falsehood.
valvās māgnificentiōrēs, ex aurō atque ebore
perfectiōrēs (Verr. 4.124)
more splendid doors, more finely wrought of gold and ivory
factum dē cautibus antrum (Ov. M. 1.575)
a cave formed of rocks
Templum dē marmore pōnam. (Georg. 3.13)
I'll build a temple of marble.
Note 1— In poetry the preposition is often omitted.
Note 2— The Ablative of Material is a development of the Ablative of Source. For the Genitive of Material, see § 344.
a. Participles denoting birth or origin are followed by the Ablative of Source, generally without a preposition.1
Iove nātus et Mâiā (N. D. 3.56)
son of Jupiter and Maia
ēdite rēgibus (Hor. Od. 1.1.1)
descendant
of kings
quō sanguine crētus (Aen. 2.74)
born of
what blood
genitae Pandīone (Ov. M. 6.666)
daughters
of Pandion
Note 1— A preposition (ab, dē, ex) is usually expressed with pronouns, with the name of the mother, and often with that of other ancestors.
Ex mē hīc nātus nōn est sed ex
frātre meō (Ter. Ad. 40)
This is not my son, but my brother's
(not born from me, etc.)
cum ex utrāque [uxōre] fīlius nātus esset (De Or.
1.183)
each wife having had a son
(when a son had been born of each wife)
Bēlus et omnēs ā Bēlō (Aen. 1.730)
Belus and all his descendants.
Note 2— Rarely, the place of birth is expressed by the Ablative of Source.
Dēsīderāvit C. Flegīnātem Placentiā, A. Grānium Puteolīs. (B. C. 3.71)
He lost Caius Fleginas of Placentia, Aulus Granius of Puteoli.
Note 3— The Roman tribe is regularly expressed by the Ablative alone.
Q. Verrem Rōmiliā (Verr. 1.23)
Quintus Verres of the Romilian tribe
b. Some verbs may take the Ablative of Material without a preposition. Such are cōnstāre, cōnsistere, and continērī.2 But with cōnstāre, ex is more common.
Domūs amoenitās nōn aedificiō sed silvā
cōnstābat. (Nep. Att. 13)
The charm of the house consisted not in the buildings but in the woods.
Ex animō cōnstāmus et corpore (Fin.
4.19)
We consist of soul and body.
Vīta corpore et spīritū continētur. (Marc.
28)
Life consists of body and spirit.
c. The Ablative of Material without a preposition is used with facere, fierī, and similar words, in the sense of do with, become of.
Quid hōc homine faciātis? (Verr. 2.1.42)
What are you going to do with this man?
Quid Tulliolā meā fīet? (Fam. 14.4.3)
What will become of my dear Tullia?
Quid tē futūrum est? (Verr. 2.155)
What
will become of you?
d. The Ablative of Material with ex, and in poetry without a preposition, sometimes depends directly on a noun.
nōn pauca pōcula ex aurō (Verr. 4.62)
not
a few cups of gold.
scopulīs pendentibus antrum(Aen. 1.166)
a
cave of hanging rocks.
For Ablative of Source instead of Partitive Genitive, see § 346.c.
2.The ablative with cōnsistere and continērī is probably locative in origin (cf. § 431).
404. The ablative (with or without a preposition) is used to express cause.1
Neglegentiā plectimur. (Lael. 85)
We are
chastised for negligence.
Gubernātōris ars ūtilitāte nōn arte
laudātur. (Fin. 1.42)
The pilot's skill is praised for its service, not its skill.
certīs dē causīs
for cogent
reasons
ex vulnere aeger (Rep. 2.38)
disabled
by (from) a wound
Mare ā sōle lucet. (Acad. 2.105)
The sea
gleams in the sun (from the sun).
a. The Ablative of Cause without a preposition is used with labōrō (also with ex), exsiliō, exsultō, triumphō, lacrimō, and ārdeō.
Doleō tē aliīs malīs labōrāre. (Fam. 4.3)
I am sorry that you suffer with other ills.
cf. ex aere aliēnō labōrāre (B. C. 3.22)
to labor under debt (from another's money)
Exsultāre laetitiā, triumphāre gaudiō
coepit. (Clu. 14)
She began to exult in gladness, and triumph in joy.
Exsiluī gaudiō. (Fam. 16.16)
I jumped for joy.
cf. Lacrimō gaudio. (Ter. Ad. 409)
I weep
for joy.
ārdēre dolōre et īrā (Att. 2.19.5)
to be on fire with pain and anger
For gaudeō and glōrior, see § 431.
b. The motive which influences the mind of the person acting is expressed by the Ablative of Cause; the object exciting the emotion often by ob2 or propter with the Accusative.
nōn ob praedam aut spoliandī cupīdine (Tac.
H. 1.63)
not for booty or through lust of plunder
Amīcitia ex sē et propter sē expetenda.
(Fin. 2.83)
Friendship must be sought of and for itself.
Note— But these constructions are often confused.
pārēre lēgibus propter metum (Par. 34)
to obey the laws on account of fear
Here metum is almost equivalent to “the terrors of the law,” and hence propter is used, though the ablative would be more natural.
c. The ablatives causā and grātiā (for the sake of) are used with a Genitive preceding, or with a pronoun in agreement.
eā causā on account of this
Quā grātiā? (Ter. Eun. 99)
for what purpose?
meā causā for my sake
meā grātiā (Plaut.)
for my sake
ex meā et reī pūblicae causā for my own sake and the republic's
praedictiōnis causā (N. D. 3.5)
by way of prophecy
exemplī grātiā (verbī grātiā)
for example
suī pūrgāndī grātiā
for the sake of clearing themselves
Note— But grātiā with possessives in this use is rare.
2. Originally a mercantile use: cf. ob decem minās for the price of ten minæ.
405. The voluntary agent after a passive verb is expressed by the ablative with ā or ab.
Laudātur ab hīs, culpātur ab illīs (Hor. S.
1.2.11)
He is praised by these, blamed by those.
Ab animō tuō quidquid agitur id agitur ā
tē. (Tusc. 1.52)
Whatever is done by your soul is done by yourself.
Ā fīliīs in iūdicium vocātus est. (Cat. M. 22)
He was brought to trial by his sons.
cum ā cūnctō cōnsessū plausus esset multiplex
datus (id. 64)
when great applause had been given by the whole audience
nē virtūs ab audāciā vincerētur (Sest. 92)
that valor might not be overborne by audacity
(Audācia is, in a manner, personified here.)
Note 1— This construction is developed from the Ablative of Source. The agent is conceived as the source or author of the action.
Note 2— The Ablative of the Agent (which requires ā or ab) must be carefully distinguished from the Ablative of Instrument, which has no preposition (§ 409).
occīsus gladiō
slain by a sword
BUT
occīsus ab
hoste
slain by an enemy
Note 3— The Ablative of the Agent is commonest with nouns denoting persons, but it occurs also with names of things or qualities when these are conceived as performing an action and so are partly or wholly personified, as in the last example under the rule.
a. The Ablative of the Agent with ab is sometimes used after intransitive verbs that have a passive sense.
perīre ab hoste
to be slain by an
enemy
b. The personal agent, when considered as instrument or means, is often expressed by per with the accusative, or by operā with a genitive or possessive.
Ab explōrātōribus certior factus est. (B. G. 1.21)
He was informed by scouts (in person).
BUT
Per explōrātōrēs Caesar certior
factus est (id. 1.12)
Cæsar was informed by (means of) scouts.
ēlautae operā Neptūnī (Plaut. Rud. 699)
washed clean by the services of Neptune
Nōn meā operā ēvēnit. (Ter. Hec. 228)
It
hasn't happened through me (by my exertions).
cf. êius operā (B. G. 5.27)
Note 1— The Ablative of Means or Instrument is often used instead of the Ablative of Agent, especially in military phrases.
Haec excubitōribus tenēbantur. (B. G. 7.69)
These (redoubts) were held by means of sentinels.
Note 2— An animal is sometimes regarded as the means or instrument, sometimes as the agent. Hence both the simple ablative and the ablative with ab occur.
equō vehī [Notab equō]
to ride on horseback
(be conveyed by means of a horse)
clipeōs ā mūribus esse dērōsōs (Div. 1.99)
that the shields were gnawed by mice
For the Dative of the Agent with the gerundive, see § 374.
406. The comparative degree is often followed by the ablative1 signifying than.
Catō est Cicerōne ēloquentior.
Cato is
more eloquent than Cicero.
Quid nōbīs duōbus labōriōsius est? (Mil. 5)
What more burdened with toil than we two?
Vīlius argentum est aurō, virtūtibus aurum.
(Hor. Ep. 1.1.52)
Silver is less precious than gold, gold than virtue.
a. The idiomatic ablatives opīniōne, spē, solitō, dictō, aequō, crēdibilī, and iūstō are used after comparatives instead of a clause.
celerius opīniōne (Fam. 14.23)
faster
than one would think
sērius spē omnium (Liv. 26.26)
later than
all hoped
(than the hope of all)
amnis solitō citātior (id. 23.19.11)
a
stream swifter than its wont
gravius aequō (Sall. Cat. 51)
more
seriously than was right
407. The comparative may be followed by quam (than). When quam is used, the two things compared are put in the same case.
Nōn callidior es quam hīc. (Rosc. Am. 49)
You are not more cunning than he.
cōntiōnibus accommodātior est quam iūdiciīs
(Clu. 2)
fitter for popular assemblies than for courts
misericordiā dīgnior quam contumēliā
(Pison. 32)
more worthy of pity than of disgrace
a. The construction with quam is required when the first of the things compared is not in the nominative or accusative.
Note 1— There are several limitations on the use of the Ablative of Comparison even when the first of the things compared is in the nominative or accusative. Thus the quam construction is regularly used (1) when the comparative is in agreement with a genitive, dative, or ablative.
Senex est eō meliōre condiciōne quam adulēscēns. (Cat. M.
68)
An old man is in this respect in a better position than a young man.
And (2) when the second member of the comparison is modified by a clause.
Minor fuit aliquantō is quī prīmus fābulam dedit quam eī
quī, etc. (Brut. 73)
He who first presented a play was somewhat younger than those who, etc.
Note 2— The poets sometimes use the Ablative of Comparison where the prose construction requires quam.
Pāne egeō iam mellītīs potiōre placentīs (Hor. Ep. 1.10.11)
I now want bread better than honey-cakes.
Note 3— Relative pronouns having a definite antecedent never take quam in this construction, but always the ablative
Rēx erat Aenēās nōbīs, quō iūstior alter nec, etc. (Aen.
1.544)
Æneas was our king, than whom no other [was] more righteous, etc.
b. In sentences expressing or implying a general negative the ablative (rather than quam) is the regular construction when the first member of the comparison is in the nominative or accusative.
Nihil dētestābilius dēdecore, nihil foedius servitūte. (Phil. 3.36)
Nothing is more dreadful than disgrace, nothing viler than slavery.
nēminem esse cāriōrem tē (Att. 10. 8A. 1)
that no one is dearer than you
c. After the comparatives plūs, minus, amplius, longius, without quam, a word of measure or number is often used with no change in its case.
Plūs septingentī captī. (Liv. 41.12)
More
than seven hundred were taken. [Nominative]
plūs tertiā parte interfectā (B. G. 3.6)
more than a third part being slain [Ablative Absolute]
Aditus in lātitūdinem nōn amplius ducentōrum pedum relinquēbātur. (id. 2.29)
An approach of not more than two hundred feet in width was left. [Genitive of Measure: § 345.b]
Note— The noun takes the case required by the context, without reference to the comparative, which is in a sort of apposition: “seven hundred were taken [and] more.”
d. Alius is sometimes followed by the ablative in poetic and colloquial use; in formal prose it is followed by ac (atque), et, more rarely by nisi, quam.
nec quicquam aliud lībertāte commūnī (Fam. 11.2)
nothing else than the common liberty
alius Lȳsippō (Hor. Ep. 2.1.240)
another than Lysippus
Num aliud vidētur esse ac meōrum bonōrum
dīreptiō? (Dom. 51)
Does it seem anything different from the plundering of my property?
Erat historia nihil aliud nisi annālium cōnfectiō. (De Or. 2.52)
History was nothing else but a compiling of records.
e. The comparative of an adverb is usually followed by quam, rarely by the ablative except in poetry.
Tempus tē citius quam ōrātiō dēficeret. (Rosc. Am. 89)
Time would fail you sooner than words.
BUT
Cur olīvum sanguine vīperīnō
cautius vītat? (Hor. Od. 1.8.9)
Why does he shun oil more carefully than viper's blood?
Note— Prepositions meaning before or beyond (as ante, prae, praeter, suprā) are sometimes used with a comparative.
scelere ante aliōs immānior omnīs (Aen. 1.347)
more monstrous in crime than all other men
408. Means, instrument, manner, and accompaniment are denoted by the instrumental ablative (see § 398), but some of these uses more commonly require a preposition. As they all come from one source (the old instrumental case) no sharp line can be drawn between them, and indeed the Romans themselves can hardly have thought of any distinction. Thus, in Omnibus precibus ōrābant, (They entreated with every [kind of] prayer) the ablative, properly that of means, cannot be distinguished from that of manner.
409. The ablative is used to denote the means or instrument of an action.
certantēs pūgnīs, calcibus, unguibus, morsū dēnique (Tusc. 5.77)
fighting with fists, heels, nails, and
even teeth
cum pūgnīs et calcibus concīsus esset
(Verr. 3.56)
when he had been pummelled with their fists and heels
Meīs labōribus interitū rem pūblicam līberāvī
(Sull. 33)
By my toils I have saved the state from ruin.
Multae istārum arborum meā manū sunt satae.
(Cat. M. 59)
Many of those trees were set out with my own hands.
Vī victa vīs, vel potius oppressa virtūte audācia est.
(Mil. 30)
Violence was overcome by violence, or rather, boldness was put down by courage.
a. The Ablative of Means is used with verbs and adjectives of filling, abounding, and the like.
Deus bonīs omnibus explēvit mundum. (Tim. 3)
God has filled the world with all good things.
Aggere et crātibus fossās explent. (B. G.
7.86)
They fill up the ditches with earth and fascines.
Tōtum montem hominibus complēvit. (id. 1.24)
He filled the whole mountain with men.
opīmus praedā (Verr. 2.1.132)
rich with
spoils
vīta plēna et cōnferta voluptātibus (Sest. 23)
life filled and crowded with delights
Forum Appī differtum nautīs (Hor. S. 1.5.4)
the Forum Appii crammed with bargemen
Note— In poetry the genitive is often used with these words. Compleō and impleō sometimes take the genitive in prose (cf. § 356); so regularly plēnus and (with personal nouns) complētus and refertus (§ 349.a).
Omnia plēna lūctūs et maerōris fuērunt. (Sest. 128)
Everything was full of grief and mourning.
ōllam dēnāriōrum implēre (Fam. 9.18)
to fill a pot with money
[Here evidently colloquial, otherwise rare in Cicero.]
Convīvium vīcīnōrum compleō. (Cat. M. 46, in the mouth of
Cato)
I fill up the banquet with my neighbors.
cum complētus mercātōrum carcer esset (Verr. 5.147)
when the prison was full of traders
With Deponents
410. The deponents ūtor, fruor, fungor, potior, vescor, with several of their compounds,1 govern the ablative.
Ūtar vestrā benīgnitāte. (Arch. 18)
I
will avail myself of your kindness.
Ita mihi salvā rē pūblicā vōbīscum perfruī liceat (Cat. 4.11)
Thus may I enjoy with you the state secure and prosperous.
fungī inānī mūnere (Aen. 6.885)
to
perform an idle service
Aurō hērōs potitur (Ov. M. 7.156)
The
hero takes the gold.
Lacte et ferīnā carne vescēbantur (Iug.
89)
They fed on milk and game.
Note— This is properly an Ablative of Means (instrumental) and the verbs are really in the middle voice (§ 156.a). Thus ūtor with the ablative signifies I employ myself (or avail myself) by means of, etc. But these earlier meanings disappeared from the language, leaving the construction as we find it.
a. Potior sometimes takes the genitive, as always in the phrase potīri rērum (to get control or be master of affairs; § 357.a).
Tōtīus Galliae sēsē potīrī posse spērant. (B. G. 1.3)
They hope they can get possession of the whole of Gaul.
Note 1— In early Latin, these verbs are sometimes transitive and take the accusative.
Fūnctus est officium, etc. (Ter. Ph. 281)
He performed the part, etc.
Ille patria potitur commoda. (Ter. Ad. 871)
He enjoys his ancestral estate.
Note 2— The gerundive of these verbs is used personally in the passive as if the verb were transitive (but cf. § 500.3).
Hēracliō omnia ūtenda ac possidenda trādiderat. (Verr.
2.46)
He had given over everything to Heraclius for his use and possession.
(to be used and possessed)
With Opus and Ūsus
411. Opus and ūsus, signifying need, take the ablative.2
Magistrātibus opus est. (Leg. 3.5)
There
is need of magistrates.
Nunc vīribus ūsus. (Aen. 8.441)
Now there
is need of strength.
Note— The ablative with ūsus is not common in classic prose.
a. With opus the ablative of a perfect participle is often found, either agreeing with a noun or used as a neuter abstract noun.
Opus est tuā exprōmptā malitiā atque astūtiā.
(Ter. And. 723)
I must have your best cunning and cleverness set to work.
Properātō opus erat (cf. Mil. 49)
There
was need of haste.
Note 1— So rarely with ūsus in comedy.
Quid istīs ūsust cōnscrīptīs? (Pl. Bacch. 749)
What's the good of having them in writing?
Note 2— The omission of the noun gives rise to complex constructions.
Quid opus factōst? (cf. B. G. 1.42)
What must be
done?
cf. Quid opus est fierī? with Quō factō opus est?
b. Opus is often found in the predicate, with the thing needed in the nominative as subject.
Dux nōbīs et auctor opus est. (Fam.
2.6.4)
We need a chief and responsible adviser.
(a chief, etc., is necessary for
us).
sī quid ipsī opus esset (B. G. 1.34)
if
he himself wanted anything
(if anything should be necessary for him).
quae opus sunt (Cato R. R. 14.3)
things
which are required.
2. This construction is properly an instrumental one, in which opus and ūsus mean work and service, and the ablative expresses that with which the work is performed or the service rendered. The noun ūsus follows the analogy of the verb ūtor, and the Ablative with opus est appears to be an extension of that with ūsus est.
412. The manner of an action is denoted by the ablative; usually with cum, unless a limiting adjective is used with the noun.
Cum celeritāte vēnit.
He came with
speed.
BUT
Summā celeritāte
vēnit.
He came with the greatest speed.
Quid rēfert quā mē ratiōne cōgātis? (Lael.
26)
What difference does it make in what way you compel me?
a. But cum is often used even when the ablative has a limiting adjective.
quantō id cum perīculō fēcerit (B. G.
1.17)
at what risk he did this
Nōn minōre cum taediō recubant.(Plin. Ep. 9.17.3)
They recline with no less weariness.
b. With such words of manner as modō, pactō, ratiōne, rītū, vī, viā, and with stock expressions which have become virtually adverbs (as silentiō, iūre, iniūriā), cum
Apis Matīnae mōre modōque carmina fingō.
(Hor. Od. 4.2.28)
In the style and manner of a Matinian bee I fashion songs.
Note— So in poetry the Ablative of Manner often omits cum
Īnsequitur cumulō aquae mōns. (Aen. 1.105)
a mountain of water follows in a mass.
cf. murmure (id. 1.124); rīmīs (id. 1.123)
413. Accompaniment is denoted by the ablative, regularly with cum.
cum coniugibus ac līberīs (Att.
8.2.3)
with wives and children
cum funditōribus sagittāriīsque flūmen trānsgressī (B. G. 2.19)
having crossed the river with the archers and slingers
quae supplicātiō sī cum cēterīs cōnferātur (Cat. 3.15)
if this thanksgiving be compared with others
quae [lēx] esse cum tēlō vetat (Mil. 11)
the law which forbids [one] to go armed
(be with a weapon)
sī sēcum suōs ēdūxerit (Cat. 1.30)
if he
leads out with him his associates
For sēcum, see § 144.b, Note 1
a. The ablative is used without cum in some military phrases, and here and there by early writers.
Subsequēbātur omnibus cōpiīs. (B. G. 2.19)
He followed close with all his forces.
But also cum omnibus cōpiīs (id. 1.26)
Hōc praesidiō profectus est. (Verr. 2.1.86)
With this force he set out.
Note— Misceō and iungō, with some of their compounds, and cōnfundō take either (1) the Ablative of Accompaniment with or without cum, or (2) sometimes the dative (mostly poetical or late).
mixta dolōre voluptās (B. Al. 56)
pleasure mingled with pain
cûius animum cum suō misceat (Lael. 81)
whose soul he may mingle with his own
flētumque cruōrī miscuit (Ov. M. 4.140)
and mingled tears with blood
Caesar eās cohortīs cum exercitū suō coniūnxit. (B. C.
1.18)
Cæsar united those cohorts with his own army.
āēr coniūnctus terrīs (Lucr. 5.562)
air united with earth.
hūmānō capitī cervīcem equīnam iungere (Hor. A. P.
1)
to join to a human head a horse's neck
b. Words of contention and the like require cum.
armīs cum hoste certāre (Off. 3.87)
to
fight with the enemy in arms
Libenter haec cum Q. Catulō disputārem. (Manil. 66)
I should gladly discuss these matters with Quintus Catulus.
Note— But words of contention may take the dative in poetry (see § 368.a)
414. With comparatives and words implying comparison the ablative is used to denote the Degree of Difference.
Quīnque mīlibus passuum distat.
It is
five miles distant.
ā mīlibus passuum circiter duōbus (B. G. 5.32)
at a distance of about two miles.
(For ā as an adverb, see § 433.3)
aliquot ante annīs (Tusc. 1.4)
several years before
Aliquantō post suspexit. (Rep. 6.9)
A
while after, he looked up.
multō mē vigilāre ācrius (Cat. 1.8)
that
I watch much more sharply
Nihilō erat ipse Cyclōps quam ariēs prūdentior
(Tusc. 5.115)
The Cyclops himself was not a bit wiser than the ram.
a. The ablatives quō . . . eō (hōc), and quantō . . . tantō, are used correlatively with comparatives, like the English the . . .the.1
quō minus cupiditātis, eō plūs auctōritātis (Liv. 24.28)
the less greed, the more weight
(by what the less, by that the more)
Quantō erat gravior oppūgnātiō, tantō crēbriōrēs litterae
mittēbantur. (B. G. 5.45)
The more severe the siege was, the more frequently letters were sent.
Note— To this construction are doubtless to be referred all cases of quō and eō (hōc) with a comparative, even when they have ceased to be distinctly felt as degree of difference and approach the Ablative of Cause.
eōque mē minus paenitet, etc. (N. D. 1.8)
and for that reason I regret less, etc. (by so much the less I regret)
Haec eō facilius faciēbant, quod, etc. (B. G. 3.12)
This they did the more easily for this reason, because, etc.
cf. hōc mâiōre spē, quod, etc. (id. 3.9)
b. The Ablative of Comparison (§ 406) and the Ablative of Degree of Difference are sometimes used together with the same adjective.
paulō minus ducentīs (B. C. 3.28)
a little less than two hundred
patria, quae mihi vītā meā multō est cārior (Cat. 1.27)
my country, which is much dearer to me than life
But the construction with quam is more common.
415. The quality of a thing is denoted by the ablative with an adjective or genitive modifier. This is called the Descriptive Ablative or Ablative of Quality.1
Animō meliōre sunt gladiātōrēs. (Cat. 2.26)
The gladiators are of a better mind.
quae cum esset cīvitās aequissimō iūre ac foedere (Arch. 6)
as this was a city with perfectly equal constitutional rights
mulierem eximiā pulchritūdine (Verr. 2.1.64)
a woman of rare beauty
Aristotelēs, vir summō ingeniō, scientiā, cōpiā (Tusc. 1.7)
Aristotle, a man of the greatest genius, learning, and gift of expression
Dē Domitiō dīxit versum Graecum eādem sententiā.
(Deiot. 25)
Concerning Domitius he recited a Greek line of the same tenor.
Note— The Ablative of Quality (like the Genitive of Quality, § 345) modifies a substantive by describing it. It is therefore equivalent to an adjective, and may be either attributive or predicate. In this it differs from other ablatives, which are equivalent to adverbs.
a. In expressions of quality the genitive or the ablative may often be used indifferently; but physical qualities are oftener denoted by the ablative (cf. § 345, Note).
Capillō sunt prōmissō. (B. G.
5.14)
They have long hair.
ut capite opertō sit (Cat. M. 34)
to have
his head covered
(to be with covered head)
Quam fuit inbēcillus P. Āfricānī fīlius, quam tenuī aut nūllā potius valētūdine! (id. 35)
How weak was the son of Africanus, of what
feeble health, or rather none at all!
416. The
Agrum vēndidit sēstertium sex mīlibus.
He
sold the land for 6000 sesterces.
Antōnius rēgna addīxit pecūniā. (Phil. 7.15)
Antony sold thrones for money.
Logōs rīdiculōs: quis cēnā poscit? (Pl. Stich. 221)
Jokes: who wants them for (at the price of) a dinner?
Māgnō illī ea cūnctātiō stetit. (Liv. 2.36)
That hesitation cost him dear.
Note— To this head is to be referred the Ablative of the Penalty (§ 353.1).
417. Certain adjectives of quantity are used in the genitive to denote indefinite value. Such are māgnī, parvī, tantī, quantī, plūris, minōris.
Meā māgnī interest.
It is of great
consequence to me.
Illud parvī rēfer. (Manil. 18)
This is of
small account.
Est mihi tantī. (Cat. 2.15)
It is worth
the price (it is of so much).
Verrēsne tibi tantī fuit? (Verr. 2.1.77)
Was Verres of so much account to you?
Tantōne minōris decumae vēniērunt (id. 3.106)
Were the tithes sold for so much less?
ut tē redimās captum quam queās minimō: sī nequeās paululō,
at quantī queās (Ter. Eun. 74)
to ransom yourself, when captured, at the cheapest rate you can; if you can't for a small
sum, then at any rate for what you can
Note— These are really Genitives of Quality (§ 345.b).
a. The genitive of certain colorless nouns is used to denote indefinite value. Such are nihilī [(nīlī) nothing], assis [a farthing (rare)], floccī [(a lock of wool) a straw].
Nōn floccī faciō. (Att. 13.50)
I care not
a straw. [colloquial]
Utinam ego istuc abs tē factum nīlī penderem!
(Ter. Eun. 94)
O, that I cared nothing for this being done by you! [colloquial]
b. With verbs of exchanging, either the thing taken or the thing given in exchange may be in the Ablative of Price. Such are mūtō, commūtō, permūtō, vertō.
fidem suam et religiōnem pecūniā commūtāre (Clu. 129)
to barter his faith and conscience for money
Exsilium patriā sēde mūtāvit. (Q. C. 3.7.11)
He exchanged his native land for exile (he took exile in exchange for his native land).
Vēlōx saepe Lucrētilem mūtat Lycaeō Faunus.
(Hor. Od. 1.17.1)
Nimble Faunus often changes Lycœus for Lucretilis.
[He takes Lucretilis at the price of Lycæus, i.e. he goes from Lycæus to Lucretilis.]
vertere fūneribus triumphōs (id. 1.35.4)
to change the triumph to the funeral train
(exchange triumphs for funerals) [poetical]
Note— With verbs of exchanging cum is often used, perhaps with a different conception of the action.
Ariēs . . . cum croceō mūtābit vellera lūtō (Ecl. 4.44)
The ram shall change his fleece for [one dyed with] the yellow saffron.
c. With verbs of buying and selling the simple Ablative of Price must be used, except in the case of tantī, quantī, plūris, minōris.
Quantī eam ēmit? vīlī . . . quot minīs? Quadrāgintā minīs.
(Pl. Epid. 51)
What did he buy her for? Cheap. For
how many minœ? Forty.
418. The Ablative of Specification denotes that in respect to which anything is or is done.
Virtūte praecēdunt. (B. G. 1.1)
They
excel in courage.
claudus alterō pede (Nep. Ages. 8)
lame
of one foot
linguā haesitantēs, vōce absonī (De Or.
1.115)
hesitating in speech, harsh in voice
Sunt enim hominēs nōn rē sed nōmine. (Off.
1.105)
For they are men not in fact, but in name.
mâior nātū
older
minor nātū
younger
cf. § 131.c)
paulum aetāte prōgressī (Cat. M. 33)
somewhat advanced in age
Corpore senex esse poterit, animō numquam
erit. (id. 38)
He may be an old man in body, he never will be [old] at heart.
a. To this head are to be referred many expressions where the ablative expresses that in accordance with which anything is or is done.
meō iūre
with perfect right
BUT
meō modō
in my
fashion
meā sententiā
in my opinion
But also more formally, ex meā sententiā
[Here the sense is the same, but the first ablative is specification, the second source.]
propinquitāte coniūnctōs atque nātūrā
(Lael. 50)
closely allied by kindred and nature
[Here the ablative is not different in sense from those above, but no doubt is a development of means.]
quī vincit vīribus (id. 55)
who surpasses
in strength
[Here it is impossible to tell whether vīribus is the means of the superiority or that in respect to which one is superior.]
Note— As the Romans had no such categories as we make, it is impossible to classify all uses of the Ablative. The Ablative of Specification (originally instrumental) is closely akin to that of manner, and shows some resemblance to means and cause. For the supine in -ū as an Ablative of Specification, see § 510.
b. The adjectives dīgnus and indīgnus take the ablative.
vir patre, avō, mâiōribus suīs dīgnissimus (Phil. 3.25)
a man most worthy of his father, grandfather, and ancestors
Tē omnī honōre indīgnissimum iūdicāvit. (Vat. 39)
He judged you entirely unworthy of every honor.
Note 1— So the verb dīgnor in poetry and later prose
Haud equidem tālī mē dīgnor honōre. (Aen. 1.335)
I do not deem myself worthy of such an honor.
Note 2— Dīgnus and indīgnus sometimes take the Genitive in colloquial usage and in poetry.
cūram dīgnissimam tuae virtūtis (Balbus in Att.
8.15)
care most worthy of your noble character
dīgnus salūtis (Plaut. Trin. 1153)
worthy of safety
māgnōrum haud umquam indīgnus avōrum (Aen. 12.649)
never unworthy of my great ancestors.
419. A noun or pronoun, with a participle in agreement, may be put in the ablative to define the time or circumstances of an action. This construction is called the Ablative Absolute.1
Caesar, acceptīs litterīs, nūntium mittit. (B. G. 5.46)
Having received the letter, Cæsar sends a messenger.
(the letter having been received)
Quibus rēbus cōgnitīs Caesar apud mīlitēs cōntiōnātur. (B. C. 1.7)
Having learned this, Cæsar makes a speech to the soldiers.
fugātō omnī equitātū (B. G. 7.68)
all the cavalry being put to flight
interfectō Indūtiomārō (id. 6.2)
upon the death of Indutiomarus
Nōndum hieme cōnfectā in fīnīs Nerviōrum contendit.
(id. 6.3)
Though the winter was not yet over, he hastened into the territory of the Nervii.
Compressī [sunt] cōnātūs nūllō tumultū pūblicē concitātō. (Cat. 1.11)
The attempts were put down without exciting any general alarm.
nē vōbīs quidem omnibus rē etiam tum probātā (id. 2.4)
since at that time the facts were not yet proved even to all of you
Note— The Ablative Absolute is an adverbial modifier of the predicate. It is, however, not grammatically dependent on any word in the sentence: hence its name absolute (absolūtus, i.e. free or unconnected). A substantive in the Ablative Absolute very seldom denotes a person or thing elsewhere mentioned in the same clause.
a. An adjective, or a second noun, may take the place of the participle in the Ablative Absolute construction.2
exiguā parte aestātis reliquā (B. G.
4.20)
when but a small part of the summer was left
(a small part of the summer remaining)
L. Domitiō Ap. Claudiō cōnsulibus (id. 5.1)
in the consulship of Lucius Domitius and
Appius Claudius
(Lucius Domitius and Appius Claudius [being] consuls)
The regular way of expressing a date, see § 424.g.
nīl dēspērandum Teucrō duce et auspice
Teucrō
(Hor. Od. 1.7.27)
there should be no despair under Teucer's leadership and auspices
(Teucer being leader, etc.)
b. A phrase or clause, used substantively, sometimes occurs as Ablative Absolute with a participle or an adjective.
incertō quid peterent (Liv. 28.36)
as it
was uncertain what they should aim at
(it being uncertain, etc.)
compertō vānum esse formīdinem (Tac. Ann. 1.66)
when it was found that the alarm was groundless
cūr praetereātur dēmōnstrātō (Inv. 2.34)
when the reason for omitting it has been explained
(why it is passed by being explained)
Note— This construction is very rare except in later Latin.
c. A participle or an adjective is sometimes used adverbially in the Ablative Absolute without a substantive.
cōnsultō (Off. 1.27)
on purpose
(the matter having been deliberated on)
Mihi optātō vēneris. (Att. 13.28.3)
You
will come in accordance with my wish.
serēnō (Liv. 31.12)
under a clear sky
(it [being] clear)
nec auspicātō nec lītātō (id.
5.38)
with no auspices or favorable sacrifice
Tranquillō, ut âiunt, quīlibet gubernātor est
(Sen. Ep. 85.34)
In good weather, as they say, any man's a pilot.
420. The Ablative Absolute often take the place of a subordinate clause. Thus it may replace:
patre interfectō
[his] father having been killed
= cum pater interfectus esset
when his father had been killed
recentibus sceleris êius vestīgiīs (Q.
C. 7.1.1)
while the traces of the crime were fresh
cf. dum recentia sunt vestīgia
at eī quī Alesiae obsidēbantur praeteritā diē quā auxilia suōrum exspectāverant, cōnsūmptō omnī frūmentō, conciliō coāctō cōnsultābant. (B. G. 7.77)
But
those who were under siege at Alesia, since the time, etc., had expired, and their grain had been exhausted, calling a council (see 5 below), consulted together.
cf. cum diēs praeterīsset, etc.
Dārēus, dēspērātā pāce, ad reparandās vīrīs intendit animum (Q. C. 4.6.1)
Darius, since he despaired of peace, devoted his energies to recruiting his forces.
cf. cum pācem dēspērāret
at eō repūgnante fīēbat (cōnsul), immo vērō eō fīēbat magis, etc. (Mil. 34)
But, though
he (Clodius) opposed, he (Milo) was likely to be elected consul; nay, rather, etc.
Turribus excitātīs, tamen hās altitūdō puppium ex barbarīs nāvibus superābat (B. G.
3.14)
Although towers had been built up, still the high sterns of the enemy's ships rose above them.
Occurrēbat eī, mancam et dēbilem praetūram futūram suam, cōnsule Milōne. (Mil.
25)
It occurred to him that his prœtorship would be maimed and feeble, if Milo were consul.
[sī Milō cōnsul
esset]
quā (regiōne)
subāctā licēbit dēcurrere in illud mare. (Q. C. 9.3.13)
If this
region is subdued, we shall be free to run down into that sea.
quā quidem dētrāctā (Arch. 28)
if this be taken away
Ego haec ā Chrȳsogonō meā sponte, remōtō Sex. Rōsciō, quaerō. (Rosc. Am. 130)
Of my own accord, without reference to Sextus Roscius (Sextus Roscius being put aside), I ask these questions of Chrysogonus.
nec imperante nec sciente nec praesente dominō (Mil. 29)
without their master's giving orders, or knowing it, or being present
Note— As the English nominative absolute is far less common than the Ablative Absolute in Latin, a change of form is generally required in translation. Thus the present participle is oftenest to be rendered in English by a relative clause with when or while, and the perfect passive participle by the perfect active participle. These changes may be seen in the following example.
At illī, intermissō spatiō, imprūdentibus nostrīs atque occupātīs in mūnītiōne castrōrum, subitō sē ex silvīs ēiēcērunt; impetūque in eōs factō quī erant in statiōne prō castrīs conlocātī, ācriter pūgnāvērunt; duābusque missīs subsidiō cohortibus ā Caesare, cum hae (perexiguō intermissō locī spatiō inter sē) cōnstitissent, novō genere pūgnae perterritīs nostrīs, per mediōs audācissimē perrūpērunt sēque inde incolumīs recēpērunt. (B. G. 5.15)
But they, having paused a space, while our men were unaware and busied in fortifying the camp, suddenly threw themselves out of the woods; then, making an attack upon those who were on guard in front of the camp, they fought fiercely; and, though two cohorts had been sent by Cæsar as reinforcements, after these had taken their position (leaving very little space of ground between them), as our men were alarmed by the strange kind of fighting, they dashed most daringly through the midst of them and got off safe.
For the ablative with Prepositions, see § 220.
2. The present participle of esse, wanting in Latin (§ 170.b), is used in Sanskrit and Greek as in English.
421. The locative case was originally used (literally) to denote the place where and (figuratively) to denote the time when (a development from the idea of place). But this case was preserved only in names of towns and a few other words, and the place where is usually denoted by the ablative. In this construction the ablative was no doubt, used at first without a preposition, but afterwards it became associated in most instances with the preposition in.
422. In expressions of time and place the Latin shows a variety of idiomatic constructions (ablative, accusative, and locative), which are systematically treated in § 423 ff.
423. Time when, or within which, is expressed by the ablative; time how long by the accusative.
cōnstitūtā diē
on the appointed day
prīmā lūce
at daybreak
quotā hōrā?
at what hour?
tertiā vigiliā
in the third watch
tribus proximīs annīs (Iug. 11)
within the last three years
Diēbus vīgintī quīnque aggerem exstrūxērunt. (B. G. 7.24)
Within twenty-five days they finished building a
mound.
diēs continuōs trīgintā
for thirty days together
cum trīduum iter fēcisset (B. G. 2.16)
when he had marched three days
Note— The Ablative of Time is locative in its origin (§ 421); the Accusative is the same as that of the extent of space (§ 425).
424. Special constructions of time are the following.
a. The Ablative of Time Within Which sometimes takes in, and the Accusative of Time How Long per, for greater precision.
in diēbus proximīs decem (Iug. 28)
within the next ten days
lūdī per decem diēs (Cat. 3.20)
games for ten days
b. Duration of time is occasionally expressed by the ablative.
Militēs quīnque hōrīs proelium sustinuerant. (B. C. 1.47)
The troops had sustained the
fight five hours.
Note— In this use the period of time is regarded as that within which the act is done, and it is only implied that the act lasted through the period. Cf. inter annōs quattuordecim (B. G. 1.36) for fourteen years
c. Time during which or within which may be expressed by the accusative or ablative of a noun in the singular, with an ordinal numeral.
quīntō diē
within [just] four
days
(literally on the fifth day)
The Romans counted inclusively, see § 631.d
Rēgnat iam sextum annum.
He has reigned going on six years.
d. Many expressions have in Latin the construction of time when where in English the main idea is rather of place.
pūgnā Cannēnsī (or, apud Cannās)
in the fight at Cannœ
lūdīs Rōmānīs
at the Roman games
omnibus Gallicīs bellīs
in all the Gallic wars
e. In many idiomatic expressions of time, the accusative with ad, in, or sub is used. Such are the following.
Supplicātiō dēcrēta est in Kalendās Iānuāriās.
A thanksgiving was voted for the first of
January.
Convēnērunt ad diem.
They assembled on the [appointed] day.
ad vesperum
till evening
sub vesperum
towards evening
sub idem tempus
about the same time
sub noctem
at nightfall
f. Distance of time before or after anything is expressed in several different ways.
post (ante) trēs annōs
post tertium annum
trēs post
annōs
tertium post annum
tribus post annīs
tertiō post annō (§ 414)
three years after
tribus annīs (tertiō annō) post exsilium
postquam ēiectus est
three years after his
exile
hīs tribus proximīs annīs
within the last three years
paucīs annīs
a few years hence
abhinc annōs trēs (tribus annīs)
ante hōs trēs annōs
three years ago
Triennium est cum.
Trēs annī sunt cum.
It is three years since.
octāvō mēnse quam
the eighth month after (see § 434, Note).
g. In Dates the phrase ante diem (a.d.) with an ordinal, or the ordinal alone, is followed by an accusative, like a preposition; and the phrase itself may also be governed by a preposition. The year is expressed by the names of the consuls in the Ablative Absolute, usually without a conjunction (§ 419.a).
Is diēs erat a. d. v. Kal. Apr. (quīntum Kalendās Aprīlīs)
L. Pīsōne A. Gabīniō cōnsulibus. (B. G. 1.6)
That day was the 5th before the kalends of April (March 28), in the consulship of Piso and Gabinius.
in a. d. v. Kal. Nov. (Cat. 1.7)
to the 5th day before the kalends of November
(Oct. 28)
xv. Kal. Sextīlīs
the 15th day before the kalends of August (July 18)
Full form: quīntō decimō diē ante Kalendās
For the Roman Calendar, see § 631.
425. Extent of Space is expressed by the accusative.
fossās quīndecim pedēs lātās (B. G. 7.72)
trenches fifteen feet broad
prōgressus mīlia passuum circiter duodecim (id. 5.9)
having advanced about twelve
miles
In omnī vītā suā quemque ā rēctā cōnscientiā trānsversum unguem nōn oportet discēdere.
(quoted in Att. 13.20)
In all one's life, one should not depart a nail's breadth from straightforward conscience.
Note— This accusative denotes the object through or over which the action takes place and is kindred with the Accusative of the End of Motion (§ 427.2).
a. Measure is often expressed by the Genitive of Quality (§ 345.b).
vāllum duodecim pedum (B. G. 7.72)
a rampart of twelve feet (in height)
b. Distance when considered as extent of space is put in the accusative; when considered as degree of difference, in the ablative (§ 414).
Mīlia passuum tria ab eōrum castrīs castra pōnit.
(B. G. 1.22)
He pitches his camp
three miles from their camp.
Quīnque diērum iter abest. (Liv. 30.29)
It is five days' march away.
trīgintā mīlibus passuum īnfrā eum locum (B. G. 6.35)
thirty miles below that
place
(below by thirty miles)
426. Relations of Place1 are expressed as follows.
Examples are:
ā septentriōne
from the north
cum ā vōbīs discesserō (Cat. M. 79)
when I leave you
dē prōvinciā dēcēdere
to come away from one's province
dē monte
down from the mountain
negōtiātor ex Āfricā (Verr. 2.1.14)
a merchant from Africa
Ex Britanniā obsidēs mīsērunt. (B. G. 4.38)
They sent hostages from Britain.
Mōsa prōfluit ex monte Vosegō. (id. 4.10)
The Meuse (flows from) rises in the Vosges mountains.
Nocte ad Nerviōs pervēnērunt. (B. G. 2.17)
They came by night to the Nervii.
Adībam ad istum fundum. (Caec. 82)
I was going to that estate.
In Āfricam nāvigāvit.
He sailed to Africa.
in Ītaliam profectus
gone to Italy
lēgātum in Treverōs mittit (B. G. 3.11)
He sends his lieutenant into the
[country of the] Treveri.
In hāc urbe vītam dēgit.
He passed his life in this city.
sī in Galliā remanērent (B. G. 4.8)
if they remained in Gaul
dum haec in Venetīs geruntur (id. 3.17)
while this was going on among the
Veneti
oppidum in īnsulā positum (id. 7.58)
a town situated on an island
427. With names of towns and small islands, and with domus and rūs, the Relations of Place are expressed as follows.
Examples are:
Rōmā profectus
having set out from Rome
Rōmā abesse
to be absent from Rome
domō abīre
to leave home
rūre reversus
having returned from the country
cum Rōmam sextō diē Mutinā vēnisset (Fam. 11.6.1)
when he had come to Rome from Modena
in five days
(on the sixth day)
Dēlō Rhodum nāvigāre
to sail from Delos to Rhodes
Rūs ībō.
I shall go into the country.
Domum iit
He went home.3
suās domōs abīre
to go to their homes
| Rōmae at
Rome (Rōma) |
Athēnīs at
Athens (Athēnae) |
| Rhodī at
Rhodes (Rhodus) |
Lānuvī at Lanuvium |
| Samī at Samos | Cyprī at Cyprus |
| Tīburī or Tībure at Tibur | Cūribus at Cures |
| Philippīs at Philippi | Capreīs at
Capri (Capreae) |
| domī at home (rarely domuī) |
rūrī in the country |
a. The locative case is also preserved in the following nouns, which are used (like names of towns) without a preposition:
| bellī mīlitiae abroad in military
service (in contrast to domī) |
|
| humī on the ground | vesperī (-e) in the evening |
| forīs out of doors | animī (see § 358) |
| herī (-e) yesterday | temperī betimes |
Cf. īnfēlīcī arborī (Liv. 1.26)
on the ill-omened (barren) tree
terrā marīque
by land and sea
Special Uses of Place
428. Special uses of place from which, to which, and where are the following.
a. With names of towns and small islands ab is often used to denote from the vicinity of, and ad to denote towards, to the neighborhood of.
ut ā Mutinā discēderet (Phil. 14.4)
that he should retire from Modena (which he was
besieging)
Erat ā Gergoviā dēspectus in castra. (B. G. 7.45)
There was from about Gergovia a view
into the camp.
Ad Alesiam proficīscuntur. (id. 7.76)
They set out for Alesia.
Ad Alesiam perveniunt. (id. 7.79)
They arrive at Alesia.
(i.e. in the
neighborhood of the town)
D. Laelius cum classe ad Brundisium vēnit. (B. C. 3.100)
Decimus Lœlius came to Brundisium
with a fleet.
(arriving in the harbor)
b. The general words urbs, oppidum, īnsula require a preposition to express the place from which, to which, or where.
| ab (ex) urbe from the city | in urbe in the city |
| ad urbem to the city | Rōmae in urbe in the city of Rome |
| in urbem into the city | Rōmā ex urbe from the city of Rome |
| ad urbem Rōmam (Rōmam ad urbem) to the city of Rome | |
c. With the name of a country, ad denotes to the borders; in with the accusative, into the country itself. Similarly ab denotes away from the outside; ex, out of the interior.
Thus ad Ītaliam pervēnit would mean she came to the frontier, regardless of the destination; in Ītaliam She went to Italy, i.e. to a place within it, to Rome, for instance.
So ab Ītaliā profectus est would mean he came away from the frontier, regardless of the original starting-point; ex Ītaliā he came from Italy, from within, as from Rome, for instance.
d. With all names of places at, meaning near (not in), is expressed by ad or apud with the accusative.
| pūgna ad Cannās the fight at Cannae | |
| conchās ad Câiētam legunt (De Or. 2.22) at Caieta (along the shore) | |
| ad (apud) īnferōs in the world below (near, or among, those below). | |
| ad forīs at the doors | ad iānuam at the door |
Note 1— In the neighborhood of may be expressed by circā with the accusative; among, by apud with the accusative.
| apud Graecōs among the Greeks | apud mē at my house |
| apud Solēnsīs (Leg. 2.41) at Soli | circā Capuam round about Capua |
Note 2— In citing an author, apud is regularly used; in citing a particular work, in. Thus, apud Xenophōntem (in Xenophon) but, in Xenophōntis Oeconomicō (in Xenophon's Œconomicus).
e. Large islands, and all places when thought of as a territory and not as a locality, are treated like names of countries.
in Siciliā
in Sicily
In Ithacā leporēs illātī moriuntur. (Plin. H. N. 8.226)
In Ithaca hares, when carried
there, die.
[Ulysses lived at Ithaca would require Ithacae]
f. The ablative without a preposition is used to denote the place from which in certain idiomatic expressions.
Cessisset patriā. (Mil. 68)
He would have left his country.
patriā pellere
to drive out of the country
manū mittere
to emancipate
(let
go from the hand)
g. The poets and later writers often omit the preposition with the place from which or to which when it would be required in classical prose.
mānīs Acheronte remissōs. (Aen. 5.99)
the spirits returned from Acheron
Scythiā profectī (Q. C. 4.12.11)
setting out from Scythia
Ītaliam . . . Lāvīniaque vēnit lītora. (Aen. 1.2)
He came to Italy and the Lavinian
shores.
terram Hesperiam veniēs. (id. 2.781)
you shall come to the Hesperian land.
Aegyptum proficīscitur. (Tac. Ann. 2.59)
He sets out for Egypt.
h. In poetry the place to which is often expressed by the dative, occasionally also in later prose.
It clāmor caelō. (Aen. 5.451)
A shout goes up to the sky.
Facilis dēscēnsus Avernō. (id. 6.126)
Easy is the descent to Avernus.
Diadēma capitī repōnere iussit. (Val. Max. 5.1.9)
He ordered him to put back the diadem on
his head.
i. The preposition is not used with the supine in -um (§ 509) and in the following old phrases.
| exsequiās īre to go to the funeral | īnfitiās īre to resort to denial |
| pessum īre to go to ruin | pessum dare to ruin (cf. perdō) |
| vēnum dare to sell (give to sale) [Hence vēndere] | |
| vēnum īre to be sold (go to sale) [Hence vēnīre] | |
| forās (used as adverb) out: forās ēgredī to go out of doors | |
| suppetiās advenīre to come to one's assistance | |
j. When two or more names of place are used with a verb of motion, each must be under its own construction.
Quadriduō quō haec gesta sunt rēs ad Chrȳsogonum in castra L. Sullae Volā terrās dēfertur. (Rosc. Am. 20)
Within four days after this was done, the matter was reported TO Chrysogonus IN Sulla's camp AT Volaterrœ.
Note— The accusative with or without a preposition is often used in Latin when motion to a place is implied but not expressed in English (see k, Note).
k. Domum denoting the place to which, and the locative domī, may be modified by a possessive pronoun or a genitive.
domum rēgis (Deiot. 17)
to the king's house
in M. Laecae domum (Cat. 1.8)
to Marcus Lœca's house
domī meae
at my house
domī Caesaris
at Cæsar's house
domī suae vel aliēnae
at his own or another's house
Note— At times when thus modified, and regularly when otherwise modified, in domum or in domō is used.
In domum prīvātam conveniunt. (Tac. H. 4.55)
They come
together in a private house.
in Mārcī Crassī castissimā domō (Cael. 9)
in the chaste
home of Marcus Crassus
[Cf. ex Anniānā Milōnis domō, 302.e.]
429. The place where is denoted by the ablative without a preposition in the following instances.
quibus locō positīs (De Or. 3.153)
when these are set in position
quā parte bellī vīcerant (Liv. 21.22)
the branch of warfare in which they were
victorious
Locīs certīs horrea cōnstituit. (B. C. 3.32)
He established granaries in particular
places.
mediā urbe (Liv. 1.33)
in the middle of the city
tōtā Siciliā (Verr. 4.51)
throughout Sicily
(in the whole of Sicily)
tōtā Tarracīnā (De Or. 2.240)
in all Tarracina
cūnctā Asiā atque Graeciā (Manil. 12)
throughout the whole of Asia and Greece
too.
Pendēmus animīs. (Tusc. 1.96)
We are in suspense of mind (in our minds).
Socius perīculīs vōbīscum aderō. (Iug. 85.47)
I will be present with you, a
companion in dangers.
lītore curvō (Aen. 3.16)
on the winding shore
Antrō sēclūsa relinquit. (id. 3.446)
She leaves them shut up in the cave.
Ēpīrō, Hesperiā (id. 3.503)
in Epirus, in Hesperia.
Premit altum corde dolōrem. (id. 1.209)
He keeps down the pain deep in his
heart.
a. The way by which is put in the ablative without a preposition.
Viā breviōre equitēs praemīsī. (Fam. 10.9)
I sent forward the cavalry by a shorter road.
Aegaeō marī trāiēcit. (Liv. 37.14)
He crossed by way of the Ægean Sea.
Prōvehimur pelagō. (Aen. 3.506)
We sail forth over the sea.
Note— In this use the way by which is conceived as the means of passage.
b. Position is frequently expressed by the ablative with ab (rarely ex), properly meaning from.4
ā tergō
in the rear
ā sinistrā
on the left hand
[Cf. hinc
on this side]
ā parte Pompêiānā
on the side of Pompey
ex alterā parte
on the other side
māgnā ex parte
in a great degree
(from, i.e. in, a great
part)
Verbs of Placing
430. Verbs of placing, though implying motion, take the construction of the place where. Such are pōnō, locō, collocō, statuō, cōnstituō, etc.
quī in sēde ac domō collocāvit (Par. 25)
who put [one] into his place and home
Statuitur eques Rōmānus in Aprōnī convīviō. (Verr. 3.62)
A Roman knight is brought into
a banquet of Apronius.
īnsula Dēlos in Aegaeō marī posita (Manil. 55)
the island of Delos, situated in the
Ægean Sea
sī in ūnō Pompêiō omnia pōnerētis (id. 59)
if you made everything depend on Pompey
alone
Note— Compounds of pōnō take various constructions (see the Lexicon under each word).
431. Several verbs are followed by the ablative. These are acquiēscō, dēlector, laetor, gaudeō, glōrior, nītor, stō, maneō, fīdō, cōnfīdō, cōnsistō, and contineor.
Nōminibus veterum glōriantur. (Or. 169)
They glory in the names of the ancients.
[Also, dē dīvitiīs (in virtūte, circā
rem, aliquid, haec) glōriārī]
spē nītī (Att. 3.9)
to rely on hope
prūdentiā fīdēns (Off. 1.81)
trusting in prudence
Note— The ablative with these verbs sometimes takes the preposition in (but fīdō in is late), and the ablative with them is probably locative.
in quibus causa nītitur (Cael. 25)
on whom the case
depends
With several of these verbs the neuter accusative of pronouns is often found. For fīdō and cōnfīdō with the Dative, see § 367.
a. The verbals frētus, contentus, and laetus take the locative ablative.
frētus grātiā Brūtī (Att. 5.21.12)
relying on the favor of Brutus
laetus praedā
rejoicing in the booty
contentus sorte
content with his lot
[Possibly Ablative of Cause]
Nōn fuit contentus glōriā.(Dom. 101)
He was not content with the glory.
Note— So intentus, rarely.
aliquō negōtiō intentus (Sall. Cat. 2)
intent on some
occupation
2. The locative has in the singular of the 1st and 2nd declensions the same form as the genitive, in the plural and in the 3rd declension the same form as the dative or ablative. (See § 80, footnote)
3. The English home in this construction is, like domum, an old accusative of the end of motion.
4. Apparently the direction whence the sensuous impression comes.
432. Certain adverbs and adjectives are sometimes used as prepositions.1
a. The adverbs prīdiē, postrīdiē, propius, proximē, less frequently the adjectives propior and proximus, may be followed by the accusative.
prīdiē Nōnās Mâiās (Att. 2.11)
the day before the Nones of May (see § 631)
postrīdiē lūdōs (Att. 16.4)
the day after the games
propius perīculum (Liv. 21.1)
nearer to danger
propior montem (Iug. 49)
nearer the hill
proximus mare ōceanum (B. G. 3.7)
nearest the ocean
Note— Prīdiē and postrīdiē take also the genitive (§ 359.b). Propior, propius, proximus, and proximē, take also the dative, or the ablative with ab.
propius Tiberīquam Thermopylīs (Nep. Hann. 8)
nearer to
the Tiber than to Thermopylæ
Sugambrī quī sunt proximī Rhēnō (B. G. 6.35)
the Sugambri,
who are nearest to the Rhine
proximus ā postrēmō (Or. 217)
next to the
last
b. Ūsque sometimes takes the accusative, but ūsque ad is much more common.
terminōs ūsque Libyae (Iust. 1.1.5)
to the bounds of Libya
ūsque ad castra hostium (B. G. 1.51)
to the enemy's camp
c. The adverbs palam, procul, simul, may be used as prepositions and take the ablative.
Rem crēditōrī palam populō solvit. (Liv. 6.14)
He paid the debt to his creditor in the
presence of the people.
haud procul castrīs in modum mūnicipī exstrūcta (Tac. H. 4.22)
not far from the camp,
built up like a town
simul nōbīs habitat barbarus. (Ov. Tr. 5.10.29)
close among us dwells the barbarian
Note— But simul regularly takes cum; procul is usually followed by ab in classic writers; and the use of palam as a preposition is comparatively late.
d. The adverb clam is found in early Latin with the accusative, also once with the genitive and once in classical Latin with the ablative.
clam mātrem suam (Pl. Mil. 112)
unknown to his mother
clam patris (id. Merc. 43)
without his father's knowledge
clam vōbīs (B. C. 2.32.8)
without your knowledge
433. Prepositions often retain their original meaning as adverbs.
quōs paulō ante dīximus (Brut. 32)
whom I mentioned a little while ago
post tribus diēbus
three days after (cf. § 424.f)
Nēmō adversus ībat. (Liv. 37.13.8)
No one went out in opposition.
circiter pars quārta (Sall. Cat. 56)
about the fourth part
prope exanimātus
nearly lifeless
Ā mīlibus passuum circiter duōbus Rōmānōrum adventum exspectābant. (B. G. 5.32)
At a
distance of about two miles (about two miles off) they awaited the approach of the Romans.
Aeolus haec contrā (Aen. 1.76)
thus Æolus in reply
Forte fuit iūxtā tumulus. (id. 3.22)
There happened to be a mound close by.
434. Some prepositions and adverbs which imply comparison are followed, like comparatives, by quam, which may be separated by several words, or even clauses. Such words are ante, prius, post, posteā, prīdiē, postrīdiē; also magis and prae in compounds.
Neque ante dīmīsit eum quam fidem dedit. (Liv. 39.10)
Nor did he let him go until he gave
a pledge.
post diem tertium quam dīxerat (Mil. 44)
the third day after he said it
Catō ipse iam servīre quam pūgnāre māvult. (Att. 7.15)
Cato himself by this time had
rather be a slave than fight.
Gallōrum quam Rōmānōrum imperia praeferre (B. G. 1.17)
[they] prefer the rule of Gauls to
that of Romans.
Note— The Ablative of Time is sometimes followed by quam in the same way (§ 424.f).
octāvō mēnse quam (Liv. 21.15)
within eight months
after, etc.
435. The following prepositions sometimes come after their nouns: ad, citrā, circum, contrā, dē, ē (ex), inter, iūxtā, penes, propter, ultrā; also regularly tenus and versus, and occasionally others.
[ūsus] quem penes arbitrium est et iūs et norma loquendī (Hor. A.
P. 72)
custom, under whose control is the choice, right, and rule of speech
cûius ā mē corpus est cremātum, quod contrā decuit ab illō meum (Cat. M. 84)
whose body I
burned [on the funeral pile], while on the contrary (contrary to which) mine should have been burned by him.