Part 53

2140. #et#, _and yet_, introduces a contrast or opposition: as,

#canōrum illud in vōce splendēscit etiam in senectūte, quod equidem adhūc nōn āmīsī; et vidētis annōs#, _CM._ 28, _the musical element in the voice actually improves in old age, and this I have not yet lost. And yet you see my years._

#neque# or #nec#.

2141. #nec#, _and really . . . not_, _and in fact . . . not_: as,

#magnō cum perīculō suō, quī forte patrum in forō erant, in eam turbam incidērunt. nec temperātum manibus foret, nī properē cōnsulēs intervēnissent#, L. 2, 23, 9, _it was with great personal risk to such of the fathers as happened to be in the market place, that they got into the crowd. And in fact acts of violence would have occurred, unless the consuls had made haste to interfere._

2142. #nec#, _and to be sure . . . not_: as,

#centum vīgintī līctōrēs cum fascibus secūrēs inligātās praeferēbant. nec attinuisse dēmī secūrem, cum sine prōvocātiōne creātī essent, interpretābantur#, L. 3, 36, 4, _a hundred and twenty lictors with rods displayed axes bound in them. And to be sure they explained the matter thus, that there would have been no propriety in having the axe taken out, since the officers were appointed without any appeal._

2143. #nec#, _not . . . either_, _nor either_, _neither_: as,

#eō annō vīs morbī levāta. neque ā pēnūriā frūmentī perīculum fuit#, L. 4, 25, 6, _that year the violence of the plague grew less. Nor was there any danger from lack of grain either._

2144. #nec#, _but . . . not_: as,

#missī tamen fētiālēs. nec eōrum verba sunt audīta#, L. 4, 30, 14, _however the fetials were sent. But they were not listened to._

#-que.#

2145. #-que#, _and likewise_: as,

#huic duōs flāminēs adiēcit. virginēsque Vestae lēgit#, L. 1, 20, 2, _to this god he assigned two special priests. And he likewise chose maids for Vesta._

2146. #-que#, _and in fact_, _and so_, _and in general_: as,

#tum quoque male pugnātum est. obsessaque urbs foret, nī Horātius esset revocātus#, L. 2, 51, 2, _then also there was an unsuccessful engagement. And in fact Rome would have been besieged, unless Horatius had been recalled._

#atque# or #ac#.

2147. #atque#, _and besides_, _and more than that_, _and actually_: as,

#ex quō efficitur animantem esse mundum. atque ex hōc quoque intellegī poterit in eō inesse intellegentiam, quod certē est mundus melior quam ūlla nātūra#, _DN._ 2, 32, _from which it follows that the universe is alive. And more than that, we can see that it has sense from the following circumstance, that the universe is certainly superior to any element of the universe._

2148. #atque#, _and so_, _and consequently_: as,

#impedior religiōne quōminus expōnam quam multa P. Sēstius sēnserit. atque nihil dīcō praeter ūnum#, _Sest._ 8, _I am prevented by scruples from setting forth how much Sestius was aware of. And so I will only say one thing._

#aut.#

2149. #aut# is used to add a new sentence in the sense of #aliōquī#, _or else_, _otherwise_, or as if #nisi#, _unless_, preceded: as,

#omnia bene sunt ē̆ī dīcenda, aut ēloquentiae nōmen relinquendum est#, _DO._ 2, 5, _he must be able to speak well on all subjects, or else he must waive the name of an eloquent man_.

(_b._) CONCESSIVE AND ADVERSATIVE.

2150. A new concessive period is introduced by #sānē#, #quidem#, #omnīnō#, _to be sure_, or #fortasse#, _perhaps_: as,

#Plīnius et Cluvius nihil dubitātum dē fidē praefectī referunt. sānē Fabius inclīnat ad laudēs Senecae#, Ta. 13, 20, _Pliny and Cluvius say that there was no doubt about the loyalty of the prefect. Fabius, it must be admitted, is always inclined to eulogize Seneca._ #id fortasse nōn perfēcimus; cōnātī quidem saepissimē sumus#, _O._ 210, _perhaps we have not attained to it; still we have very often made the attempt_.

2151. A new adversative sentence is introduced by #autem#, _again_, #sed#, #vērum#, _but_, #vērō#, _but_, _indeed_, #at#, _but_, or #tamen#, #nihilō minus#, _nevertheless_.

These words when used to connect sentences have the same meaning as when used to connect the parts of a sentence (1676).

2152. #atquī#, rarely #atquīn#, _and yet_, _but_, is used chiefly in dialogue. It introduces a strong objection, sometimes in the form of a conditional protasis. From Cicero on, it is sometimes found after a question, to introduce an earnest denial.

#nōn sum apud mē :: atquī opus est nunc quom maxumē ut sīs#, T. _Ph._ 204, _I’m all abroad :: but that’s just exactly where you must n’t be now_. #nōn vereor condiscipulōrum nē quis exaudiat :: atquī cavendum est#, _Leg._ 1, 21, _I’m not afraid of being overheard by any of my fellow-students :: and yet you must be on your guard_. #sine veniat. atquī sī illam digitō attigerit ūnō, oculī īlicō ecfodientur#, T. _Eu._ 739, _let him come on. But if he lays a finger on the maid, we’ll scratch his eyes out on the spot._ #quid vērō? modum statuārum habērī nūllum placet? atquī habeātur necesse est#, _V._ 2, 144, _what? is there, think you, to be no end to your statues? Yet there must be._

2153. #quamquam#, #etsī#, #tametsī#, _though_, and #nisi#, _but_, are sometimes used to coordinate a new period, correcting the preceding: as,

#carēre sentientis est, nec sēnsus in mortuō, nē carēre quidem igitur in mortuō est. quamquam quid opus est in hōc philosophārī?# _TD._ 1, 88, _foregoing requires a sentient being, and there is no sensation in a dead man; therefore there is no foregoing either in a dead man. And yet what is the use of philosophizing over this?_ #utram mālīs vidē; etsī cōnsilium quod cēpī rēctum esse sciō#, T. _Hau._ 326, _of these two states choose which you will; though I am sure my plan’s the right one_. #cūr ego nōn adsum? tametsī hoc minimē tibī̆ deest#, _Fam._ 2, 7, 2, _why am I not with you? though this is the very last thing you need_. #spērābam dēfervisse adulēscentiam: ecce autem dē integrō! nisi quidquid est, volō hominem convenīre#, T. _Ad._ 152, _I hoped his youthful passion had cooled down; yet here it is afresh! But be it what it may, I want to see the fellow_.

(_c._) CAUSAL AND ILLATIVE.

2154. #nam#, #enim#, _for_, or #namque#, #etenim#, _for you see_, introduces a new period which gives the reason of the foregoing: as,

#quā quidem ex rē hominum multitūdō cōgnōscī potuit: nam minus hōrīs tribus mūnītiōnem perfēcērunt#, 5, 42, 4, _and from this by the way their numbers could be gauged; for they made a breastwork in less than three hours_. #quem meminisse potestis: annō enim ūndēvīcēsimō post eius mortem hī cōnsulēs factī sunt#, _CM._ 14, _you can remember him: for the present consuls were created only nineteen years after his death_.

2155. The originally asseverative meaning of #nam# appears, even in the classical period, in colloquial language: as, #tibī̆ ā mē nūlla ortast iniūria :: nam hercle etiam hoc restat#, T. _Ad._ 189, _I’ve ne’er done you a wanton wrong :: aye verily that’s still to come_. In old Latin, it sometimes introduces a question: as, #nam quae haec anus est?# T. _Ph._ 732, _why, who’s this old woman?_ Frequently it introduces an explanation or illustration, and, from Cicero on, a remark or question made in passing: as, #sīc enim sēsē rēs habet: nam Odyssīa Latīna est sīc tamquam opus Daedalī#, _Br._ 71, _the case stands thus: the Odyssey in Latin is, you may say, a regular work of Daedalus_ (1908). #vīvō Catōne multī ōrātōrēs flōruērunt: nam A. Albīnus#, _Br._ 81, _many orators flourished in Cato’s lifetime: for example, Albinus_. #nam quid dē aedīle loquar?# _Sest._ 95, _for why speak of the aedile?_ #enim# does not differ essentially in use from #nam#; for its meaning in old Latin, see 1688. #namque# is rare until Livy, and usually (always in old Latin) stands before a vowel. #etenim# is common only in classical Latin.

2156. For #quippe#, _why_, often used as a coordinating word, see 1690.

2157. #proinde# or #proin#, _therefore_, _so_, introduces a command or direction based upon the foregoing: as,

#ōrātiōnem spērat invēnisse sē, quī differat tē: proin tū fac apud tē ut siēs#, T. _Andr._ 407, _he trusts he’s found some phrase wherewith he may confound you: so see you have your wits about you_. #frūstrā meae vītae subvenīre cōnāminī. proinde abīte, dum est facultās#, 7, 50, 6, _in vain ye try to save my life. So away, while ye have the power._ #iam undique silvae et sōlitūdō magna cōgitātiōnis incitāmenta sunt. proinde cum vēnābere, licēbit pugillārēs ferās#, Plin. _Ep._ 1, 6, 2, _then again the surrounding woods and the loneliness are powerful stimulants to meditation. So when you go hunting, you can take a note book with you._

2158. A conclusion is denoted by #ergō#, #itaque# or #igitur#, _therefore_, _so_, introducing a new period: as,

#nihil est praestantius deō; ab eō igitur mundum necesse est regī. nūllī igitur est nātūrae subiectus deus. omnem ergō regit ipse nātūram#, _DN._ 2, 77, _nothing is more excellent than god. Therefore the universe must be governed by him. Therefore god is in no respect subject to nature. Consequently he rules all nature himself._ For the position of these words in their clauses, see 1688; for #ergō igitur# and #itaque ergō#, 1689. For #hinc#, #inde#, #eō#, #ideō#, #idcircō#, #proptereā#, as coordinating words, see 1691.

AFFIRMATIVE COORDINATION.

2159. A new sentence affirmative of a foregoing is often introduced by an emphatic #sīc# or #ita#.

These words often introduce a general truth which is deduced from the first statement.

#vīsne igitur tē īnspiciāmus ā puerō? sīc opīnor; ā prīncipiō ōrdiāmur#, _Ph._ 2, 44, _would you like to have us look into your record from boyhood? Yes, I think it would be well; let us begin at the beginning._ #quī dīligēbant hunc, illī favēbant. sīc est volgus: ex vēritāte pauca, ex opīniōne multa aestimat#, _RC._ 29, _everybody who loved him, smiled on the other man. Yes, that is always the way of the world: it seldom judges by truth, often by hearsay._

NOUNS OF THE VERB.

THE INFINITIVE.

2160. The infinitive is in its origin a verbal substantive.

2161. The present infinitive active is an ancient dative, closely resembling in meaning and use the English infinitive with _to_. It originally marked action merely in a general way, without indication of voice or tense. In virtue of this original timeless character, the present often represents action which is really past or future; in such cases the time must be inferred from the context.

2162. The present infinitive active gradually approached the character of a verb, and the original substantive nature being forgotten, it was supplemented by a passive, and by forms for completed and for future action, active and passive.

2163. The infinitive has furthermore two other properties of the verb: (_a._) it is modified by an adverb, not by an adjective; and (_b._) it is followed by the construction of its verb.

OLD AND POETICAL USE OF THE INFINITIVE.

THE INFINITIVE OF PURPOSE.

2164. The infinitive denotes purpose: (_a._) when loosely added to a substantive in old Latin, (_b._) with verbs of motion, #eō#, #veniō#, #currō#, #mittō#, in old or poetical Latin, and (_c._) in the combination #dō bibere#, _give to drink_, in old, colloquial, or poetical Latin: as,

(_a._) #occāsiō benefacta cumulāre#, Pl. _Cap._ 423, _a chance to pile up kindnesses_. Parallel with a gerund: #summa ēlūdendī occāsiōst mihi nunc senēs et Phaedriae cūram adimere argentāriam#, T. _Ph._ 885, _I’ve now a splendid chance the greybeards of eluding and Phaedria to rescue from his money cares_. (_b._) #recurre petere rē recentī#, Pl. _Tri._ 1015, _run back to get it ere it is too late_. #voltisne eāmus vīsere?# T. _Ph._ 102, _do you think we’d better go to call?_ #parasītum mīsī nudiusquārtus Cāriam petere argentum#, Pl. _Cur._ 206, _my parasite I sent four days ago to Caria, to fetch the cash_. #nec dulcēs occurrent ōscula nātī praeripere#, Lucr. 3, 895, _nor shall thy children dear come running kiss on kiss to snatch_. #nōn nōs ferrō Libycōs populāre penātīs vēnimus#, V. 1, 527, _we are not come with steel to harry Libya’s hearths_. (_c._) #bibere dā usque plēnīs cantharīs#, Pl. _Per._ 821, _keep giving on to drink with brimming bowls_. #bibere# is thus used by Plautus, Terence, Cato, and Livy, and by Cicero once with #ministrō#. In classical prose, purpose is expressed by the subjunctive with #ut# or a relative pronoun, or by a gerund or gerundive with #ad# or #causā#.

2165. In poetry, the infinitive of purpose is used with synonymes of #dō# also, and with verbs of leaving, taking away, taking up, &c.

#huic lōrīcam dōnat habēre#, V. 5, 259, _on him a corselet he bestows to wear_. #trīstitiam et metūs trādam protervīs in mare Crēticum portāre ventīs#, H. 1, 26, 1, _sadness and fears I’ll to the wanton winds consign, to sweep into the Cretic sea_. #quis sibi rēs gestās Augustī scrībere sūmit?# H. _E._ 1, 3, 7, _who takes it on himself Augustus’ deeds to pen?_ #quem virum aut hērōa lyrā vel ācrī tībiā sūmis celebrāre?# H. 1, 12, 1, _what hero or what demigod dost thou take up, to ring his praises on the rebec or the piercing pipe?_

THE INFINITIVE WITH ADJECTIVES.

2166. The infinitive is sometimes used with adjectives, chiefly by poets of the Augustan age, and late prose writers, often in imitation of a Greek idiom: as,

#indoctum iuga ferre nostra#, H. 2, 6, 2, _not taught our yoke to bear_. #avidī committere pugnam#, O. 5, 75, _hot to engage in fight_. #sōlī cantāre perītī Arcades#, V. _E._ 10, 32, _Arcadians alone in minstrelsy are skilled_. #vitulus niveus vidērī#, H. 4, 2, 59, _a bullock snow-white to behold_, i.e. #vīsū# (2274). These infinitives are of different kinds, some of them resembling a complementary infinitive, others a gerund or gerundive construction, the supine in #-tū# (#-sū#), &c., &c.

THE ORDINARY USE OF THE INFINITIVE.

2167. The infinitive is ordinarily used either as object or as subject of a verb.

(A.) THE INFINITIVE AS OBJECT.

THE COMPLEMENTARY INFINITIVE.

2168. The present infinitive is often used to complete the meaning of certain kinds of verbs which imply another action of the same subject: as,

#prō Pompēiō ēmorī possum#, _Fam._ 2, 15, 3, _I could die the death for Pompey_ (1495). #quid habēs dīcere?# _Balb._ 33, _what have you to say?_ #scīre volēbat#, _V._ 1, 131, _he wanted to know_. #hoc facere dēbēs#, _RabP._ 7, _you ought to do this_. #Caesar Rhēnum trānsīre dēcrēverat#, 4, 17, 1, _Caesar had resolved to cross the Rhine_. #fugā salūtem petere contendērunt#, 3, 15, 2, _they tried to save themselves by flight_. #num negāre audēs?# _C._ 1, 8, _do you dare deny it?_ #vereor dīcere#, T. _Andr._ 323, _I am afraid to tell_. #num dubitās id facere?# _C._ 1, 13, _do you hesitate to do that?_ #mātūrat ab urbe proficīscī#, 1, 7, 1, _he makes haste to leave Rome_. #Dīviciācus Caesarem obsecrāre coepit#, 1, 20, 1, _Diviciacus began to entreat Caesar_. #Dolābella iniūriam facere persevērat#, _Quint._ 31, _Dolabella persists in doing wrong_. #illī pecūniam pollicērī nōn dēsistunt#, 6, 2, 1, _these people did not stop offering money_. #diem ēdictī obīre neglēxit#, _Ph._ 3, 20, _he failed to keep the day named in the edict_. #īrāscī amīcīs nōn temere soleō#, _Ph._ 8, 16, _I am not apt to get provoked with friends without just cause_. #illī rēgibus pārēre didicerant#, _Ph._ 3, 9, _the men of old were trained to bow the knee to kings_ (1615). #dextram cohibēre mementō#, J. 5, 71, _remember that you keep hands off_.

2169. The verbs or verbal expressions which are supplemented by an infinitive are chiefly such as mean _can_, _will_ or _wish_, _ought_, _resolve_, _endeavour_, _dare_, _fear_, _hesitate_, _hasten_, _begin_, _continue_, _cease_, _neglect_, _am wont_, _learn_, _know how_, _remember_, _forget_, _seem_. The infinitive in this combination contains the leading idea. For the occasional use of the perfect infinitive with some of these verbs, see 2223.

Some of the commonest of these verbs are #possum#, #queō#, #nequeō#; #volō#, #nōlō#, #mālō#, #cupiō#, #studeō#; #dēbeō#; #cōgitō#, #meditor#, #statuō#, #cōnstituō#, #dēcernō#, #parō#; #cōnor#, #nītor#, #contendō#; #audeō#; #vereor#; #cunctor#, #dubitō#, #festīnō#, #mātūrō#, #īnstituō#, #coepī#, #incipiō#, #pergō#, #persevērō#, #dēsinō#, #dēsistō#, #omittō#, #supersedeō#, #neglegō#, #nōn cūrō#; #soleō#, #adsuēscō#, #cōnsuēscō#; #discō#, #sciō#, #nesciō#, #recordor#, #meminī#, #oblīvīscor#; #videor#.

2170. The infinitive is also used with many verbal expressions equivalent to the above verbs, such as #habeō in animō#, #cōnsilium est#, #certum est#, #parātus sum#, &c., &c., or with #parātus# alone, #adsuēfactus#, &c., &c. Furthermore, in poetry and late prose, the place of many of the above verbs is often taken by livelier or fresher synonymes, such as #valeō# for #possum#, from Lucretius on, #ardeō#, _burn_, for #volō#, #cupiō#, or #absiste#, #fuge#, #parce#, &c., for #nōlī# (1584), &c., &c.

2171. A predicate noun used in the construction of the complementary infinitive, is put in the nominative: as,

#Aelius Stōicus esse voluit#, _Br. 206_, _Aelius wanted to be a Stoic_. #esse quam vidērī bonus mālēbat#, S. _C._ 54, 6, _he chose to be good rather than seem good_.

THE ACCUSATIVE WITH THE INFINITIVE.

2172. A very common form of a dependent sentence is that known as the _Accusative with the Infinitive_.

Thus, of the two coordinate sentences #sciō: iocāris tū nunc#, Pl. _Most._ 1081, _I know: you are jesting now_, the second may be put in a dependent form, the two sentences blending into one: #sciō iocārī tē nunc#, _I know you to be jesting now_.

2173. The subject of an infinitive is put in the accusative.

Thus, in #eum vident#, _they see him_, #eum# is the object of #vident# (1134). If #sedēre# is added, #eum vident sedēre#, _V._ 5, 107, _they see him sit_, or _they see that he is sitting_, #eum# is at the same time the object of #vident# and the subject of #sedēre#. But the accusative by degrees becoming detached from the main verb, and closely interlocked with the infinitive, the combination is extended to cases where the main verb is intransitive or passive.

2174. A predicate noun referring to a subject accusative is itself put in the accusative: as,

#tē esse arbitror puerum probum#, Pl. _Most._ 949, _I think you are a good boy_. #nēminem vīvum capī patiuntur#, 8, 35, 5, _they do not allow anybody to be made prisoner alive_ (2198).

VERBS OF PERCEIVING, KNOWING, THINKING, AND SAYING.

2175. The accusative with the infinitive is used with active verbs or verbal expressions of perceiving, knowing, thinking, and saying: as,

#patēre tua cōnsilia nōn sentīs?# _C._ 1, 1, _you don’t feel that your plots are all out?_ #huic fīlium scīs esse?# T. _Hau._ 181, _you are aware that this man has a son?_ #Pompēiōs cōnsēdisse terrae mōtū audīvimus#, Sen. _NQ._ 6, 1, 1, _we have heard that Pompei has been swallowed up by an earthquake_, 63 A.D., 17 years before its utter destruction. #saepe audīvī inter ōs atque offam multa intervenīre posse#, Cato in Gell. 13, 18 (17), 1, _I have often heard ‘’twixt cup and lip there’s many a slip.’_ #dīcit montem ab hostibus tenērī#, 1, 22, 2, _he says the hill is held by the enemy_. #dīxtin dūdum illam dīxisse, sē expectāre fīlium?# T. _Hec._ 451, _didn’t you say a while ago the woman said that she was looking for her son?_

Some of the commonest of these verbs are: (_a._) #audiō#, #animadvertō#, #sentiō#, #videō#. (_b._) #accipiō#, #intellegō#, #sciō#, #nesciō#. (_c._) #arbitror#, #cēnseō#, #cōgitō#, #crēdō#, #exīstimō#, #meminī#, #opīnor#, #putō#, #recordor#, #suspicor#. (_d._) #adfirmō#, #āiō#, #dēmōnstrō#, #dīcō#, #disputō#, #doceō#, #fateor#, #nārrō#, #negō#, #nūntiō#, #ostendō#, #prōmittō#, #scrībō#, #sīgnificō#, #spērō#, #trādō#. (_e._) #rūmor est#, #nōn mē fugit#, #certus sum#, #nōn nescius sum#, &c., &c. Also occasionally verbs used in the sense of _think_ or _say_, as #mittō#, _send word_, and substantives or pronouns expressing a thought or judgement.

2176. The accusative with the infinitive is sometimes introduced by a neuter pronoun, or by #sīc# or #ita#: as, #illud negābis, tē dē rē iūdicātā iūdicāvisse?# _V._ 2, 81, _will you deny this, that you sate in judgement on a matter that was already decided?_ #sīc accēpimus, nūllum bellum fuisse#, _V._ 5, 5, _we have been told this, that there was not any war_. Sometimes by an ablative with #dē#: as, #dē hōc Verrī dīcitur, habēre eum perbona toreumata#, _V._ 4, 38, _about this man report is made to Verres that he had some choice bits of embossed work_.

2177. (1.) Passive verbs of this class are commonly used personally in the third person of the present system, with the subject, and the predicate noun, if used, in the nominative: as,

#hī centum pāgōs habēre dīcuntur#, 4, 1, 4, _these people are said to have a hundred cantons_. #nūlla iam exīstimantur esse iūdicia#, _V. a. pr._ 43, _there are thought to be no courts of law any longer_. #pōns prope effectus nūntiābātur#, Caes. _C._ 1, 62, 3, _the bridge was reported to be well-nigh done_.

2178. Such personal passives are much more common in the writers of Cicero’s day than in old Latin. Particularly so #arguō#, #audiō#, #cōgnōscō#, #comperiō#, #concēdō#, #dēfendō#, #dēmōnstrō#, #dīcō#, #doceō#, #excūsō#, #exīstimō#, #inveniō#, #iūdicō#, #līberō#, #memorō#, #negō#, #nūntiō#, #ostendō#, #postulō#, #putō#, #reperiō#, #trādō#.

2179. (2.) With the first or second person the personal construction is rare: as, #quod nōs bene ēmisse iūdicātī sumus#, _Att._ 1, 13, 6, _that we are thought to have made a good bargain_. #cum inveniāre improbissimā ratiōne esse praedātus#, _V._ 4, 3, _when you prove to have been robbing most abominably_. But with #videor#, _seem_, the personal construction is the rule in all three persons, and in the perfect system as well as the present.

2180. (3.) In the perfect system, and also usually in the gerundive construction (2246), verbs of this class are commonly impersonal: as,

#trāditum est Homērum caecum fuisse#, _TD._ 5, 114, _the tradition is that Homer was blind_. #ubī̆ tyrannus est, ibī̆ dīcendum est nūllam esse rem pūblicam#, _RP._ 3, 43, _wherever there is an absolute ruler, there we must maintain there is no commonwealth_.

2181. (4.) With some verbs of this class, the impersonal construction is preferred even in the present system. Thus, commonly #intellegitur#, _it is understood_, as impersonal; regularly in classical Latin #crēditur#; with a dative in Cicero and Caesar #dīcitur#, #nūntiātur#. The impersonals #cernitur#, #fertur#, #memorātur#, #prōditur#, #vidētur#, are rare.

2182. The personal construction is sometimes extended to other verbs or verbal expressions, especially in poetry: as, #colligor#, O. _A._ 2, 6, 61, _I am inferred_, for #colligitur#. #nōnnūllīs magistrātūs veniēbant in suspīciōnem nōs dēmorātī esse#, Lentulus in _Fam._ 12, 15, 5, _the magistrates were suspected by some of having delayed us_ (1491).

2183. With verbs of thinking and saying the subject accusative is sometimes omitted.

(_a._) Oftenest thus #mē# #nōs#, #tē# #vōs#, or #sē#: as, #stultē fēcisse fateor#, i.e. #mē#, Pl. _B._ 1013, _I own I’ve acted like a fool_. #cōnfitēre vēnisse#, i.e. #tē#, _RA._ 61, _confess you came_. #quae imperārentur facere dīxērunt#, i.e. #sē#, 2, 32, 3, _they said they would do as ordered_ (2221). Often the future without #esse#: as, #refrāctūrōs carcerem minābantur#, i.e. #sē#, L. 6, 17, 6, _they threatened to break the jail open_, (_b._) Less frequently an accusative of #is#: as, #oblītum crēdidī#, i.e. #eum#, _Fam._ 9, 2, 1, _I imagined he had forgotten_. Such omissions are common in old Latin, Cicero, Caesar, Livy, and in poetry.

2184. When the accusative is not expressed, a predicate noun is sometimes put in the nominative, chiefly in poetry, in imitation of a Greek idiom: as,