Chapter 22
with the Dative; as,--
mihi mortem minitātur, _he threatens me with death_ (_threatens death to me_).
III. With many verbs compounded with the prepositions: ad, ante, circum, com,[49] in, inter, ob, post, prae, prō, sub, super.
These verbs fall into two main classes,--
1. Many simple verbs which cannot take a Dative of the indirect object become capable of doing so when compounded with a preposition; as,--
afflīctīs succurrit, _he helps the aflicted_;
exercituī praefuit, _he was in command of the army_;
intersum cōnsiliīs, _I share in the deliberations_.
2. Many transitive verbs which take only a direct object become capable, when compounded, of taking a dative also as indirect object; as,--
pecūniae pudōrem antepōnit, _he puts honor before money_;
inicere spem amīcīs, _to inspire hope in one's friends_;
mūnītiōni Labiēnum praefēcit, _he put Labienus in charge of the fortifications_.
Dative of Reference.
188. 1. The Dative of Reference denotes the person _to whom a statement refers, of whom it is true_, or _to whom it is of interest;_ as,--
mihi ante oculōs versāris, _you hover before my eyes_ (lit. _hover before the eyes to me_);
illī sevēritās amōrem nōn dēminuit, _in his case severity did not diminish love_ (lit. _to him severity did not diminish_);
interclūdere inimīcīs commeātum, _to cut of the supplies of the enemy._
a. Note the phrase alicui interdīcere aquā et īgnī, _to interdict one from fire and water_.
NOTE.--The Dative of Reference, unlike the Dative of Indirect Object, does not modify the verb, but rather the sentence as a whole. It is often used where, according to the English idiom, we should expect a Genitive; so in the first and third of the above examples.
2. Special varieties of the Dative of Reference are--
a) Dative of the Local Standpoint. This is regularly a participle; as,--
oppidum prīmum Thessaliae venientibus ab Ēpīrō, _the first town of Thessaly as you come from Epirus_ (lit. _to those coming from Epirus_).
b) Ethical Dative. This name is given to those Dative constructions of the personal pronouns in which the connection of the Dative with the rest of the sentence is of the very slightest sort; as,--
tū mihi istīus audāciam dēfendis? _tell me, do you defend that man's audacity?_
quid mihi Celsus agit? _what is my Celsus doing?_
c) Dative of Person Judging; as,--
erit ille mihi semper deus, _he will always be a god to me_ (i.e. in my opinion);
quae ista servitūs tam clāro hominī, _how can that be slavery to so illustrious a man_ (i.e. to his mind)!
d) Dative of Separation. Some verbs of _taking away_, especially compounds of ab, dē, ex, ad, govern a Dative of the person, less often of the thing; as,--
honōrem dētrāxērunt hominī, _they took away the honor from the man_;
Caesar rēgī tetrarchiam ēripuit, _Caesar took the tetrarchy away from the king_;
silicī scintillam excūdit, _he struck a spark from the flint_.
Dative of Agency.
189. The Dative is used to denote _agency_--
1. Regularly with the Gerundive; as,--
haec nōbīs agenda sunt, _these things must be done by us_;
mihi eundum est, _I must go_ (lit. _it must be gone by me_).
a. To avoid ambiguity, ā with the Ablative is sometimes used with the Gerundive; as,--
hostibus ā nōbīs parcendum est, _the enemy must be spared by us_.
2. Much less frequently with the compound tenses of the passive voice and the perfect passive participle; as,--
disputātiō quae mihi nūper habita est, _the discussion which was recently conducted by me_.
3. Rarely with the uncompounded tenses of the passive; as,--
honesta bonīs virīs quaeruntur, _noble ends are sought by good men_.
Dative of Possession.
190. The Dative of Possession occurs with the verb esse in such expressions as:--
mihi est liber, _I have a book_;
mihi nōmen est Mārcus, _I have the name Marcus_.
1. But with nōmen est the name is more commonly attracted into the Dative; as, mihi Mārcō nōmen est.
Dative of Purpose or Tendency.
191. The Dative of Purpose or Tendency designates _the end toward which an action is directed_ or _the direction in which it tends_. It is used--
1. Unaccompanied by another Dative; as,--
castrīs locum dēligere, _to choose a place for a camp_;
legiōnēs praesidiō relinquere, _to leave the legions as a guard_ (lit. _for a guard_);
receptuī canere, _to sound the signal for a retreat_.
2. Much more frequently in connection with another Dative of the person:--
a) Especially with some form of esse; as,--
fortūnae tuae mihi cūrae sunt, _your fortunes are a care to me_ (lit. _for a care_);
quibus sunt odiō, _to whom they are an object of hatred_;
cui bonō? _to whom is it of advantage_?
b) With other verbs; as,--
hōs tibi mūnerī mīsit, _he has sent these to you for a present_;
Pausaniās Atticīs vēnit auxiliō, _Pausanias came to the aid of the Athenians_ (lit. _to the Athenians for aid_).
3. In connection with the Gerundive; as,--
decemvirī lēgibus scrībundīs, _decemvirs for codifying the laws_;
mē gerendō bellō ducem creāvēre, _me they have made leader for carrying on the war_.
NOTE.--This construction with the gerundive is not common till Livy.
Dative with Adjectives.
192. The use of the Dative with Adjectives corresponds very closely to its use with verbs. Thus:--
1. Corresponding to the Dative of Indirect Object it occurs with adjectives signifying: _friendly_, _unfriendly_, _similar_, _dissimilar_, _equal_, _near_, _related to_, etc.; as,--
mihi inimīcus, _hostile to me_;
sunt proximī Germānis, _they are next to the Germans_;
noxiae poena pār estō, _let the penalty be equal to the damage_.
a. For propior and proximus with the Accusative, see § 141, 3.
2. Corresponding to the Dative of Purpose, the Dative occurs with adjectives signifying: _suitable_, _adapted_, _fit_; as,--
castrīs idōneus locus, _a place fit for a camp_;
apta diēs sacrificiō, _a day suitable for a sacrifice_.
NOTE.--Adjectives of this last class often take the Accusative with ad.
Dative of Direction.
193. In the poets the Dative is occasionally used to denote the _direction of motion_; as,--
it clāmor caelō, _the shout goes heavenward_;
cinerēs rīvō fluentī jace, _cast the ashes toward a flowing stream_.
1. By an extension of this construction the poets sometimes use the Dative to denote the _limit of motion_; as,--
dum Latiō deōs īnferret, _till he should bring his gods to Latium_.
* * * * *
THE GENITIVE.
194. The Genitive is used with Nouns, Adjectives, and Verbs.
GENITIVE WITH NOUNS.
195. With Nouns the Genitive is _the case which defines the meaning of the limited noun more closely_. This relation is generally indicated in English by the preposition of. There are the following varieties of the Genitive with Nouns:--
Genitive of Origin, Objective Genitive, Genitive of Material, Genitive of the Whole, Genitive of Possession, Appositional Genitive, Subjective Genitive, Genitive of Quality.
196. Genitive of Origin; as,--
Mārcī fīlius, _the son of Marcus_.
197. Genitive of Material; as,--
talentum aurī, _a talent of gold_;
acervus frūmentī, _a pile of grain_.
198. Genitive of Possession or Ownership; as,--
domus Cicerōnis, _Cicero's house_.
1. Here belongs the Genitive with causā and grātiā. The Genitive always precedes; as,--
hominum causā, _for the sake of men_;
meōrum amīcōrum grātiā, _for the sake of my friends_.
2. The Possessive Genitive is often used predicatively, especially with esse and fierī; as,--
domus est rēgis, _the house is the king's_;
stultī est in errōre manēre, _it is (the part) of a fool to remain in error_;
dē bellō jūdicium imperātōris est, nōn mīlitum, _the decision concerning war belongs to the general, not to the soldiers_.
a. For the difference in force between the Possessive Genitive and the Dative of Possession, see § 359, 1.
199. Subjective Genitive. This denotes _the person who makes or produces something or who has a feeling_; as,--
dicta Platōnis, _the utterances of Plato_;
timōrēs līberōrum, _the fears of the children_.
200. Objective Genitive. This denotes _the object of an action or feeling_; as,--
metus deōrum, _the fear of the gods_;
amor lībertātis, _love of liberty_;
cōnsuētūdō bonōrum hominum, _intercourse with good men_.
1. This relation is often expressed by means of prepositions; as,--
amor ergā parentēs, _love toward one's parents_.
201. Genitive of the Whole. This designates the _whole_ of which a part is taken. It is used--
1. With Nouns, Pronouns, Comparatives, Superlatives, and Ordinal Numerals; as,--
magna pars hominum, _a great part of mankind_;
duo mīlia peditum, _two thousand foot-soldiers_;
quis mortālium, _who of mortals?_
major frātrum, _the elder of the brothers_;
gēns maxima Germānōrum, _the largest tribe of the Germans_;
prīmus omnium, _the first of all_.
a. Yet instead of the Genitive of the Whole we often find ex or dē with the Ablative, regularly so with Cardinal numbers and quīdam; as,--
fidēlissimus dē servīs, _the most trusty of the slaves_;
quīdam ex amīcīs, _certain of his friends_;
ūnus ex mīlitibus, _one of the soldiers_.
b. In English we often use _of_ where there is no relation of whole to part. In such cases the Latin is more exact, and does not use the Genitive; as,--
quot vōs estis, _how many of you are there?_
trecentī conjūrāvimus, _three hundred of us have conspired_ (i.e. we, three hundred in number).
2. The Genitive of the Whole is used also with the Nominative or Accusative Singular Neuter of Pronouns, or of Adjectives used substantively; also with the Adverbs parum, satis, and partim when used substantively; as,--
quid cōnsilī, _what purpose?_
tantum cibī, _so much food_;
plūs auctōritātis, _more authority_;
minus labōris, _less labor_;
satis pecūniae, _enough money_;
parum industriae, _too little industry_.
a. An Adjective of the second declension used substantively may be employed as a Genitive of the Whole; as, nihil bonī, _nothing good_.
b. But Adjectives of the third declension agree directly with the noun they limit; as, nihil dulcius, _nothing sweeter_.
3. Occasionally we find the Genitive of the Whole dependent upon Adverbs of place; as,--
ubi terrārum? ubi gentium? _where in the world?_
a. By an extension of this usage the Genitive sometimes occurs in dependence upon prīdiē and postrīdiē, but only in the phrases prīdiē ejus diēī, _on the day before that_; postrīdiē ejus diēī, _on the day after that_.
202. Appositional Genitive. The Genitive sometimes has the force of an appositive; as,--
nōmen rēgis, _the name of king_;
poena mortis, _the penalty of death_;
ars scrībendī, _the art of writing_.
203. Genitive of Quality. The Genitive modified by an Adjective is used to denote quality. This construction presents several varieties. Thus it is used--
1. To denote some internal or permanent characteristic of a person or thing; as,--
vir magnae virtūtis, _a man of great virtue_;
ratiōnēs ejus modī, _considerations of that sort_.
a. Only a limited number of Adjectives occur in this construction, chiefly magnus, maximus, summus, tantus, along with ejus.
2. To denote measure (_breadth_, _length_, etc.); as,--
fossa quīndecim pedum, _a trench fifteen feet wide_ (or _deep_);
exsilium decem annōrum, _an exile of ten years_.
3. Equivalent to the Genitive of Quality (though probably of different origin) are the Genitives tantī, quantī, parvī, magnī, minōris, plūris, minimī, plūrimī, maximī. These are used predicatively to denote _indefinite value_; as,--
nūlla studia tantī sunt, _no studies are of so much value_;
magnī opera ejus exīstimāta est, _his assistance was highly esteemed_.
4. By an extension of the notion of _value_, quantī, tantī, plūris, and minōris are also used with verbs of _buying_ and _selling_, to denote _indefinite price_; as,--
quantī aedēs ēmistī, _at how high a price did you purchase the house?_
5. Any of the above varieties of the Genitive of Quality may be used predicatively; as,--
tantae mōlis erat Rōmānam condere gentem, _of so great difficulty was it to found the Roman race_.
GENITIVE WITH ADJECTIVES.
204. The Genitive is used with many Adjectives _to limit the extent of their application_. Thus:--
1. With adjectives signifying _desire_, _knowledge_, _familiarity_, _memory_, _participation_, _power_, _fullness_, and their opposites; as,--
studiōsus discendī, _desirous of learning_;
perītus bellī, _skilled in war_;
īnsuētus labōris, _unused to toil_;
immemor mandātī tuī, _unmindful of your commission_;
plēna perīculōrum est vīta, _life is full of dangers_.
a. Some participles used adjectively also take the Genitive; as,--
diligēns vēritātis, _fond of truth_;
amāns patriae, _devoted to one's country_.
2. Sometimes with proprius and commūnis; as,--
virī propria est fortitūdō, _bravery is characteristic of a man_.
memoria est commūnis omnium artium, _memory is common to all professions_.
a. proprius and commūnis are also construed with the Dative.
3. With similis the Genitive is the commoner construction in Cicero, when the reference is to living objects; as,--
fīlius patris simillimus est, _the son is exactly like his father_;
meī similis, _like me_; vestrī similis, _like you_.
When the reference is to things, both Genitive and Dative occur; as,--
mors somnō (or somnī) similis est, _death is like sleep_.
4. In the poets and later prose writers the use of the Genitive with Adjectives is extended far beyond earlier limits; as, atrōx animī, _fierce of temper_; incertus cōnsilī, _undecided in purpose_.
GENITIVE WITH VERBS.
205. The Genitive is used with the following classes of Verbs:--
_Memini_, _Reminīscor_, _Oblīvīscor_.
206. 1. WHEN REFERRING TO PERSONS--
a. meminī always takes the Genitive of personal or reflexive pronouns; as,--
meī meminerīs, _remember me_!
nostrī meminit, _he remembers us_.
With other words denoting persons meminī takes the Accusative, rarely the Genitive; as,--
Sullam meminī, _I recall Sulla_;
vīvōrum meminī, _I remember the living_.
b. oblīvīscor regularly takes the Genitive; as,--
Epicūrī nōn licet oblīvīscī, _we mustn't forget Epicurus_.
2. WHEN REFERRING TO THINGS, meminī, reminīscor, oblīvīscor take sometimes the Genitive, sometimes the Accusative, without difference of meaning; as,--
animus praeteritōrum meminit, _the mind remembers the past_;
meministīne nōmina, _do you remember the names?_
reminīscere veteris incommodī, _remember the former disaster_;
reminīscēns acerbitātem, _remembering the bitterness_.
a. But neuter pronouns, and adjectives used substantively, regularly stand in the Accusative; as,--
haec meminī, _I remember this;_
multa reminīscor, _I remember many things._
3. The phrase mihi (tibi, etc.) in mentem venit, following the analogy of meminī, takes the Genitive; as,--
mihi patriae veniēbat in mentem, _I remembered my country._
_Admoneō_, _Commoneō_, _Commonefaciō._
207. These verbs, in addition to an Accusative of the person, occasionally take a Genitive of the thing; as,--
tē veteris amīcitiae commonefaciō, _I remind you of our old friendship._
a. But more frequently (in Cicero almost invariably) these verbs take dē with the Ablative; as,--
mē admonēs dē sorōre, _you remind me of your sister._
b. A neuter pronoun or adjective used substantively regularly stands in the Accusative (§ 178, 1, d); as,--
tē hōc admoneō, _I give you this warning._
Verbs of Judicial Action.
208. 1. Verbs of _Accusing_, _Convicting_, _Acquitting_ take the Genitive of the _charge_; as,--
mē fūrtī accūsat, _he accuses me of theft_;
Verrem avāritiae coarguit, _he convicts Verres of avarice_;
impietātis absolūtus est, _he was acquitted of blasphemy_.
2. Verbs of _Condemning_ take--
a. The Genitive of the _charge_; as,--
pecūniae pūblicae condemnātus, _condemned (on the charge) of embezzlement_ (lit. _public money_);
capitis damnātus, _condemned on a capital charge_ (lit. _on a charge involving his head_).
b. The Ablative of the _penalty;_ as,--
capite damnātus est, _he was condemned to death_;
mīlle nummīs damnātus est, _he was condemned (to pay) a thousand sesterces_ (lit. _by a thousand sesterces_, Abl. of Means).
3. Note the phrases:--
vōtī damnātus, vōtī reus, _having attained one's prayer_ (lit. _condemned on the score of one's vow_);
dē vī, (_accused_, _convicted_, etc.) _of assault_;
inter sīcāriōs, (_accused_, _convicted_, etc.) _of murder_.
Genitive with Impersonal Verbs.
209. 1. The Impersonals pudet, paenitet, miseret, taedet, piget take the Accusative of _the person affected_, along with the Genitive _of the person or thing toward whom the feeling is directed_; as,--
pudet mē tuī, _I am ashamed of you_ (lit. _it shames me of you_);
paenitet mē hūjus factī, _I repent of this act_;
eum taedet vītae, _he is weary of life_;
pauperum tē miseret, _you pity the poor_.
a. Instead of the Genitive of the thing we often find an Infinitive or Neuter Pronoun used as subject of the verb. Thus;--
mē paenitet hōc fēcisse, _I repent of having done this_;
mē hōc pudet, _I am ashamed of this_.
2. Misereor and miserēscō also govern the Genitive; as,--
miserēminī sociōrum, _pity the allies_.
_Interest_, _Rēfert._
210. With interest, _it concerns_, three points enter into consideration; viz.--
a) the _person concerned_; b) the _thing about which_ he is concerned; c) the _extent_ of his concern.
211. 1. The _person concerned_ is regularly denoted by the Genitive; as,--
patris interest, _it concerns the father_.
a. But instead of the Genitive of the personal pronouns, meī, tuī, nostrī, vestrī, the Latin uses the Ablative Singular Feminine of the Possessive, viz.: meā, tuā, etc.; as,--
meā interest, _it concerns me_.
2. The _thing about which_ a person is concerned is denoted--
a) by a Neuter Pronoun as subject; as,--
hōc reī pūblicae interest, _this concerns the state_.
b) by an Infinitive; as,--
omnium interest valēre, _it concerns all to keep well_.
c) by an Indirect Question; as,--
meā interest quandō veniās, _I am concerned as to when you are coming_.
3. The _degree of concern_ is denoted--
a) by the Genitive (cf. § 203, 3): magnī, parvī, etc.; as,--
meā magnī interest, _it concerns me greatly_.
b) by the Adverbs, magnopere, magis, maximē, etc.; as,--
cīvium minimē interest, _it concerns the citizens very little_.
c) by the Neuters, multum, plūs, minus, etc.; as,--
multum vestrā interest, _it concerns you much_.
4. Rēfert follows interest in its construction, except that it rarely takes the Genitive of the person. Thus:--
meā rēfert, _it concerns me_;
but rarely illīus rēfert, _it concerns him_.
Genitive with Other Verbs.
212. 1. Verbs of _Plenty_ and _Want_ sometimes govern the Genitive; as,--
pecūniae indigēs, _you need money_.
a. These verbs more commonly take the Ablative (§ 214, 1); indigeō is the only verb which has a preference for the Genitive.
2. Potior, though usually followed by the Ablative, sometimes takes the Genitive, almost always so in Sallust; and regularly in the phrase potīrī rērum, _to get control of affairs_.
3. In poetry some verbs take the Genitive in imitation of the Greek; as,--
dēsine querellārum, _cease your complaints_;
operum solūtī, _freed from their tasks_.
* * * * *
THE ABLATIVE.
213. The Latin Ablative unites in itself three cases which were originally distinct both in form and in meaning; viz.--
The Ablative or from-case. The Instrumental or with-case. The Locative or where-case.
The uses of the Latin Ablative accordingly fall into Genuine Ablative uses, Instrumental uses, and Locative uses.
GENUINE ABLATIVE USES.
Ablative of Separation.
214. The Ablative of Separation is construed sometimes with, sometimes without, a preposition.
1. The following words regularly take the Ablative without a preposition:--
a) The Verbs of _freeing_: līberō, solvō, levō;
b) The Verbs of _depriving_: prīvō, spoliō, exuō, fraudō, nūdō;
c) The Verbs of _lacking_: egeō, careō, vacō;
d) The corresponding Adjectives, līber, inānis, vacuus, nūdus,
and some others of similar meaning.
Thus:--
cūrīs līberātus, _freed from cares_;
Caesar hostēs armīs exuit, _Caesar stripped the enemy of their arms_;
caret sēnsū commūnī, _he lacks common sense_;
auxiliō eget, _he needs help_;
bonōrum vīta vacua est metū, _the life of the good is free from fear_.
NOTE 1.--Yet Adjectives and līberō may take the preposition ab,--regularly so with the Ablative of persons; as,--
urbem ā tyrannō līberārunt, _they freed the city from the tyrant._
NOTE 2.--Indigeō usually takes the Genitive. See § 212, 1, a.
2. Of Verbs signifying _to keep from_, _to remove_, _to withdraw_, some take the preposition, others omit it. The same Verb often admits both constructions. Examples:--
abstinēre cibō, _to abstain from food;_
hostēs fīnibus prohibuērunt, _they kept the enemy from their borders_;
praedōnēs ab īnsulā prohibuit, _he kept the pirates from the island_.
3. Other Verbs of separation usually take the Ablative with a Prepositon, particularly compounds of dis- and sē-; as,--
dissentiō ā tē, _I dissent from you_;
sēcernantur ā nōbīs, _let them be separated from us_.
4. The Preposition is freely omitted in poetry.
Ablative of Source.
215. The Ablative of Source is used with the participles nātus and ortus (in poetry also with ēditus, satus, and some others), to designate _parentage_ or _station_; as,--
Jove nātus, _son of Jupiter_;
summō locō nātus, _high-born_ (lit. _born from a very high place_);
nōbilī genere ortus, _born of a noble family_.
1. Pronouns regularly (nouns rarely) take ex; as,
ex mē nātus, _sprung from me_.
2. To denote remoter descent, ortus ab, or oriundus (with or without ab), is used; as,--
ab Ulixe oriundus, _descended from Ulysses_.
Ablative of Agent.
216. The Ablative accompanied by ā (ab) is used with passive verbs to denote the _personal agent_; as,--
ā Caesare accūsātus est, _he was arraigned by Caesar_.
1. Collective nouns referring to persons, and abstract nouns when personified, may be construed as the personal agent. Thus:--
hostēs ā fortūnā dēserēbantur, _the enemy were deserted by Fortune_;
ā multitūdine hostium mōntēs tenēbantur, _the mountains were held by a multitude of the enemy_.
2. Names of animals sometimes admit the same construction. Thus:--
ā canibus laniātus est, _he was torn to pieces by dogs_.
Ablative of Comparison.
217. 1. The Ablative is often used with Comparatives in the sense of _than_; as,--
melle dulcior, _sweeter than honey_;
patria mihi vītā cārior est, _my country is dearer to me than life_.
2. This construction, as a rule, occurs only as a substitute for quam (_than_) with the Nominative or Accusative. In other cases quam must be used; as,--
tuī studiōsior sum quam illīus, _I am fonder of you than of him_.
--Studiōsior illō would have meant, _I am fonder of you than he is_.
Plūs, minus, amplius, longius are often employed as the equivalents of plūs quam, minus quam, etc. Thus:--
amplius vīgintī urbēs incenduntur, _more than twenty cities are fired_;
minus quīnque mīlia prōcessit, _he advanced less than five miles_.
3. Note the use of opīniōne with Comparatives; as,--
opīniōne celerius venit, _he comes more quickly than expected_ (lit. _than opinion_).
INSTRUMENTAL USES OF THE ABLATIVE.
Ablative of Means.
218. The Ablative is used to denote _means_ or _instrument_; as,--
Alexander sagittā vulnerātus est, _Alexander was wounded by an arrow_.
There are the following special varieties of this Ablative:--
1. Ūtor, fruor, fungor, potior, vescor, and their compounds take the Ablative; as,--
dīvitiīs ūtitur, _he uses his wealth_ (lit. _he benefits himself by his wealth_);
vītā fruitur, _he enjoys life_ (lit. _he enjoys himself by life_);
mūnere fungor, _I perform my duty_ (lit. _I busy myself with duty_);
carne vescuntur, _they eat flesh_ (lit. _feed themselves by means of_);
castrīs potītus est, _he got possession of the camp_ (lit. _made himself powerful by the camp_).
a.. Potior sometimes governs the Genitive. See § 212, 2.
2. With opus est (rarely ūsus est), _there is need_; as,--
duce nōbīs opus est, _we need a leader_.
a. A Neuter Pronoun or Adjective often stands as subject with opus as predicate. Thus:--
hōc mihi opus est, _this is necessary for me_.
b. An ordinary substantive rarely stands as subject. Thus dux nōbīs opus est is a rare form of expression.