Chapter XIV: Part 14

#hīs aliās poteram subnectere causās; sed eundum est#, J. 3, 315, _to these I might add other grounds; but I must go_. The context must determine whether the imperfect relates (_a._) to action not performed either in the present as here, or in the past as in 1495, or (_b._) to action performed in the past: as, #sollicitāre poterat, audēbat#, _C._ 3, 16, _he had at once the assurance and the ability to play the tempter’s part_.

1498. Forms of #possum# are sometimes put in the subjunctive (1554). Thus, #possim#, &c., often (1556), also #possem#, &c., usually of present time (1560), less frequently of past time (1559), #potuissem#, &c., particularly in sentences of negative import (1561), rarely #potuerim#, &c. (1558). Sometimes also #dēbērem#, &c., of present time (1560), #dēbuissem#, &c., chiefly in apodosis.

QUESTIONS.

1499. The indicative is the mood ordinarily used in enquiries and in exclamations: as,

(_a._) #huic ego ‘studēs?’ inquam. respondit ‘etiam.’ ‘ubī̆?’ ‘Mediōlānī.’ ‘cūr nōn hīc?’ ‘quia nūllōs hīc praeceptōrēs habēmus,’# Plin. _Ep._ 4, 13, 3, _said I to the boy, ‘do you go to school?’ ‘yes, sir,’ said he; ‘where?’ ‘at Mediolanum;’ ‘why not here?’ ‘oh because we haven’t any teachers here.’_ (_b._) #ut ego tuum amōrem et dolōrem dēsīderō#, _Att._ 3, 11, 12, _how I always feel the absence of your affectionate sympathy_.

1500. Questions and exclamations are used much more freely in Latin than in English. Particularly common are two questions, of which the first is short and general, leading up to the real question: as,

#sed quid ais? ubi nunc adulēscēns habet?# Pl. _Tri._ 156, _but tell me, where is the youngster living now?_ #estne? vīcī? et tibī̆ saepe litterās dō?# Cael. in _Fam._ 8, 3, 1, _is it true? have I beaten? and do I write to you often?_ The real question is often preceded by #quid est#, #quid dīcis#, or by #quid#, #quid vērō#, #quid tum#, #quid posteā#, #quid igitur#, #quid ergō#, &c., &c.: as, #quid? canis nōnne similis lupō?# _DN._ 1, 97, _why, is not the dog like the wolf?_

1501. There are two kinds of questions: (1.) Such questions as call for the answer _yes_ or _no_ in English: as, _is he gone?_ These may conveniently be called _Yes or No Questions_. (2.) Questions introduced by an interrogative pronoun, or by a word derived from an interrogative pronoun: as, _who is gone?_ _where is he?_ These are called _Pronoun Questions_.

YES OR NO QUESTIONS.

1502. (1.) Yes or No questions are sometimes put without any interrogative particle: as,

#Thraex est Gallīna Syrō pār?# H. _S._ 2, 5, 44, of two gladiators, _is Thracian Bantam for the Syrian a match?_ Often intimating censure: as, #rogās?# Pl. _Aul._ 634, _dost ask?_ or _what an absurd question_. #prōmpsistī tū illī vīnum? :: nōn prōmpsī#, Pl. _MG._ 830, _thou hast been broaching wine for him? :: not I_. Especially with #nōn#: as, #patēre tua cōnsilia nōn sentīs?# _C._ 1, 1, _you don’t see that your schemes are out?_ It is often doubtful whether such sentences are questions, exclamations, or declarations.

1503. (2.) Yes or No questions are usually introduced by one of the interrogative particles #-ne# or #-n#, #nōnne#, #num#, #an#, #anne#.

1504. A question with #-ne# or #-n# may enquire simply, without any implication as to the character of the answer, or it may either expect an affirmative answer like #nōnne#, or less frequently a negative answer like #num#: as,

(_a._) #valen?# Pl. _Tri._ 50, _art well?_ #habētin aurum?# Pl. _B._ 269, _have you got the gold?_ (_b._) #iussīn in splendōrem darī bullās hās foribus?# Pl. _As._ 426, _didn’t I give orders to polish up the bosses of the door?_ #facitne ut dixī?# Pl. _Am._ 526, _isn’t he acting as I said?_ (_c._) #istō immēnsō spatiō quaerō, Balbe, cūr Pronoea vestra cessāverit. labōremne fugiēbat?# _DN._ 1, 22, _I want to know, Balbus, why your people’s Providence lay idle all that immeasurable time; it was work she was shirking, was it?_ #quid, mundum praeter hunc umquamne vīdistī? negābis#, _DN._ 1, 96, _tell me, did you ever see any universe except this one? you will say no_.

1505. Sometimes the #-ne# of an interrogative sentence is transferred to a following relative, chiefly in Plautus and Terence: as, #rogās? quīne arrabōnem ā mē accēpistī ob mulierem?# Pl. _R._ 860, _how can you ask, when you have got the hansel for the girl from me?_ Similarly, #ō sērī studiōrum, quīne putētis difficile#, H. _S._ 1, 10, 21, _what laggards at your books, to think it hard_, i.e. #nōnne estis sērī studiōrum, quī putētis difficile?# Compare 1569.

1506. To a question with #nōnne#, a positive answer is usually expected, seldom a negative: as,

(_a._) #nōnne meministī? :: meminī vērō#, _TD._ 2, 10, _don’t you remember? :: oh yes_. Sometimes a second or third question also has #nōnne#, but oftener #nōn#: as, #nōnne ad tē L. Lentulus, nōn Q. Sanga, nōn L. Torquātus vēnit?# _Pis._ 77, _did not Lentulus and Sanga and Torquatus come to see you?_ (_b._) #nōnne cōgitās?# _RA._ 80, _do you bear in mind?_ #nōnne# is rare in Plautus, comparatively so in Terence, but very common in classical Latin.

1507. To a question with #num# a negative answer is generally expected. Less frequently either a positive or a negative answer indifferently: as,

(_a._) #num negāre audēs?# _C._ 1, 8, _do you undertake to deny it?_ #num, tibi cum faucēs ūrit sitis, aurea quaeris pōcula?# H. _S._ 1, 2, 114, _when thirst thy throat consumes, dost call for cups of gold?_ Rarely #numne#: as, #quid, deum ipsum numne vīdistī?# _DN._ 1, 88, _tell me, did you ever see god in person?_ (_b._) #sed quid ais? num obdormīvistī dūdum?# Pl. _Am._ 620, _but harkee, wert asleep a while ago?_ #numquīd vīs?# Pl. _Tri._ 192, _hast any further wish?_

1508. A question with #an#, less often #anne#, or if negative, with #an nōn#, usually challenges or comments emphatically on something previously expressed or implied: as,

#an habent quās gallīnae manūs?# Pl. _Ps._ 29, _what, what, do hens have hands?_ #an# is also particularly common in argumentative language, in anticipating, criticising, or refuting an opponent: as, #quid dīcis? an bellō Siciliam virtūte tuā līberātam?# _V._ 1, 5, _what do you say? possibly that it was by your prowess that Sicily was rid of the war?_ #at vērō Cn. Pompēī voluntātem ā mē aliēnābat ōrātiō mea. an ille quemquam plūs dīlēxit?# _Ph._ 2, 38, _but it may be urged that my way of speaking estranged Pompey from me. why, was there anybody the man loved more?_ In old Latin, #an# is oftener used in a single than in an alternative question, while in classical Latin it is rather the reverse.

1509. (3.) Yes or No questions are sometimes introduced by #ecquis#, #ecquō#, #ecquandō#, or #ēn umquam#: as,

_heus, ecquis hīc est?_ Pl. _Am._ 420, _hollo, is e’er a person here?_ #ecquid animadvertis hōrum silentium?# _C._ 1, 20, _do you possibly observe the silence of this audience?_ (1144). #ō pater, ēn umquam aspiciam tē?# Pl. _Tri._ 588, _O father, shall I ever set mine eyes on thee?_

1510. (4.) In Plautus, #satin# or #satin ut#, _really_, _actually_, sometimes becomes a mere interrogative or exclamatory particle: as, #satin abiīt ille?# Pl. _MG._ 481, _has that man really gone his way?_

[Errata:
1507a ... H. _S._ 1, 2, 114
H _S._
_DN._ 1, 88
_DN_]

POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ANSWERS.

1511. There are no two current Latin words corresponding exactly with _yes_ and _no_ in answers.

1512. (1.) A positive answer is expressed by some emphatic word of the question, repeated with such change as the context may require: as,

#an nōn dīxī esse hoc futūrum? :: dīxtī#, T. _Andr._ 621, _didn’t I say that this would be? :: you did_. #hūc abiīt Clītiphō :: sōlus? :: sōlus#, T. _Hau._ 904, _here Clitipho repaired :: alone? :: alone_. The repeated word may be emphasized by #sānē#, #vērō#: as, #dāsne manēre animōs post mortem? :: dō vērō#, _TD._ 1, 25, _do you grant that the soul lives on after death? :: oh yes_. Often, however, adverbs are used, without the repetition, such as #certē#, #certō#, #etiam#, #factum#, #ita#, #ita enimvērō#, #ita vērō#, #sānē#, #sānē quidem#, #scīlicet#, _oh of course_, #vērō#, rarely #vērum#.

1513. (2.) A negative answer is expressed by a similar repetition, with #nōn# or some other negative added: as,

#estne frāter intus? :: nōn est#, T. _Ad._ 569. _is brother in? :: he’s not_. Or, without repetition, by such words as #nōn#, #nōn ita#, #nōn quidem#, #nōn hercle vērō#, #minimē#, #minimē quidem#, #minimē vērō#, #nihil minus#.

1514. #immō# introduces a sentence rectifying a mistake, implied doubt, or understatement in a question: as, #nūllane habēs vitia? :: immō alia, et fortasse minōra#, H. _S._ 1, 3, 20, _have you no faults? :: I beg your pardon, other faults, and peradventure lesser ones_. #causa igitur nōn bona est? immō optima#, _Att._ 9, 7, 4, _isn’t the cause a good one then? good? yes, more than good, very good_.

ALTERNATIVE QUESTIONS.

1515. The alternative question belongs properly under the head of the compound sentence. But as the interrogative particles employed in the single question are also used in the alternative question, the alternative question is most conveniently considered here.

1516. In old English, the first of two alternative questions is often introduced by the interrogative particle _whether_, and the second by _or_: as, _whether is it easier to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee, or to say Arise?_ In modern English, _whether_ is not used thus.

1517. The history of the Latin alternative question is just the reverse of the English. In old Latin, the first question is very often put without any interrogative particle. Later, in the classical period, the use of #-ne#, or oftener of #utrum#, etymologically the same as _whether_, is overwhelmingly predominant.

1518. In the simplest form of the alternative sentence, neither question is introduced by an interrogative particle: as,

#quid agō? adeō, maneō?# T. _Ph._ 736, _what shall I do? go up and speak, or wait?_ (1531).

1519. Of two alternative questions, the first either has no interrogative particle at all, or is more commonly introduced by #utrum#, #-ne#, or #-n#. The second is introduced by #an#, rarely by #anne#, or if it is negative, by #an nōn#: as,

(_a._) #album an ātrum vīnum pōtās?# Pl. _Men._ 915, _do you take light wine or dark?_ #Tacitus es an Plīnius?# Plin. _Ep._ 9, 23, 3, _are you Tacitus or Pliny?_ #sortiētur an nōn?# _PC._ 37, _will he draw lots or not?_ (_b._) #iam id porrō utrum libentēs an invītī dabant?# _V._ 3, 118, _then furthermore did they offer it voluntarily or did they consent to give it under stress?_ #utrum cētera nōmina in cōdicem acceptī et expēnsī dīgesta habēs an nōn?# _RC._ 9, _have you all other items methodically posted in your ledger or not?_ (_c._) #servosne es an līber?# Pl. _Am._ 343, _art bond or free?_ #esne tū an nōn es ab illō mīlitī Macedoniō?# Pl. _Ps._ 616, _art thou or art thou not the Macedonian captain’s man?_ #videōn Clīniam an nōn?# T. _Hau._ 405, _do I see Clinia or not?_

1520. #necne# for #an nōn# is rare: as, #sēmina praetereā linquontur necne animāī corpore in exanimō?# Lucr. 3, 713, _are seeds moreover left or not of soul within the lifeless frame?_ Twice in Cicero: as, #sunt haec tua verba necne?# _TD._ 3, 41, _are these your words or not?_ But #necne# is common in indirect questions.

1521. Instead of a single second question with #an#, several questions may be used if the thought requires it, each introduced by #an#.

1522. Sometimes an introductory #utrum# precedes two alternative questions with #-ne# and #an#: as, #utrum tū māsne an fēmina ’s?# Pl. _R._ 104, _which is it, art thou man or maid?_ This construction has its origin in questions in which #utrum# is used as a live pronoun: as, #utrum māvīs? statimne nōs vēla facere an paululum rēmigāre?# _TD._ 4, 9, _which would you rather do, have us make sail at once, or row just a little bit?_ In Horace and late prose, #utrumne . . . an# is found a few times.

1523. Sometimes a second alternative question is not put at all: as, #utrum hōc bellum nōn est?# _Ph._ 8, 7, in old English, _whether is not this war?_

1524. Two or more separate questions asked with #-ne . . . -ne#, or with #num ... num#, must not be mistaken for alternative questions: as, #num Homērum, num Hēsiodum coēgit obmūtēscere senectūs?# _CM._ 23, _did length of days compel either Homer or Hesiod to hush his voice?_ (1692).

1525. An alternative question is answered by repeating one member or some part of it, with such changes as the context may require.

PRONOUN QUESTIONS.

1526. Pronoun questions or exclamations are introduced by interrogative pronouns, or words of pronoun origin.

Such words are: (_a._) #quis#, #quī#, #quoius#, #uter#, #quālis#, #quantus#, #quotus#: as, #quid rīdēs?# H. _S._ 2, 5, 3, _why dost thou laugh?_ (1144). #uter est īnsānior hōrum?# H. _S._ 2, 3, 102, _which of these is the greater crank?_ #hōra quota est?# H. _S._ 2, 6, 44, _what’s o’clock?_ (_b._) Or #unde#, #ubī̆#, #quō#, #quōr# or #cūr#, #quī# ablative, _how_, #quīn#, _why not_, #quam#, _how_, #quandō#, #quotiēns#: as, #unde venīs et quō tendis?# H. _S._ 1, 9, 62, _whence dost thou come, and whither art thou bound?_ #deus fallī quī potuit?# _DN._ 3, 76, _how could a god have been taken in?_ (1495). #quam bellum erat cōnfitērī nescīre#, _DN._ 1, 84, _how pretty it would have been to own up that you did not know_ (1495).

1527. Sometimes #quīn# loses its interrogative force, and introduces an impatient imperative, particularly in Plautus and Terence, or an indicative of sudden declaration of something obvious or startling: as,

(_a._) #quīn mē aspice#, Pl. _Most._ 172, _why look me over, won’t you?_ i.e. #mē aspice, quīn aspicis?# So twice in Cicero’s orations. (_b._) #quīn discupiō dīcere#, Pl. _Tri._ 932, _why I am bursting with desire to tell_.

1528. In Plautus, Terence, Horace, and Livy, #ut#, _how_, also is used in questions: as, #ut valēs?# Pl. _R._ 1304, _how do you do?_ #ut sēsē in Samniō rēs habent?# L. 10, 18, 11, _how is every thing in Samnium?_ Very commonly, and in Cicero only so, in exclamations also: as, #ut fortūnātī sunt fabrī ferrāriī, quī apud carbōnēs adsident; semper calent#, Pl. _R._ 531, _what lucky dogs the blacksmiths be, that sit by redhot coals; they’re always warm_.

1529. In poetry, #quis#, #uter#, and #quantus# are found a few times with #-ne# attached; as, #uterne ad cāsūs dubiōs fīdet sibi certius?# H. _S._ 2, 2, 107, _which of the two in doubtful straits will better in himself confide?_

1530. Two or more questions or exclamations are sometimes united with one and the same verb: as,

#unde quō vēnī?# H. 3, 27, 37, _whence whither am I come?_ #quot diēs quam frīgidīs rēbus absūmpsī#, Plin. _Ep._ 1, 9, 3, _how many days have I frittered away in utter vapidities_. #quantae quotiēns occāsiōnēs quam praeclārae fuērunt#, _Mil._ 38, _what great chances there were, time and again, splendid ones too_.

[Errata:
1526 ... Such words are: (_a._) #quis#, #quī#, #quoius#
#quis# #quī#,
1527a ... #mē aspice, quīn aspicis?#
quin]

SOME APPLICATIONS OF QUESTIONS.

1531. A question in the indicative present or future may be used to intimate command or exhortation, deliberation, or appeal: as,

(_a._) #abin hinc?# T. _Eu._ 861, _will you get out of this?_ #abin an nōn? :: abeō#, Pl. _Aul._ 660, _will you begone or not? :: I’ll go_. #quīn abīs?# Pl. _MG._ 1087, _why won’t you begone?_ or _get you gone_, _begone_. #nōn tacēs?# T. _Ph._ 987, _won’t you just hold your tongue?_ #ecquis currit pollinctōrem arcēssere?# Pl. _As._ 910, _won’t some one run to fetch the undertaker man?_ #quīn cōnscendimus equōs?# L. 1, 57, 7, _why not mount?_ or _to horse, to horse_. (_b._) #quid est, Crasse, īmusne sessum?# _DO._ 3, 17, _what say you, Crassus, shall we go and take a seat?_ #quoi dōnō lepidum novum libellum?# Cat. 1, 1, _unto whom shall I give the neat new booklet?_ #quid agō? adeō, maneō?# T. _Ph._ 736, _what shall I do? go up and speak, or wait?_ (_c._) #eōn? vocō hūc hominem? :: ī, vocā#, Pl. _Most._ 774, _shall I go, and shall I call him here? :: go call him_. See also 1623. Such indicative questions occur particularly in old Latin, in Catullus, in Cicero’s early works and letters, and in Vergil.

1532. Some set forms occur repeatedly, especially in questions of curiosity, surprise, incredulity, wrath, or captiousness: as,

#sed quid ais?# T. _Andr._ 575, _but apropos_, or _but by the way_ (1500). #quid istīc?# T. _Andr._ 572, _well, well, have it your way_: compare #quid istīc verba facimus?# Pl. _E._ 141. #ain tū?# _Br._ 152, _no, not seriously?_ #itane?# T. _Eu._ 1058, _not really?_ Frequently #egone#: as, #quid nunc facere cōgitās? :: egone?# T. _Hau._ 608, _what do you think of doing now? :: what, I?_ In Plautus, threats are sometimes introduced by #scīn quō modō?# _do you know how?_ i.e. at your peril.

1533. A question is sometimes united with a participle, or an ablative absolute, or thrown into a subordinate sentence: as,

#quem frūctum petentēs scīre cupimus illa quō modō moveantur?# _Fin._ 3, 37, _with what practical end in view do we seek to know how yon bodies in the sky keep in motion?_ #quā frequentiā prōsequente crēditis nōs illinc profectōs?# L. 7, 30, 21, _by what multitudes do you think we were seen off when we left that town?_ #‘hominēs’ inquit ‘ēmistī.’ quid utī faceret?# _Sest._ 84, _‘you bought up men’ says he; with what purpose?_

[Erratum:
1532 ... T. _Andr._ 575,
575.]

THE INFINITIVE OF INTIMATION.

1534. The infinitive is principally used in subordination, and will be spoken of under that head. One use, however, of the present infinitive in main sentences, as a kind of substitute for a past indicative, requires mention here.

1535. In animated narration, the present infinitive with a subject in the nominative sometimes takes the place of the imperfect or perfect indicative: as,

#interim cōtīdiē Caesar Aeduōs frūmentum flāgitāre#, 1, 16, 1, _there was Caesar meantime every day dunning and dunning the Aeduans for the grain_. #Diodōrus sordidātus circum hospitēs cursāre, rem omnibus nārrāre#, _V._ 4, 41, _Diodorus kept running round in sackcloth and ashes from friend to friend, telling his tale to everybody_. #intereā Catilīna in prīmā aciē versārī, labōrantibus succurrere#, S. _C._ 60, 4, _Catiline meantime bustling round in the forefront of battle, helping them that were sore bestead_. #tum vērō ingentī sonō caelum strepere, et micāre ignēs, metū omnēs torpēre#, L. 21, 58, 5, _at this crisis the welkin ringing with a dreadful roar, fires flashing, everybody paralyzed with fear_. This infinitive occurs in almost all writers, for instance, Plautus, Terence, Cicero, Horace, and particularly Sallust, Livy, and Tacitus. Less commonly in Caesar. Usually two or more infinitives are combined, and infinitives are freely mixed with indicatives. The subject is never in the second person.

1536. This infinitive is used to sketch or outline persistent, striking, or portentous action, where description fails; and as it merely _intimates_ the action, without distinct declaration, and without notation of time, number, or person, it is called the _Infinitive of Intimation_. It cannot be adequately represented in English.

1537. The infinitive of intimation is sometimes used without a subject, when emphasis centres in the action alone; as,

#ubī̆ turrim procul cōnstituī vīdērunt, inrīdēre ex mūrō#, 2, 30, 3, _when they saw the tower planted some way off, jeer after jeer from the wall_. #tum spectāculum horribile in campīs patentibus: sequī fugere, occīdī capī#, S. _I._ 101, 11, _then a heartrending spectacle in the open fields: chasing and racing, killing and catching_.

1538. Terence and Petronius have it in questions: as, #rēx tē ergō in oculīs :: scīlicet :: gestāre? :: vērō#, T. _Eu._ 401, _your king then always bearing you :: of course, of course :: in eye? :: oh yes_. #quī morī timōre nisi ego?# Petr. 62.

1539. It may be mentioned here, that the infinitive of intimation is sometimes used from Sallust on in relative clauses and with #cum#, _when_. Also by Tacitus in a temporal protasis with #ubī̆#, #ut#, #dōnec#, or #postquam#, co-ordinated with a present or imperfect indicative protasis: as,

(_a._) #cingēbātur interim mīlite domus, cum Libō vocāre percussōrem#, Ta. 2, 31, _the house meantime was encompassed with soldiers, when Libo called for somebody to kill him_ (1869). (_b._) #ubī̆ crūdēscere sēditiō et ā convīciīs ad tēla trānsībant, inicī catēnās Flāviānō iubet#, Ta. _H._ 3, 10, _when the riot was waxing hot, and they were proceeding from invectives to open violence, he orders Flavian to be clapped in irons_ (1933).

THE SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD.

DECLARATIONS.

I. THE SUBJUNCTIVE OF DESIRE.

(A.) WISH.

1540. The subjunctive may be used to express a wish.

Wishes are often introduced by #utinam#, in old and poetical Latin also by #utī#, #ut#, and curses in old Latin by #quī#; these words were originally interrogative, _how_. Sometimes the wish is limited by #modo#, _only_. In negative wishes #nē# is used, either alone, or preceded by #utinam# or #modo#; rarely #nōn#, or the old-fashioned #nec#, _not_ (1446).

1541. (1.) The present and perfect represent a wish as practicable; although a hopeless wish may, of course, if the speaker chooses, be represented as practicable: as,

(_a._) #tē spectem, suprēma mihī cum vēnerit hōra#, Tib. 1, 1, 59, _on thee I’d gaze, when my last hour shall come_. #utinam illum diem videam#, _Att._ 3, 3, _I hope I may see the day_. (_b._) #utinam cōnēre#, _Ph._ 2, 101, _I hope you may make the effort_. (_c._) #dī vortant bene quod agās#, T. _Hec._ 196, _may gods speed well whate’er you undertake_. #quī illum dī omnēs perduint#, T. _Ph._ 123, _him may all gods fordo_. #ō utinam hībernae duplicentur tempora brūmae#, Prop. 1, 8, 9, _oh that the winter’s time may doubled be_. #utinam revīvīscat frāter#, Gell. 10, 6, 2, _I hope my brother may rise from his grave_. #nē istūc Iuppiter sīrit#, L. 28, 28, 11, _now Jupiter forefend_. The perfect is found principally in old Latin.

1542. The present is very common in asseveration: as,

#peream, nisi sollicitus sum#, _Fam._ 15, 19, 4, _may I die, if I am not worried_. #sollicitat, ita vīvam, me tua valētūdō#, _Fam._ 16, 20, _your state of health worries me, as I hope to live_. #ita vīvam, ut maximōs sūmptūs faciō#, _Att._ 5, 15, 2, _as I hope to be saved, I am making great outlays_. See also 1622.

1543. The perfect subjunctive sometimes refers to past action now completed: as, #utinam abierit malam crucem#, Pl. _Poen._ 799, _I hope he’s got him to the bitter cross_ (1165). #utinam spem implēverim#, Plin. _Ep._ 1, 10, 3, _I hope I may have fulfilled the expectations_.

1544. (2.) The imperfect represents a wish as hopeless in the present or immediate future, the pluperfect represents it as unfulfilled in the past: as,

(_a._) #tēcum lūdere sīcut ipsa possem#, Cat. 2, 9, _could I with thee but play, e’en as thy mistress’ self_, to Lesbia’s sparrow. #utinam ego tertius vōbīs amīcus adscrīberer#, _TD._ 5, 63, _would that I could be enrolled with you myself, as the third friend_, says tyrant Dionysius to Damon and Phintias. (_b._) #utinam mē mortuum prius vīdissēs#, _QFr._ 1, 3, 1, _I wish you had seen me dead first_. (_c._) #utinam nē in nemore Pēliō secūribus caesa accēdisset abiēgna ad terram trabēs#, E. in Cornif. 2, 34, _had but, in Pelion’s grove, by axes felled, ne’er fallen to the earth the beam of fir_, i.e. for the Argo. #utinam ille omnīs sēcum cōpiās ēdūxisset#, _C._ 2, 4, _I only wish the man had marched out all his train-bands with him_.

1545. In old or poetical Latin, the imperfect sometimes denotes unfulfilled past action, like the usual pluperfect; as, #utinam in Siciliā perbīterēs#, Pl. _R._ 494, _would thou hadst died in Sicily_. #utinam tē dī prius perderent#, Pl. _Cap._ 537, _I wish the gods had cut thee off before_. See 2075.

1546. In poetry, a wish is sometimes thrown into the form of a conditional protasis with #sī# or #ō sī#: as, #ō sī urnam argentī fōrs quae mihi mōnstret#, H. _S._ 2, 6, 10, _oh if some chance a pot of money may to me reveal_.

(B.) EXHORTATION, DIRECTION, STATEMENT OF PROPRIETY.

1547. The subjunctive may be used to express an exhortation, a direction, or a statement of propriety.

The subjunctive of exhortation is sometimes preceded in old Latin by #utī# or #ut#, originally interrogative. In negative exhortations or directions, #nē#, #nēmō#, #nihil#, or #numquam#, &c., is used, rarely #nōn#.

1548. (1.) The present expresses what is to be done or is not to be done in the future: as,

(_a._) #hoc quod coepī prīmum ēnārrem#, T. _Hau._ 273, _first let me tell the story I’ve begun_. #taceam nunc iam#, Pl. _B._ 1058, _let me now hold my tongue_. #cōnsīdāmus hīc in umbrā#, _Leg._ 2, 7, _let us sit down here in the shade_. #nē difficilia optēmus#, _V._ 4, 15, _let us not hanker after impossibilities_. (_b._) HAICE · VTEI · IN · COVENTIONID · EXDEICATIS, CIL. I, 196, 23, _this you are to proclaim in public assembly_. (_c._) #nōmina dēclīnāre et verba in prīmīs puerī sciant#, Quintil. 1, 4, 22, _first and foremost boys are to know how to inflect nouns and verbs_. #utī adserventur magnā dīligentiā#, Pl. _Cap._ 115, _let them be watched with all due care_. #nē quis tamquam parva fastīdiat grammaticēs elementa#, Quintil. 1, 4, 6, _let no man look down on the rudiments of grammar fancying them insignificant_.

1549. (2.) The perfect subjunctive is rare: as, #idem dictum sit#, Quintil. 1, 1, 8, _the same be said, once for all_. Mostly in prohibitions: as, #morātus sit nēmō quō minus abeant#, L. 9, 11, 13, _let no man hinder them from going away_.

1550. In positive commands, the second person singular often has a definite subject in old or epistolary Latin, and particularly #sīs#, for the imperative #es# or #estō#. Usually however an indefinite subject (1030): as,

(_a._) #eās#, Pl. _R._ 519, _be off_. #hīc apud nōs hodiē cēnēs#, Pl. _Most._ 1129, _dine here with us today_. #cautus sīs, mī Tirō#, _Fam._ 16, 9, 4, _you must be careful, dear Tiro_. (_b._) #istō bonō ūtāre, dum adsit#, _CM._ 33, _enjoy this blessing while you have it with you_.

1551. When a prohibition is expressed in the subjunctive, the second person of the present is often used in old Latin, sometimes the perfect. Later, however, the perfect is generally prevalent. In the classical period, the present is almost confined to poetry. For the imperative in prohibitions, see 1581-1586.

(_a._) #nē illum verberēs#, Pl. _B._ 747, _you mustn’t thrash the man_. Once in Horace: #nē sīs patruos mihī#, _S._ 2, 3, 88, _don’t play stern governor to me_. (_b._) #nē trānsierīs Ibērum#, L. 21, 44, 6, _do not cross the Iberus_. #quod dubitās nē fēcerīs#, Plin. _Ep._ 1, 18, 5, _what you have doubt about, never do_.

1552. (3.) The imperfect or (but not in old Latin) pluperfect subjunctive is sometimes used to express past obligation or necessity: as,

(_a._) Imperfect: #quae hīc erant cūrārēs#, T. _Hec._ 230, _thou shouldst have looked to matters here_. #paterētur#, T. _Hau._ 202, _he should have stood it_. #quod sī meīs incommodīs laetābantur, urbis tamen perīculō commovērentur#, _Sest._ 54, _well, if they did gloat over my mishaps, still they ought to have been touched by the danger to Rome_. #crās īrēs potius#, Pl. _Per._ 710, _you’d better have gone tomorrow_, i.e. have resolved to go tomorrow. #poenās penderēs#, Pl. _B._ 427, _thou hadst to pay a penalty_. (_b._) Pluperfect: #restitissēs, rēpugnāssēs, mortem pugnāns oppetīssēs#, Poet. in _Sest._ 45, _thou shouldst have made a stand, fought back, and fighting met thy fate_. #quid facere dēbuistī? frūmentum nē ēmissēs#, _V._ 3, 195, _what ought you to have done? you should not have bought any wheat_. Usually, however, past obligation or necessity is expressed by the gerundive construction, or by some separate verb meaning _ought_ (1496).

[Errata:
1548a ... Quintil. 1, 4, 22,
22.
#utī adserventur magnā dīligentiā#,
. for ,
Quintil. 1, 4, 6
. invisible]

(C.) WILLINGNESS, ASSUMPTION, CONCESSION.

1553. The subjunctive of desire may be used to denote willingness, assumption, or concession: as,

#ōderint dum metuant#, Poet. in Suet. _Cal._ 30, _they are welcome to hate, as long as they fear_. #nē sit sānē summum malum dolor, malum certē est#, _TD._ 2, 14, _grant for aught I care that pain is not the worst evil, an evil it certainly is_. #nīl fēcerit, estō#, J. 6, 222, _he may be guiltless, be it so_.

[Erratum:
1553 ... #nē sit sānē summum malum dolor, malum certē est#,
#certē est#.]

II. THE SUBJUNCTIVE OF ACTION CONCEIVABLE.

1554. The subjunctive is often used to represent action as conceivable, without asserting that it actually takes place.

In some of its applications, this subjunctive is often more exactly defined by an expression of doubt or of assurance: as, #fors fuat an# in Plautus, #forsitan# from Terence on (rarely #forsan#, #fors#), #fortasse#, _may be_, _perhaps_; #opīnor#, #haud sciō an#, _I fancy_; #facile#, _easily_, #sine ūllā dubitātiōne#, _unhesitatingly_, &c., &c. The negative used with this subjunctive is #nōn#.

1555. This subjunctive is particularly common in guarded or diffident statements: thus, #velim#, _I could wish_, #nōlim#, _I should not be willing_, #mālim#, _I would rather_, #dīxerim#, _I should say_, are often preferred to a blunter #volō#, _I insist_, #nōlō#, _I won’t_, #mālō#, _I prefer_, or #dīcō#, _I say_.

1556. The present denotes action in an indefinite future: as,

(_a._) #ego forsitan in grege adnumerer#, _RA._ 89, _as for me, I might perhaps be counted in the common herd_. #mūtuom argentum rogem#, Pl. _Tri._ 758, _money I might borrow_. #haud sciō an rēctē dīcāmus#, _Sest._ 58, _I rather think we may say with propriety_. (_b._) The second person singular generally has an imaginary subject (1030): as, #dīcās hīc forsitan#, J. 1, 150, _here peradventure thou mayst say_, i.e. anybody may say. #rogēs mē quid sit deus, auctōre ūtar Simōnidē#, _DN._ 1, 60, _you may ask me what god is; I should follow the lead of Simonides_. #migrantīs cernās#, V. 4, 401, _thou canst descry them on the move_ (1635). Often with some generalizing word, such as #saepe#, #numquam#, #plūrēs#: as, #saepe videās#, H. _S._ 1, 4, 86, _thou oft canst see_. #Fortūnam citius reperiās quam retineās#, Publil. Syr. 168, _dame Fortune thou mayst sooner find than bind_. (_c._) #nunc aliquis dīcat mihi#, H. _S._ 1, 3, 19, _now somebody may say to me_ (more commonly #dīcet aliquis#, #dīcēs#, 1620). #forsitan aliquis dīcat#, L. 5, 52, 5, _perhaps somebody may say_. #hoc vōbīs incrēdibile videātur#, _V._ 3, 109, _this may seem incredible to you_.

1557. (1.) The perfect seldom occurs in old Latin. Later, it is rarely used of past time. In this use it resembles the perfect of concession (1553): as,

(_a._) #forsitan temere fēcerim#, _RA._ 31, _peradventure I may have acted rashly_. #errāverim fortasse#, Plin. _Ep._ 1, 23, 2, _I may have been mistaken perhaps_. (_b._) #concēdō; forsitan aliquis aliquandō eius modī quippiam fēcerit#, _V._ 2, 78, _I grant it; perhaps somebody, at some time or other, may have done something of the sort_. #haec ipsa forsitan fuerint nōn necessāria#, _Br._ 52, _even this may perhaps have been superfluous_.

1558. (2.) The perfect is oftenest used with a future meaning, and particularly the first person singular active of verbs meaning _think_ or _say_: as,

(_a._) #nōn facile dīxerim#, _TD._ 5, 121, _I could not readily say_. #hoc sine ūllā dubitātiōne cōnfirmāverim#, _Br._ 25, _this I can assert without any hesitation_. #pāce tuā dīxerim#, _TD._ 5, 12, _by your leave I would say_. The first person plural occurs first in Cornificius, and is rare: as, #hunc deum rīte beātum dīxerīmus#, _DN._ 1, 52, _such a god we should be right in pronouncing happy_. (_b._) #plānē perfectum Dēmosthenem facile dīxerīs#, _Br._ 35, _you would readily pronounce Demosthenes absolutely perfect_ (1030). #tū vērō eum nec nimis valdē umquam nec nimis saepe laudāverīs#, _Leg._ 3, 1, _oh no, rest assured you never can praise him too emphatically nor too often_. #conluviem istam nōn nisi metū coērcuerīs#, Ta. 14, 44, _such a motley rabble you can only keep under by terrorism_. (_c._) #forsitan quispiam dīxerit#, _Off._ 3, 29, _perhaps somebody may say_.

1559. (1.) The imperfect properly denotes action which might have taken place in the past: as,

(_a._) #nōn ego hoc ferrem calidus iuventā cōnsule Plancō#, H. 3, 14, 27, _this I should not have brooked in my hot youth, in Plancus’ consulate_. (_b._) The second person singular, particularly of verbs meaning _see_, _make out_, _think_, _say_, generally has an imaginary subject (1030): as, #vidērēs#, H. _S._ 2, 8, 77, _thou mightst have seen_. #cernerēs#, L. 22, 7, 12, _you might have descried_. #nescīrēs#, L. 3, 35, 3, _you could not have told_. #tē columen rē̆ī pūblicae dīcerēs intuērī#, _Sest._ 19, _you would have sworn you were gazing on a pillar of the state_. (_c._) #quī vidēret, urbem captam dīceret#, _V._ 4, 52, _anybody who saw it, would have said it was a captured city_. #dīcī hoc in tē nōn potest, posset in Tarquiniō, cum rēgnō esset expulsus#, _TD._ 1, 88, _this cannot be said in your case; it might have been said in Tarquin’s, when he was driven from the throne_. #numquam faceret#, T. _Ph._ 121, _he never would have done it_.

1560. (2.) The imperfect often denotes action not performed at the present time; so especially #vellem# (#nōllem#, #māllem#): as,

(_a._) #nimis vellem habēre perticam#, Pl. _As._ 589, _I wish so much I had a stick_. #vellem adesse posset Panaetius; quaererem ex eō#, _TD._ 1, 81, _I only wish Panaetius could be with us: I should ask him_ (Panaetius was dead). #cuperem voltum vidēre tuum#, _Att._ 4, 16, 7, _I should like to see the expression of your face_. #māllem Cerberum metuerēs#, _TD._ 1, 12, _I would rather you stood in dread of Cerberus_. #possem idem facere#, _TD._ 1, 84, _I could do the same_. (_b._) #melius sequerēre cupīdine captam#, O. 14, 28, _better for thee it were a loving bride to woo_. (_c._) #in hāc fortūnā perūtilis eius opera esset#, _Att._ 9, 17, 2, _in the present pinch his services would be extremely valuable_.

1561. The pluperfect represents action which did not take place in the past: as,

(_a._) #vellem quidem licēret: hoc dīxissem#, _RA._ 138, _I only wish it were allowed; I should have said so and so_. (_b._) #dedissēs huic animō pār corpus, fēcisset quod optābat#, Plin. _Ep._ 1, 12, 8, _you might have given this spirit a body to match; he would have done what he craved to do_. (_c._) #urbēs et rēgna celeriter tanta nēquitia dēvorāre potuisset#, _Ph._ 2, 67, _such colossal prodigality might have been capable of swallowing down cities and kingdoms speedily_. #vīcissent inprobōs bonī; quid deinde?# _Sest._ 43, _the good might have overpowered the bad; what next?_

1562. It may be mentioned here, that the subjunctive of action conceivable often extends to subordinate sentences: see 1731.

QUESTIONS.

1563. I. The subjunctive is often used to ask what action or whether any action is desired, commanded, proper, or necessary.

In many instances a negative answer or no answer at all is expected The negative is #nē#, sometimes #nōn#.

(_a._) #quō mē vertam?# _Scaur._ 19, _which way shall I turn?_ #quid faciam, praescrībe :: quiēscās :: nē faciam, inquis, omnīnō versūs?# H. _S._ 2, 1, 5, _lay down the law, what I’m to do :: keep still :: wilt have me write, sayst thou, no verse at all?_ #quid igitur faciam? nōn eam?# T. _Eu._ 46, _what then am I to do? not go?_ #quid nī meminerim?# _DO._ 2, 273, _why should not I remember?_ or _of course I remember_. #huic cēdāmus? huius condiciōnēs audiāmus?# _Ph._ 13, 16, _shall we bow the knee to him? shall we listen to his terms?_ (_b._) #quid tandem mē facere decuit? quiēscerem et paterer?# L. 42, 41, 12, _what in the world ought I to have done? keep inactive and stand it?_

1564. Such questions sometimes have the alternative form: as, #Corinthiīs bellum indīcāmus, an nōn?# _Inv._ 1, 17, _are we to declare war against Corinth, or not?_ #utrum indicāre mē e͡i thēnsaurum aequom fuit, an ego alium dominum paterer fierī hīsce aedibus?# Pl. _Tri._ 175, _should I have pointed out the hoard to him, or should I have allowed another to become the owner of this house?_ here #paterer# is equivalent to #aequom fuit patī# (1495).

1565. II. The subjunctive is often used to ask whether action is conceivable: as,

(_a._) #quis putet celeritātem ingenī L. Brūtō dēfuisse?# _Br._ 53, _who can suppose that Brutus lacked ready wit?_ i.e. #nēmō putet# (1556), #putābit# (1620), or #putāre potest#. #sī enim Zēnōnī licuit, cūr nōn liceat Catōnī?# _Fin._ 3, 15, _for if it was allowed Zeno, why should not it be allowed Cato?_ (_b._) #hoc tantum bellum quis umquam arbitrārētur ab ūnō imperātōre cōnficī posse?# _IP._ 31, _who would ever have dreamed that this stupendous war could be brought to a close by a single commander?_ The imperfect sometimes denotes action not performed at the present time (1560): #quis enim cīvis rēgī nōn favēret?# _D._ 6, _for what Roman would not feel for the king?_ (_c._) #ego tē vidēre nōluerim?# _QFr._ 1, 3, 1, _I have objected to seeing you?_

1566. The subjunctive is often used in interrogative outbursts of surprise, disapprobation, indignation, or captious rejoinder. In such questions a pronoun, #ego#, #tū# (#ille#), is usually expressed. The negative is #nōn#.

This subjunctive occurs in Plautus and Terence, in Cicero, oftenest the letters, in Horace, Vergil, and Livy. Not in Caesar nor Sallust.

1567. (1.) The question may have no interrogative word, or may have #-ne#, especially in comedy: as,

(_a._) #nōn tacēs? :: taceam?# T. _Ph._ 987, _you hold your tongue :: I hold my tongue?_ #nē flē :: egone illum nōn fleam?# Pl. _Cap._ 139, _weep not :: what, I not weep for him?_ #tū pulsēs omne quod obstat?# H. _S._ 2, 6, 30, _what, you, sir, punch whatever’s in your way?_ #faveās tū hostī? ille litterās ad tē mittat?# _Ph._ 7, 5, _you, sir, sympathize with the enemy? he correspond with you?_ #sapiēnsne nōn timeat?# _Ac._ 2, 135, _a sage not be afraid?_ (_b._) #ego mihī̆ umquam bonōrum praesidium dēfutūrum putārem?# _Mil._ 94, _could I have dreamed that I should ever lack the protection of the patriotic?_ (_c._) #‘apud exercitum mihī̆ fuerīs’ inquit ‘tot annōs?’# _Mur._ 21, _‘to think of your having been with the army, bless my soul?’ says he, ‘so many years.’_ (_d._) #mihī̆ cuiusquam salūs tantī fuisset, ut meam neglegerem?# _Sull._ 45, _could anybody’s safety have been so important in my eyes as to make me disregard my own?_

1568. (2.) The question may have #utī# or #ut#: as,

#tē ut ūlla rēs frangat? tū ut umquam tē corrigās?# _C._ 1, 22, _any thing break you down? you ever reform?_ #pater ut obesse fīlīo dēbeat?# _Planc._ 31, _a father morally bound to work against his son?_

1569. (3.) The question with #utī# or #ut# is sometimes attended by a remnant of another question with #-ne# or #-n#. In this combination, #-ne# either precedes, joined to an emphatic word, or it is attached directly to #utī# or #ut#: as,

(_a._) #egone ut tē interpellem?# _TD._ 2, 42, _what I? interrupt you?_ #illīne ut impūne concitent fīnitima bella?# L. 4, 2, 12, _what, they be allowed to stir up border warfare with impunity?_ #virgō haec līberast :: meane ancilla lībera ut sit, quam ego numquam ēmīsī manū?# Pl. _Cur._ 615, _this girl is free :: my servant-girl? she to be free, when I have never set her free?_ (_b._) #utne tegam spurcō Dāmae latus?# H. _S._ 2, 5, 18, _what, I’m to shield a nasty Dama’s side?_ #somnium. utine haec īgnōrāret su͡om patrem?# T. _Ph._ 874, _oh bosh, not to have known the father that begat her?_ See 1505 and 1532.

1570. It may be mentioned here, that the interrogative subjunctive is often used in subordinate sentences: see 1731.

[Erratum:
1565a ... _Fin._ 3, 15
_Fin_ 3,]

THE IMPERATIVE MOOD.

COMMAND.

1571. The second person of the imperative mood is used in commands, either particular or general.

Commands are very often attended by a vocative or vocative nominative, or by #tū#, _sir_, _sirrah_, or #vōs#, _gentlemen_, _you people_ (1118). They are of various kinds, as follows: (_a._) Order, often to an inferior: thus, to an official: #līctor, conligā manūs#, _Rab._ 13, L. 1, 26, 7, Gell. 12, 3, 2, _lictor, tie up his wrists_. To soldiers: as, #dēsilīte mīlitēs#, 4, 25, 3, _overboard, my men_. #sīgnifer, statue sīgnum#, L. 5, 55, 1, _standardbearer, plant your standard_. #īnfer mīles sīgnum#, L. 6, 8, 1, _advance your standard, man_, or _charge_. To sailors: as, #hūc dīrigite nāvēs#, L. 29, 27, 13, _head your galleys this way_. To slaves: as, #convorrite aedēs scōpīs, agite strēnuē#, Pl. _B._ 10, _sweep up the house with brooms, be brisk_. Also to an equal: as, #aperīte aliquis#, Pl. _Mer._ 130, _open the door there somebody_ (1080). Or to a superior: as, #heus, exī, Phaedrome#, Pl. _Cur._ 276, _ho Phaedromus, come out_. (_b._) Exhortation, entreaty, summons, request, prayer, imprecation, wish, concession, &c.: as, #vōs vōbīs cōnsulite#, 7, 50, 5, _every man of you for himself_. #ēs, bibe, animō obsequere#, Pl. _MG._ 677, _eat, drink, and be merry_. #sperne voluptātēs#, H. _E._ 1, 2, 55, _scorn thou delights_. #quīn tū ī intrō#, Pl. _Most._ 815, _go in, go in, won’t you go in?_ (1527). #patent portae, proficīscere, ēdūc tēcum etiam omnīs tuōs#, _C._ 1, 10, _the gates are open, march forth; take out all your myrmidons with you too_. #audī, Iuppiter#, L. 1, 32, 6, _bow down thine ear, Jupiter_. #ī in crucem#, Pl. _As._ 940, _get you gone to the cross_. #vīve valēque#, H. _S._ 2, 5, 109, _long live and thrive_, or _farewell_. #tibī̆ habē#, Pl. _Men._ 690, _you keep it yourself_.

1572. The imperative is often softened by the addition of #amābō#, #obsecrō#, #quaesō#, _prithee_, _I beg_, or #sīs#, #sultis#, #sōdēs#, _please_ (97). It is sharpened by #age#, #agedum# or #agidum#, #age sīs#, _mark me_, or #ī#, _go_, _come on_, or by #modo#, _only_. The concessive imperative sometimes has #sānē#, _for all me_.

1573. In Plautus and Terence, the enclitic #dum#, _a while_, _a minute_, _just_, is often attached to the imperative: as, #manedum#, Pl. _As._ 585, _wait a minute_. In classical Latin, #dum# is retained with #age# and #agite#: as, #agedum cōnferte cum illīus vītā P. Sūllae#, _Sull._ 72, _come now, compare Sulla’s life with that man’s_ (1075).

1574. It may be mentioned here, that the imperative is often used in the protasis of a conditional sentence: as,

#tolle hanc opīniōnem, lūctum sustuleris#, _TD._ 1, 30, _do away with this notion, and you will do away with mourning for the dead_. Once only in old Latin, but often in late Latin, with a copulative: as, #perge, ac facile ecfēceris#, Pl. _B._ 695, _start on, and you will do it easily_.

1575. (1.) The third person, and the longer forms of the second person, are used particularly in laws, legal documents, and treaties, and also in impressive general rules and maxims: as,

(_a._) #rēgiō imperiō duō suntō#, _Leg._ 3, 8, _there shall be two men vested with the power of kings_. #amīcitia rēgī Antiochō cum populō Rōmānō hīs lēgibus estō#, L. 38, 38, 1, _there shall be amity between king Antiochus and Rome on the following terms_. (_b._) #vīcīnīs bonus estō#, Cato, _RR._ 4, _always be good to your neighbours_. #mōribus vīvitō antīquīs#, Pl. _Tri._ 295, _live thou in old-time ways_. The longer forms are often called the _Future Imperative_.

1576. (2.) The longer forms of the second person are also sometimes used in the ordinary speech of everyday life: as, #cavētō#, _QFr._ 1, 3, 8, _beware_. In old Latin, often #ēs#, _be thou_, but in classical Latin, oftener #estō# (or #sīs#). Usually #habētō#, meaning _keep_, or _consider_, regularly #scītō#, #scītōte#, _you must know_ (846). In verse, the long forms may sometimes be due to the metre: as, #hīc hodiē cēnātō#, Pl. _R._ 1417, _take dinner here today_. #pār prō parī refertō#, T. _Eu._ 445, _pay tit for tat_. But also without such necessity: as, #aufertō intrō#, Pl. _Tru._ 914, _take it within_. #quiētus estō, inquam#, T. _Ph._ 713, _be not concerned, I say_.

1577. (3.) It may be mentioned here, that the longer forms are very often used in the apodosis of a complex sentence, particularly with a future or a future perfect protasis: as,

#sī iste ībit, ītō#, Pl. _Ps._ 863, _if he shall go, go thou_. #medicō mercēdis quantum poscet, prōmittī iubētō#, _Fam._ 16, 14, 1, _you must order your medical man to be promised all he shall charge in the way of a fee_. #ubī̆ nihil erit quod scrībās, id ipsum scrībitō#, _Att._ 4, 8b, 4, _when you don’t have anything to write, then write just that_. #cum ego P. Grānium testem prōdūxerō, refellitō, sī poteris#, _V._ 5, 154, _when I put Granius on the witness stand, refute him if you can_.

1578. In such combinations, however, the shorter forms are sometimes found: as, #ubi volēs, accerse#, T. _Andr._ 848, _fetch me when you will_. And conversely the longer forms are also found with a present protasis: as, #ūnum illud vidētō, sī mē amās#, _Fam._ 16, 1, 2, _attend to this one thing, an thou lovest me_.

1579. A command is sometimes expressed by the subjunctive, accompanying #fac#, #facitō#, #fac ut#, #facitō ut#, #cūrā ut#, #cūrātō ut#, #vidē#, #vidē ut#, #volō#, or particularly #velim#: as,

#magnum fac animum habeās et spem bonam#, _QFr._ 1, 2, 16, _see that you keep up an heroic soul and unabated hope_ (1712). #fac cōgitēs#, _Fam._ 11, 3, 4, _see that you bear in mind_. #cūrā ut valeās#, _Fam._ 12, 29, 3, _take good care of yourself_. #velim exīstimēs#, _Fam._ 12, 29, 2, _I should like to have you consider_. For commands in the subjunctive alone, see 1547; in the future indicative, 1624; in the form of a question, 1531.

1580. A periphrastic perfect passive form is rare: as, #iūre caesus estō#, Twelve Tables in Macrob. _Sat._ 1, 4, 19, _he shall be regarded as killed with justifying circumstances_. #probē factum estō#, L. 22, 10, 6, _let it be considered justified_. #at vōs admonitī nostrīs quoque cāsibus este#, O. _Tr._ 4, 8, 51, _but be ye warned by our misfortunes too_.

[Errata:
1571 ... Pl. _MG._ 677,
677.
1577 ... _Att._ 4, 8b, 4,
4.]

PROHIBITION.

1581. (1.) In prohibitions with the second person, the imperative with #nē# is used in old Latin, and with #nēve# as a connective, rarely #neque#: as,

#nē flē#, Pl. _Cap._ 139, _weep not_. #nē saevī tantō opere#, T. _Andr._ 868, _be not thus wroth_. Sometimes in classical poetry also, in imitation of old style: as, #nē saevī, magna sacerdōs#, V. 6, 544, _rave not, thou priestess grand_. Once in Livy: #nē timēte#, 3, 2, 9, _be not afraid_.

1582. From Ovid on, #nōn# is used a few times for #nē#: as, #nōn cārīs aurēs onerāte lapillīs#, O. _AA._ 3, 129, _load not with precious stones your ears_.

1583. (2.) Prohibitions in the second person are usually expressed by #nōlī# or #nōlīte# with the infinitive, particularly in classical prose: as,

#obiūrgāre nōlī#, _Att._ 3, 11, 2, _don’t scold_. #nōlīte id velle quod fierī nōn potest#, _Ph._ 7, 25, _don’t yearn after the unattainable_.

1584. In poetry, equivalents for #nōlī# are sometimes used with the infinitive, such as #fuge#, #parce# or #comperce#, #conpesce#, #mitte# or #omitte#, #absiste#: as, #quid sit futūrum crās, fuge quaerere#, H. 1, 9, 13, _what fate the morrow brings, forbear to ask_. Livy has once #parce#, 34, 32, 20.

1585. (3.) A prohibition in the second person is often expressed by the subjunctive accompanying #cavē̆#, #fac nē#, #vidē nē#, #vidētō nē#, #cūrā nē#, #cūrātō nē#, or #nōlim#, and in old Latin #cavē̆ nē#: as,

#cavē festīnēs#, _Fam._ 16, 12, 6, _don’t be in a hurry_. #cavētō nē suscēnseās#, Pl. _As._ 372, _see that thou beest not wroth_. #hoc nōlim mē iocārī putēs#, _Fam._ 9, 15, 4, _I should hate to have you think I am saying this in fun_. For prohibitions in the second person with #nē# and the present or perfect subjunctive, see 1551. For the subjunctive coordinated with #cavē̆#, see 1711.

1586. In law language, prohibitions are expressed by the third person of the imperative with #nē#, and with #nēve# as a connective: as,

#hominem mortuom in urbe nē sepelītō nēve ūritō#, Twelve Tables in _Leg._ 2, 58, _he shall not bury nor yet shall he burn a dead man in town_. #mulierēs genās nē rāduntō nēve lessum fūneris ergō habentō#, Twelve Tables in _Leg._ 2, 59, _women shall not tear their cheeks nor shall they keen in lamentation for the dead_ (1257). Likewise with #nēmō#: as, #nēminī pārentō#, Twelve Tables in _Leg._ 3, 8, _they shall not be subject to anybody_. See also 1548.

TENSE.

THE TENSES OF THE INDICATIVE.

THE PRESENT TENSE.

1587. The present indicative represents action as going on at the time of speaking or writing: as,

#scrībō#, _I write_, or _I am writing_. #nunc prīmum audiō#, T. _Andr._ 936, _for the first time I hear_. #notat ad caedem ūnum quemque nostrūm#, _C._ 1, 2, _he is marking us out for death, each and all_. #domus aedificātur#, _Att._ 4, 2, 7, _the house is building_.

1588. The present is used to denote action customary or repeated at any time, or a general truth: as,

#agrī cultūrae nōn student#, 6, 22, 1, _they do not apply themselves to farming_. #virī in uxōrēs vītae necisque habent potestātem#, 6, 19, 3, _the married men have power of life and death over their wives_. #probitās laudātur et alget#, J. 1, 74, _uprightness gets extolled, and left out in the cold_. #dum vītant stultī vitia, in contrāria currunt#, H. _S._ 1, 2, 24, _while fools essay a vice to shun, into its opposite they run_. #mors sōla fatētur quantula sint hominum corpuscula#, J. 10, 172, _death is the only thing that tells what pygmy things men’s bodies be_. #stultōrum plēna sunt omnia#, _Fam._ 9, 22, 4, _the world is full of fools_. #rīsū ineptō rēs ineptior nūllast#, Cat. 39, 16, _there’s nothing sillier than a silly laugh_.

1589. The present, when accompanied by some expression of duration of time, is often used to denote action which has been going on some time and is still going on.

This present is translated by the English perfect: as, #Lilybaeī multōs iam annōs habitat#, _V._ 4, 38, _he has lived at Lilybaeum this many a year_. #iam dūdum auscultō#, H. _S._ 2, 7, 1, _I have been listening for an age_. #satis diū hōc iam saxum vorsō#, T. _Eu._ 1085, _I’ve trundled at this boulder long enough as ’t is_. #nimium diū tē castra dēsīderant#, _C._ 1, 10, _the camp has felt your absence altogether too long_. #iam diū īgnōrō quid agās#, _Fam._ 7, 9, 1, _I have not known this long time how you are getting on_. This use extends to the subjunctive and to nouns of the verb also. But if the action is conceived as completed, the perfect is used: as, #sērō resistimus ē̆ī quem per annōs decem aluimus#, _Att._ 7, 5, 5, _it is too late to oppose a man whom we have been supporting ten long years_.

1590. The present is often used to represent past action as going on now. This is called the _Present of Vivid Narration_: as,

#trānsfīgitur scūtum Puliōni et verūtum in balteō dēfīgitur. āvertit hīc cāsus vāgīnam, inpedītumque hostēs circumsistunt#, 5, 44, 7, _Pulio has his shield run through, and a javelin sticks fast in his sword belt. This mischance puts his scabbard out of reach, and the enemy encompass him in this hampered condition_. This present often stands side by side with a past tense. It is common in subordinate sentences also.

1591. The present is sometimes used in brief historical or personal memoranda, to note incidents day by day or year by year as they occur. This is called the _Annalistic Present_: as,

#Proca deinde rēgnat. is Numitōrem prōcreat. Numitōrī rēgnum vetustum Silviae gentis lēgat#, L. 1, 3, 9, _after this Proca is king; this man begets Numitor; to Numitor he bequeaths the ancient throne of the Silvian race_. #duplicātur cīvium numerus. Caelius additur urbī mōns#, L. 1, 30, 1, _number of citizens doubled; Mt. Caelius added to city_. #in Māmurrārum lassī deinde urbe manēmus#, H. _S._ 1, 5, 37, _in the Mamurras’ city then forspent we sleep_. Particularly common with dates: as, #A. Vergīnius inde et T. Vetusius cōnsulātum ineunt#, L. 2, 28, 1, _then Verginius and Vetusius enter on the consulship_. #M. Sīlānō L. Nōrbānō cōnsulibus Germānicus Aegyptum proficīscitur#, Ta. 2, 59, _in the consulship of Silanus and Norbanus, Germanicus leaves for Egypt_.

1592. Verbs of hearing, seeing, and saying are often put in the present, even when they refer to action really past: as,

#audiō Valerium Mārtiālem dēcessisse#, Plin. _Ep._ 3, 21, 1, _I hear that Martial is dead_, i.e. the epigrammatist, 102 A.D. Particularly of things mentioned in books, or in quoting what an author says: as, #Hercyniam silvam, quam Eratosthenī nōtam esse videō#, 6, 24, 2, _the Hercynian forest, which I see was known to Eratosthenes_. #Platō ‘ēscam malōrum’ appellat voluptātem#, _CM._ 44, _Plato calls pleasure the ‘bait of sin.’_

1593. The present is sometimes loosely used of future action: as,