quid esset, quos eos scire aut nostra aut ipsorum interesset, Cic., ad Fam., ii., 4. Quid refert, utrum voluerim fieri, an factum gaudeam? Cic., Philip., ii., 12. Note 1.-When an infinitive alone is joined to interesse, the preceding subject is understood, e. g., omnium interest recte facere, scil. se. The nominative of the subject in Cicero, ad Att., iii., 19, non quo mea interesset loci natura, is very singular. It has been asserted that refert is not joined with the genitive of the person; in Cicero, it is true, it does not occur, for he generally uses it with the pronouns mea, tua, sua, &c. ; but other authors use the genitive; e. g., Sallust, Jug., 119, faciendum aliquid, quod illorum magis, quam sua rettulisse videretur, and Liv., xxxiv., 27, ipsorum referre, &c. Most frequently, however, refert is used without either a genitive or any of the pronouns mea, tua, &c.: refert, quid refert? magni, parvi, magnopere refert. The dative of the person in Horace, Serm., i., 1, 50, vel dic quid referat intra naturae fines viventi, jugera centum an mille aret, is a singular peculiarity. [$ 450.] Note 2.-The degree of importance is expressed by adverbs or neuter adjectives, or by their genitives, magis, magnopere, vehementer, parum, minime, tam, tantopere; multum, plus, plurimum, permultum, infinitum, mirum quantum, minus, nihil, aliquid, quiddam, tantum, quantum ; tanti, quanti, magni, permagni, parvi. The object for which a thing is of importance is expressed by the preposition ad, as in Cicero, magni interest ad honorem nostrum ; a dative used in the same sense occurs in Tacitus, Ann., xv., 65, non referre dedecori. CHAPTER LXXIV. ABLATIVE CASE. [§ 451.] 1. THE Ablative serves to denote certain relations of substantives, which are expressed in most other languages by prepositions. Note. This is an important difference between the ablative and the other oblique cases; for the latter, expressing necessary relations between nouns, occur in all languages which possess cases of inflection, and do not, like the French or English, express those relations by prepositions. But the ablative is a peculiarity of the Latin language, which might indeed be dispensed with, but which contributes greatly to its expressive conciseness. The ablative is used first with passive verbs to denote the thing by which anything is effected (ablativus efficientis), and which in the active construction is expressed by the nominative; e. g., sol mundum illustrat, and sole mundus illustratur; fecunditas arborum me delectat, and fecunditate arborum delector. If that by which anything is ef fected is a person, the preposition ab is required with the ablative (see § 382), with the sole exception of the participles of the verbs denoting " to be born" (natus, genitus, ortus, and in poetry, also, cretus, editus, satus), to which the name of the father or family is generally joined in the ab lative without a preposition. Ab cannot be used with the ablative of a thing by which anything is effected, unless the thing be personified. Dei providentiaā mundus administratur, Cic. Non est consentaneum, qui metu non frangatur, eum frangi cupiditate; nec qui invictum se a labore praestiterit, vinci a voluptate, Cic., De Off., i., 20. Note. The words denoting "born" usually have the preposition ex or de joined to the name of the mother, but the ablative alone is also found, and there are a few passages in which ex or ab is joined to the name of the father; e. g., Terent., Adelph., i., 1, 15, Atque ex me hic natus non est, sed ex fratre; Caes., Bell. Gall., vi., 18, prognati ab Dite patre. Ortus ab aliquo is frequently used in speaking of a person's ancestors; e. g., Cic., p. Muren., 21, qui ab illo ortus es; Caes., Bell. Gall., ii., 4, plerosque Belgas esse ortos a Germanis (the same as oriundos). [§ 452.] 2. An ablative expressing the cause (ablativus causae) is joined with adjectives, which, if changed into a verb, would require a passive construction; e. g., fessus, aeger, saucius (equivalent to qui fatigatus, morbo affectus, vulneratus est); and with intransitive verbs, for which we may generally substitute some passive verb of at least a similar meaning; as, interiit fame, consumptus est fame; expectatio rumore crevit, expectatio aucta est rumore; gaudeo honore tuo, delector honore tuo. Thus, verbs expressing feeling or emotion are construed with the ablative of the thing which is the cause of the feeling or emotion; as, doleo, gaudeo, laetor; exilio, exulto, triumpho, lacrimo, paene desipio gaudio, ardeo cupiditate, desiderio. Sometimes the prepositions propter and per are used instead of such an ablative; and when a person is described as the cause of an emotion, they are just as necessary as ab is with passive verbs. We must notice in particular the construction of the following verbs: Glorior, I boast, is joined with an ablative denoting the cause; e. g., victoria meā, but is also construed with de, and in the sense of "glory in a thing," with in; e. g., Cic., de Nat. Deor., iii., 36, propter virtutem recte laudamur, et in virtute recte gloriamur. Laboro, I suffer from; e. g., morbo, inopia, odio, is frequently joined, also, with ex, especially when the part of the body which is the seat of the pain is mentioned; e. g., ex pedibus, ex intestinis. Nitor and innitor aliqua re, I lean upon, is used, in a figurative sense, also, with in; e. g., Cicero, in vita Pompeii nitebatur salus civitatis (in the sense of "strive after," with ad or in with the accus.; as, nitimur in vetitum). Sto aliqua re, I depend upon a thing; as, judicio meo, auctore aliquo; also in the sense of "I persevere in or adhere to a thing;" as, foedere, jurejurando, condicionibus, promissis; it rarely takes in, as in Cicero, stare oportet in eo, quod sit judicatum. (Respecting acquiesco with the ablat., see § 416.) Fido and confido, "I trust in a thing," and the adjective fretus are joined with the ablat. of the thing trusted in, but may also be used with the dative of the person or thing trusted in. (See § 413.) The verbs constare, contineri, to consist of, are construed with the ablat. to denote that of which a thing consists; e. g., domūs amoenitas non aedificio, sed silva constabat; tota honestas quattuor virtutibus continetur; but constare is joined more frequently with ex or in, and contineri, in the sense of "to be contained in a thing," is generally used with in, but even then not unfrequently with the ablative alone. (Consistere, in the sense of "exist,” is construed, like positum esse, only with in.) Concordia res parvae crescunt, discordiā maximae dilabuntur, Sallust, Jug., 10. Est adolescentis majores natu vereri exque his deligere optimos et probatissimos, quorum consilio atque auctoritate nitatur, Cic., de Off., i., 34. Virtute decet, non sanguine niti, Claud., Cons. Hon., iv., 219. Diversis duobus vitiis, avaritia et luxuria, civitas Romana laborabat, Liv., xxxiv., 4. Delicto dolere, correctione gaudere nos oportet, Cic. [§ 453.] Note 1.-We must here mention, also, the ablat. virtute, joined with the defective adjective macte and macti, which, either with the imperative of esse (esto, este, estote), or without it, is used as an exclamation of encouragement or approbation. The use of the accusative vicem (with a genitive or possessive pronoun), instead of the ablative vice (in accordance with the above rule) in connexion with intransitive verbs and adjectives denoting feelings, especially those of care, grief, and sorrow, is a peculiarity which does not occur when vicem is used in its ordinary sense of "change" or "turn" (as in Phaedr., v., 1, 6, tacite gementes tristem fortunae vicem), but only when it is equivalent to the English "for;" e. g., Liv., ii., 31, apparuit causa plebi, suam vicem indignantem magistratu abisse; i. e., that for their sake he had indignantly resigned his office; xxxiv., 32, Remittimus hoc tibi, ne nostram vicem irascaris, that you may not be angry on our account; xl., 23, Simplicitatem juvenis incauti assentando indignandoque et ipse vicem ejus captabat, by showing indignation on his account. In like manner, we must explain Cic., ad Fam., xii., 23, Tuam vicem saepe doleo, quod nullam partem per aetatem sanae et salvae rei publicae gustare potuisti, and in Verr., i., 44, si alienam vicem pro nostra injuria doleremus, if we grieved for other people, as though a wrong had been done to ourselves. Hence we should read, with Bentley, in Horace, Epod., xvii., 42, infamis Helenae Castor offensus vicem, Cas ; tor offended on account of his ill-famed sister,* where Bentley quotes the following instances of this use of vicem with adjectives, Liv.: viii., 35, suam vicem magis anxios, quam ejus, cui auxilium ab se petebatur; xxviii., 43, ut meam quoque, non solum rei publicae et exercitus vicem videretur sollicitus Curt., vii., 6, maestus non suam vicem, sed propter ipsum periclitantium fratrum, not sad on his own account, but on account of his brothers who ran into danger for his sake. The ablative in this sense occurs only in late writers; e. g., Quintil., vi., 2, 35, and xi., 1, 42. But it is difficult to decide whether the accusative vicem may be used also in the sense of "like," more modoque, instead of vice, as is commonly read in Cic., ad Att., x., 8, Sardanapali vicem in suo lectulo mori, or whether we should correct vicem into vice, as in Tacitus, Ann., vi., 21, quae dixerat oraculi vice accipiens. The difficult passage in Horace, Epod., v., 87, Venena magnum fas nefasque non valent convertere humanam vicem, must undoubtedly be explained in the same manner, whether we retain the accusative or read humana vice; the meaning is, "Poison cannot upset the eternal laws like things human." [ 454.] Note 2.-With transitive verbs, also, the cause or the thing in consequence of which anything is done is expressed by the ablative, but this is the regular practice only with substantives ending in the ablat. in u (90), which have no other cases; e. g., jussu, rogatu, admonitu tuo veni, feci, misi or missus sum. With other substantives it is more rare; e. g., Cic., p. Rosc. Am., 32, ut omnes intelligant me non studio accusare, sed officio defendere; de Fin., ii., 26, si fructibus et emolumentis et utilitatibus amicitias colemus; de Off., 1., 9, Sunt etiam, qui aut studio rei familiaris tuendae aut odio quodam hominum suum se negotium agere dicant; Sallust, Cat., 23, inopiā minus largiri poterat; Cic., Divin. in Caec., 3, judiciorum desiderio tribunicia potestas efflagitata est, judiciorum levitate ordo alius postulatur, &c.; de Leg., iii., 7, Regale civitatis genus non tam regni, quam regis vitiis repudiatum est. The preposition propter, or a circumlocution with causa, however, is generally used instead of the ablative; e. g., instead of joco dicere, joco mentiri, we find joci causa; hoc onus suscepi tua causā; honoris tui causă, propter amicitiam nostram. When the cause is a state of feeling, the best Latin writers prefer a circumlocution with the perfect participle of some verb denoting "to induce ;" e. g., to do a thing from some desire, cupiditate ductus, inductus, incitatus, incensus, inflammatus, impulsus, motus, captus, &c. Livy is fond of using the preposition ab in this sense; as, ab ira, a spe, ab odio, from anger, hope, hatred. See § 305, and Hand, Tursellin., i., p. 33. every [§ 455.] 3. An ablative is joined with verbs of kind to express the means or instrument by which a thing is done (ablativus instrumenti). Thus we say manu ducere aliquem, to lead a person by the hand; equo, curru, nave vehi, the horse, carriage, and ships being the means of moving. Benivolentiam civium blanditiis colligere turpe est, Cic. Cornibus tauri, apri dentibus, morsu leones, aliae fuga se, aliae occultatione tutantur, Cic., De Nat. Deor., ii., 50. Naturam expellas furca, tamen usque recurret, Horat., Epist., i., 10, 24. Male quaeritur herbis; moribus et forma conciliandus amor, Ovid, Heroid., vi., 93. [Compare the remarks of Orelli, ad loc. So in Greek, 'Avǹp d' öTAV μάλιστα θυμηδεῖν δοκῇ κατ' οἶκον ἢ θεοῦ μοῖραν ἢ ἀνθρώπου χάριν κτλ. (Simonid., Amorg., 7, 103, ed. Schneidew.)]—Am. Ed. Note. When a man is the instrument by which anything is effected, the ablative is rarely used, but generally the preposition per,* or the circumlocution with opera alicujus, which is so frequent, especially with possessive pronouns, that mea, tua, sua, &c., operă are exactly the same as per me, per te, per se, &c., and are used to denote both good and bad services; e. g., Cic., Cat. Maj., 4, mea opera Tarentum recepisti; Nep., Lys., 1, Lýsander sic sibi indulsit, ut ejus opera in maximum odium Graeciae Lacedaemonii pervenerint; that is, ejus culpa, through his fault. Beneficio is used in the more limited sense of good results; as, beneficio tuo salvus, incolumis sum, where it is the same as per te. Per is sometimes used to express a means, but only when we are speaking of external concurring circumstances, rather than of that which is really done to attain a certain object. We always say, e. g., vi oppidum cepit, but per vim ei bona eripuit. See 301. The material instrument is always expressed by the ablative alone, and never with a preposition, such as cum; hence conficere cervum sagittis, gladio aliquem vulnerare; compare § 473. [§ 456.] 4. Hence with verbs of buying and selling, of estimation, value, and the like (§ 444), the price or value of a thing is expressed by the ablative, provided it is indicated by a definite sum or a substantive. (Respecting the genitive in general expressions, see § 444, where it is observed that, contrary to the general rule, the ablatives magno, permagno, plurimo, parvo, minimo, are commonly joined to verbs denoting "to buy" and "sell.") Ego spem pretio non emo, Terent., Adelph., ii., 2, 11. Viginti talentis unam orationem Isocrates vendidit, Plin., Denis in diem assibus anima et corpus (militum) aestiman- Quod non opus est, asse carum est, Senec., Epist., 94. Note. To the verbs of buying and selling we must add many others which express an act or an enjoyment, for which a certain price is paid; e. g., lavor quadrante, habito triginta milibus HS, doceo talento, parvo aere mereo. Esse in the sense of "to be worth" is therefore joined with the ablative of the definite price; e. g., Modius frumenti in Sicilia binis sestertiis, ad summum ternis erat; sextante sal in Italia erat. We make this observation chiefly to direct attention to the difference between this ablative and the genitive of quality which occurs in the passage of Cicero quoted above. Est mille denarium there means, it is a thing of one thousand denarii (in value), and may be bought for that sum. Mutare and its compounds, commutare and permutare, are commonly construed in the same way as the verbs of selling; e. g., fidem suam et religionem pecunia, studium belli gerendi agricultură, pellium tegmina vestibus, montes ac silvas urbibus, and in Virg., Georg., i., 8, Chaoniam glandem pingui mutavit arista, alluding to the first husbandman, who exchanged corn for acorns. But prose writers as well as poets reverse the expression, by putting that which we receive in the accusat., and that which we give for * [Compare Hand, Tursell., i., p. 31; Reisig, Vorles., p. 704.]—Am. Ed. |