Heavy Construction

Special Uses of the Relative.

308.

a. The relative is never omitted in Latin, as it often is in English: -

• liber quem mihi dedistí, the book you gave me.

  

• is sum quí semper fuí, I am the same man I always was.

  

• eó in locó est dé quó tibi locútus sum, he is in the place I told you of.

b. When two relative clauses are connected by a copulative conjunction, a relative pronoun sometimes stands in the first and a demonstrative in the last: -

• erat profectus obviam legiónibus Macedonicís quattuor, quas sibi conciliáre pecúniá cógitábat eásque ad urbem addúcere (Fam. xii. 23. 2), he had set out to meet four legions from Macedonia, which he thought to win over to himself by a gift of money and to lead (them) to the city.

c. A relative clause in Latin often takes the place of some other construction in English, - particularly of a participle, an appositive, or a noun of agency: -

• légés quae nunc sunt, the existing laws (the laws which now exist).

  

• Caesar quí Galliam vícit, Caesar the conqueror of Gaul.

  

• iústa glória quí est frúctus virtútis (Pison. 57), true glory [which is] the fruit of virtue.

  

• ille quí petit, the plaintiff (he who sues).

  

• quí legit, a reader (one who reads).

d. In formal or emphatic discourse, the relative clause usually comes first, often containing the antecedent noun (cf. § 307. b): -

• quae pars cívitátis Helvétiae ínsígnem calamitátem populó Rómánó intulerat, ea prínceps poenás persolvit (B. G. i. 12), the portion of the Helvetian state which had brought a serious disaster on the Roman people was the first to pay the penalty.

NOTE: In eolloquial language, the relative clause in such cases often contains a redundant demonstrative pronoun which logically belongs in the antecedent clause: as, - ille quí cónsulté cavet, diútiné utí bene licet partum bene (Plaut. Rud. 1240) he who is on his guard, he may long enjoy what he has well obtained.

e. The relative with an abstract noun may be used in a parenthetical clause to characterize a person, like the English such: -

• quae vestra prúdentia est (Cael. 46), such is your wisdom. [Equivalent to pró vestrá prúdentiá.]

  

• audíssés cómoedós vel léctórem vel lyristén, vel, quae mea líberálitás, omnés (Plin. Ep. i. 15), you would have listened to comedians, or a reader, or a lyre-player, or - such is my liberality - to all of them.

f. A relative pronoun (or adverb) often stands at the beginning of an independent sentence or clause, serving to connect it with the sentence or clause that precedes: -

• Caesar statuit exspectandam classem; quae ubi convenit (B. G. iii. 14), Caesar decided that he must wait for the fleet; and when this had come together, etc.

  

• quae quí audiébant, and those who heard this (which things).

  

• quae cum ita sint, and since this is so.

  

• quórum quod simile factum (Cat. iv. 13), what deed of theirs like this?

  

• quó cum vénisset, and when he had come there (whither when he had come).

NOTE: This arrangement is common even when another relative or an interrogative follows. The relative may usually be translated by an English demonstrative, with or without and.

g. A relative adverb is regularly used in referring to an antecedent in the Locative case; so, often, to express any relation of place instead of the formal relative pronoun: -

• mortuus Cúmís quó sé contulerat (Liv. ii. 21), having died at Cumae, whither he had retired. [Here in quam urbem might be used, but not in quás.]

  

• locus quó aditus nón erat, a place to which (whither) there was no access.

  

• régna unde genus dúcis (Aen. v. 801), the kingdom from which you derive your race.

  

• unde petitur, the defendant (he from whom something is demanded).

h. The relatives quí, quális, quantus, quot, etc. are often rendered simply by as in English: -

• idem quod semper, the same as always.

  

• cum esset tális quálem té esse vídeó (Mur. 32), since he was such a man as I see you are.

  

• tanta dímicátió quanta numquam fuit (Att. vii. 1. 2), such a fight as never was before.

  

• tot mala quot sídera (Ov. Tr. i. 5. 47), as many troubles as stars in the sky.

i. The general construction of relatives is found in clauses introduced by relative adverbs: as, ubi, quó, unde, cum, quáré.