Heavy Construction

INDIRECT OBJECT WITH INTRANSITIVES.

366.

• cédant arma togae (Phil. ii. 20), let arms give place to the gown.

  

• Caesarí respondet, he replies to Caesar.

  

• Caesarí respondétur, a reply is given to Caesar (Caesar is replied to). [Cf. § 372.]

  

• respondí maximís críminibus (Phil. ii. 36), I have answered the heaviest charges.

  

• ut ita cuique éveniat (id. ii. 119), that it may so turn out to each.

NOTE 1: Intransitive verbs have no Direct Object. The Indirect Object, therefore, in these cases stands alone as in the second example (but cf. § 362.a).

NOTE 2: cédó, yield, sometimes takes the Ablative of the thing along with the Dative of the person: as, - cédere alicui possessióne hortórum (cf. Mil. 75), to give up to one the possession of a garden.

a. Many phrases consisting of a noun with the copula sum or a copulative verb are equivalent to an intransitive verb and take a kind of indirect object (cf. § 367.a N.2): -

• auctor esse alicui, to advise or instigate one (cf. persuádeó).

  

• quis huic reí testis est (Quinct. 37), who testifies (is witness) to this fact?

  

• is fínis populátiónibus fuit (Liv. ii. 30. 9), this put an end to the raids.

b. The dative is sometimes used without a copulative verb in a sense approaching that of the genitive (cf. §§ 367.d,377): -

• légátus frátrí (Mur. 32), a leiutenant to his brother (i.e. a man assigned to his brother).

  

• ministrí sceleribus (Tac. Ann. vi. 36), agents of crime. [Cf. séditíonis ministrí (id. i. 17), agents of sedition.]

  

• miseriís suís remedium mortem exspectáre (Sall. Cat. 40), to look for death as a cure for their miseries. [Cf. sólus meárum miseriárumst remedium (Ter. Ad. 294).]

NOTE: The cases in a and b differ from the construction of § 367.a N.2 and § 377 in that the dative is more closely connected in idea with some single word to which is serves as an indirect object.