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Indirect Object with Special Verbs.
367.
Many verbs signifying to favor, help,
please, trust, and their contraries; also to believe, persuade,
command, obey, serve, resist, envy, threaten, pardon, and
spare,[1][These include, among others, the following: adversor, cédó, crédó,
faveó, fídó, ígnóscó,
imperó, indulgeó, invideó, íráscor,
minitor, noceó, parcó, placeó, resistó,
servió, studeó, suádeó
(persuádeó), suscénseó, temperó
(obtemperó).] take the Dative: -
-
- cúr mihi
invidés, why do you envy me?
- mihi parcit atque
ígnóscit, he spares and pardons me.
- ígnoscé patrió
dólórí (Liv. iii. 48), excuse a
father's grief.
- subvení patriae, opituláre
conlégae (Fam. x. 10. 2), come to the aid of your
contry, help your colleague.
- mihi nón displicet
(Clu. 144), it does not displease me.
- nón omnibus servió
(Att. xiii. 49), I am not a servant to every man.
- nón parcam operae
(Fam. xiii. 27), I will spare no pains.
- síc mihi
persuásí (Cat. M. 78), so I have persuaded
myself.
- mihi Fabius débébit
ígnóscere sí minus êius fámae
parcere vidébor quam anteá cónsuluí
(Tull. 3), Fabius will have to pardon me if I seem to spare his
reputation less than I have heretofore regarded it.
- huic légióní
Caesar cónfídébat maximé
(B. G. i. 40. 15), in this legion Caesar trusted most.
- In these verbs the Latin retains an original intransitive
meaning. Thus: invidére,
to envy, is literally to look askance at; servíre is to be a slave to;
suádére is to make
a
thing pleasant (sweet) to.
a. Some verbs apparently of the same
meanings take the Accusative.
Such are iuvó,
adiuvó, help; laedó, injure; iubeó, order; défició, fail; délectó, please: -
- h=ic pulvis oculum meum
laedit, this dust hirts my eye.
[Cf. multa oculís nocent,
many things are injurious to the eyes.]
NOTE 1: Fídó
and c=onf=id=o take also the Ablative (§ 431): as, - multum
nátúrá locí
cónfídébant (B. G. iii. 9) they had great
confidence in the strength of their position.
NOTE 2: Some common phrases regularly take the dative
rpecisely like verbs of similar meaning. Such are - praestó esse, be at hand
(cf. adesse); mórem gerere, humor (cf. mórigerárí); grátum facere, do a favor
(cf. grátificárí);dictó audiéns esse, be
obedient (cf. oboedíre);
cui fidem habébat (B. G. i. 19), in
whom he had confidence (cf. cónfidébat).
So also many phrases where no corresponding verb exists. Such are -
bene (male, pulchré, aegré, etc.) esse, be well (ill, etc.) off;
iniúriam facere, do justice to;
diem dícere, bring to trial
(name a day for, etc.); aegre
grátiás, express one's thanks; habére grátiam, feel thankful;
referre grátiam, repay a favor;
opus esse, be necessary; damnum dare, inflict an injury; acceptum (expénsum) ferre (esse), credit
(charge); honórem habére,
to pay honor to.
b. Some verbs are use transitively
with the Accusative or intransitively with the Dative without
perceptible difference of meaning.
Such are adúor, aemulor,
déspéró, praestólor, medeor: -
- adúlátus est
Antónió (Nep. Att. 8), he flattered
Antony.
- adúlárí
Nerónem (Tac. Ann. xvi. 19), to flatter Nero.
- pácem nón déspérás
(Att. viii. 15. 3), you do not despair of peace.
- salútí déspéráre vetuit (Clu. 68),
he forbade him to despair of safety.
c. Some verbs are used transitively
with the Accusative or intransitively with the Dative with a
difference of meaning: - [2][See the Lexicon under caveó, convenió, cupió,
ínsistó, maneó, praevertó, recipió,
renúnió, solvó, succédó.]
- partí cívium cónsulunt (Off. i. 85),
they consult for a part of the citizens.
- cum té
cónsuluissem (Fam. xi. 29) when I had consulted you.
- metu-ens puerís
(Plaut. Am. 1113), anxious for the children.
- próspicite patriae
(Cat. iv. 3), have regard for the state.
- próspicite sédem
senectútí (Liv. iv. 49. 14) to provide a
habitation for old age. [See also próvideó.]
d. A few verbal nouns (as ínsidiae, ambush; obtemperátió , obedience)
rarely take the dative like the corresponding verbs: -
- ínsidiae
cónsulí (Sall. Cat. 32), the plot against
the consul (cf. ínsidior).
- obtemperátió
légibus (Legg. i. 42), obedience to the laws
(cf. obtemperó).
- sibi ipsí respónsió (De Or. iii. 207), an
answer to himself (cf. respondeó).
NOTE: In these cases the dative depends immediately upon the
verbal force of the noun and not on any complex idea (cf § 366 a, b)
386.
The Dative is used -
1. With the impersonals libet
(lubet), it pleases, and
licet, it is allowed: -
- quod mihi maxim=e lubet
(Fam. i. 8. 3), what most pleases me. quasi tibi n=on lic=eret (id. vi. 8), as if you
were not permitted.
2. With verbs compounded with satis, bene, and male: -
- mihi ipse numquam
satisfació (Fam. i. 1), I never satify myself.
- optimó viró
maledícere (Deiot. 28), to speak ill of a most excellent
man.
- pulchrum est benefacere reí
públicae (Sall. Cat. 3), it is a glorious thing to
benefit the state.
NOTE: These are not real compounds,
but phrases, and were apparently felt as such by the Romans. Thus - satis offició meó, satis
illórum voluntatí quí á mé hóc
petívérunt factum esse arbitrábor
(Verr. v. 130), I shall consider that enough has been done for my duty,
enough for the wishes of those who asked this of me.
3. With grátificor, grátulor,
núbó, permittó, plaudó, probó,
studeó, supplicó, excelló: -
- Pompêió sé
grátificárí putant (Fam. i. 1), they
suppose they are doing Pompey a service.
- grátulor tibi, mí
Balbe (id. vi. 12), I congratulate you, my dear Balbus.
- tibi permittó
respondére (N. D. iii. 4), I give you leave to
answer.
- mihi plaudó ipse
domí (Hor. S. i. 1. 66), I applaud myself at home.
- cum inimící M.
Fontêí vóbís ac populó
Rómanó minentur, amící ac propinquí
supplicent vóbís (Font. 35), while the
enemies of Marcus Fonteius are threatening you and the Roman people too,
while his friends and relatives are beseeching you.
NOTE:
Misceó and iungó sometimes take the dative (see § 413. a. N.). Haereó usually takes the ablative, with
or without in, rarely the dative: as,
- haerentem capití corónam
(Hor. S. i. 10. 49), a wreath clinging to the head.
a. The dative is often used by the poets
in constructions which would in prose require a noun with a preposition.
So especially with verbs of contending (§ 413. b): -
- contendis Homéró (Prop. i. 7. 3), you
vie with Homer. [In prose: cum
Homéró.]
- placitóne etiam
púgnábis amórí (Aen. iv. 38),
will you struggle even against a love that pleases you?
- tibi certat (Ecl. v. 8), vies with you.
- differt sermóní (Hor. S. i. 4. 48),
differs from prose.
- laterí abdidit énsem (Aen. ii. 553), buried the
sword in his side. [in latere,
§ 430.]
For the Dative instead of ad with
the Accusative, see § 428. h.