Heavy Construction
The Allen and Greenough is still under construction;
so some links may not work quite the way you would expect.
375.
The Dative of the Agent is common with
perfect participles (especially when used in an adjective sense),
but rare with other parts of the verb: -
- mihi délíberátum et
cónstitútum est (Leg. Agr. i. 25), I have
deliberated and resolved (it has been deliberated by me).
- mihi rés próvísa est
(Verr. iv. 91), the matter has been provided for by me.
- síc dissimillimís
béstiolís commúniter cibus quaeritur
(N. D. ii. 123), so by very different creatures food is sought in
common.
a. The Dative of the Agent is used by the
poets and later writers with almost any verb: -
- neque cernitur
úllí (Aen. i. 440), nor is seen by any.
- félíx est dicta
sorórí (Ov. Fast. iii. 1. 597), she was
called happy by her sister.
- Aelia Paetina Narcissó
fovébátur (Tac. Ann. xii. 1), AElia Poetina was
favored by Narcissus.
b. The dative of the person who
sees or thinks is regularly used after videor, seem: -
- vidétur mihi it seems (or seems good)
to me.
- dís aliter vísum [est] (Aen. ii. 428), it
seemed otherwise to the gods.
- videor mihi perspicere ipsíus
animum (Fam. iv. 13. 5), I seem (to myself) to see the
soul of the man himself.
NOTE: The verb probáre, approve (originally a mercantile word), takes a Dative of Reference (§ 376), which has become so firmly attached that
it is often retained with the passive, seemingly as Dative of Agent: -
- haec sententia et illí et
nóbís probábátur (Fam. i. 7. 5),
this view met both his approval and mind (was made acceptable to both him and to me).
- hóc cónsilium
plérísque nón probábátur
(B.C. i. 72), this plan was not approved by the majority. [But
also, cónsilium á cúnctís
probábátur (id. i. 74).]