V. The Impersonals interest and refert are followed by the Genitive, or by Possessives ending in a :12 as, a. Domini interest abire. It is the lord's interest to go away. b. Domini interest puerum abire. It is the lord's interest that the boy should go away. c. Mea interest puerum abire. It is my interest that the boy should go away. W. The Infinitive in Latin does not change its tense after Perfect verbs as it does in English: as, a. Debui ire. I ought to have gone. b. Licuit mihi ire. I might have gone. X. In narrative, the Present Infinitive is often used like the Indicative, generally with the force of the Past-imperfect, when the writer wishes to set before his readers a picture of a state of things that has just commenced; or of a series of actions, either happening at the same time, or following each other in rapid succession: as, Repente omnes timor invasit : festinare, trepidare; manus in cælum tendere; miserari parvos liberos; rogitare; omnia pavere; sibi patriæque diffidere. A panic suddenly seized all. They hurried to and fro in confusion, stretched their hands to heaven, commiserated their little ones, put questions, dreaded everything, distrusted themselves and their country. This is commonly called the Historic Infinitive. 8. The Active forms, as, cœpit, desiit, are found; but the Passive are preferred (Steps XVIII. 14). 9. Hence these verbs, though in English they seem to be like Capi, 'begin,' are in reality like Puto, think' (App. F, III). Instead of 'I hope to sing,' we can say, 'I hope that I shall sing.' And, as we hope or promise a future action, but pretend a present one, spero, &c., are followed by the Future, simulo, &c., by the Present Infinitive. 10. The full construction is Mihi non licet me otiosum esse, 'My-beingidle is not allowed to me;' the single noun me-esse being subject-word to licet (F. b). But commonly the accusative, as me, is omitted, as in the Example and Sentences. II. Here esse alone is subject-word to licet, and otiso is attracted in.o the case of mih.. 12. This possessive in a seems to be the accusative meam, agreeing with rem omitted; the m having dropped, and the a being lengthened by compensation. 'Boy-departing is among my concerns.' CHAPTER XXI. VERBAL NOUNS. GERUND AND SUPINE. A. The Gerund is a Verbal noun, of the Second, or o, Declension, of the Neuter gender, used only in the Singular number: as, N. Amandum, 'loving'; D. Amando, 'to loving A. Amandum, loving'; Ab. Amando, 'by loving.' It names, like the Infinitive, the operation denoted by the verb, but it has not tenses like the Infinitive: that is, it names only unfinished active operation. B. In the Genitive, Dative, Accusative with a Preposition, and Ablative, the Gerund, like the Present Active Infinitive, names simply the action denoted by the verb. In this sense it should not be followed by a noun, if it is in the Dative case, or if it is preceded by a Preposition. Thus we have the following uses: a. Genitive. b. Dative. Dominus cupidus est pugnandi (a). Dominus cupidus est serviendi reginæ (6). Dominus cupidus est condendi urbes (7). Dominus dat operam pugnando. The lord pays attention to fighting. c. Accusative. Dominus paratus est ad pugnandum. d. Ablative. Dominus fessus est pugnando (a). The lord is wearied with fighting. Dominus fessus est serviendo reginæ (B). The lord is wearied with building cities. C. In the Nominative, and in the Accusative without a preposition, the Gerund is used only in a special sense, implying necessity or duty.' And the noun naming the Agent, on whom the necessity or duty falls, is in the Dative case.2 In this sense the Gerund may be followed by all cases except the Accusative. Hence we have the following uses: a. Nominative. Domino pugnandum est (a). Fighting is at the lord; that is, The lord must, has to, ought to, or should fight. The lord should forget injuries. Domino ignoscendum est inimicis (y). The lord ought to forgive his enemies. Domino utendum est recte viribus (8). The lord ought to make a good use of his strength. b. Accusative. Puto domino pugnandum esse. I think that fighting is at the lord; that is, That the lord must, should, ought to fight. And, like the Nominative above, the Accusative of the Gerund may be followed by nouns in all cases except the Accusative. D. The Supine is a Verbal noun, of the Fourth, or u, Declension; of the Masculine gender; used only in the Singular number, and in the Accusative and Ablative cases: as Acc. Amatum, 'loving'; Abl. Amatu, 'in loving.' It simply names the unfinished active operation denoted by the verb. a. The Supine in the Accusative, or the Supine in um, as it is commonly called, is used almost entirely after verbs of motion, without a preposition, to name the action to which the motion is directed: as, Dominus venit pacem petitum (a). The lord came to ask for peace. B. This Supine is commonly used to make up a Compound for the Future of the Passive Infinitive: as, Dominus intelligit pacem petitum iri. The lord is aware that peace will be asked for. See XXIV. G. b. ß. b. The Supine in the Ablative, or the Supine in u, as it is commonly called, is very rare. It is never followed by a case, and is commonly used with adjectives to name the matter, in which the quality denoted by the adjective is shown as, Hæc gravia auditu sunt. These things are grievous in the hearing; or, These things are grievous to hear. 1. This construction must be carefully noted. The Gerund in the Nominative never names the simple action. We cannot say, Pugnanaum est jucundum, 'Fighting is pleasant.' For this the Infinitive is used; as, Pugnare est jucundum. 2. This Dative is quite regular. Just as Mulieri est liber (V. B. a.) means 'There is at, or by the side of, the woman a book '; that is, 'The woman has a book': so Domino pugnandum est means, "There is at, or by the side of, the lord fighting,' The lord has fighting.' But the Gerund names an unfinished, not a finished, action; and the only sense of saying that a man has by his side an unfinished action is to imply that he is bound, or ought, to do it. Hence Domino pugnandum est means, The lord must, or should, or ought, to fight'; or simply, 'The lord has to fight.' Which last rendering is exactly like the Latin: Domino est meaning 'The lord has'; and pugnandum being rendered by the compound for the verbal to fight' instead of the form 'fighting." S. The Genitive of the Gerund is followed by the Genitive case of Personal pronouns :3 as, Nostri purgandi causa venimus. We are come for the sake of excusing ourselves. T. When the verb is itself followed by the Dative, the word naming the Agent after the Gerund may be in the Ablative with a or ab instead of the Dative, in order to avoid ambiguity :4 as, A nobis ignoscendum est inimicis. We ought to pardon our enemies. 3. As the verbals do not lose their verbal torce, but are followed by the same case as the verb (XX. C.), we should expect the accusative nos after purgandi. But in this particular instance the Gerund loses its verbal force, and is followed by the genitive like any other noun. are come for the sake of the clearing of ourselves.' See Steps XVIII. 29. 'We 4. By rule C. nobis should be in the Dative; but this would be ambiguous, as the sentence might mean either 'We ought to pardon our enemies' or, 'Our enemies ought to pardon us.' Hence it is better perhaps to avoid the construction altogether. If it is used, the sense is made clear by the ablative, 'Pardoning enemies is due from us.' A. There are also attached to the verb Verbal Adjectives; that is, words which, instead of passing through numbers and persons like the verb, agree with a noun and pass through gender, number, and case, like an adjective. These Verbal Adjectives are called Participles. a. There are in Latin Four Participles; two in the Active voice, Imperfect and Future, as amans, loving,' and amaturus, 'about to love'; and two in the Passive voice, Imperfect and Perfect, as amandus, 'meet to be loved,' |