New Latin Grammar by Charles E. Bennett

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203. Genitive of Quality. The Genitive modified by an Adjective is used to
denote quality. This construction presents several varieties. Thus it is
used--

1. To denote some internal or permanent characteristic of a person or
thing; as,--

vir magnae virtutis, _a man of great virtue_;

rationes ejus modi, _considerations of that sort_.

a. Only a limited number of Adjectives occur in this construction,
chiefly magnus, maximus, summus, tantus, along with ejus.

2. To denote measure (_breadth_, _length_, etc.); as,--

fossa quindecim pedum, _a trench fifteen feet wide_ (or _deep_);

exsilium decem annorum, _an exile of ten years_.

3. Equivalent to the Genitive of Quality (though probably of different
origin) are the Genitives tanti, quanti, parvi, magni, minoris, pluris,
minimi, plurimi, maximi. These are used predicatively to denote _indefinite
value_; as,--

nulla studia tanti sunt, _no studies are of so much value_;

magni opera ejus existimata est, _his assistance was highly esteemed_.

4. By an extension of the notion of _value_, quanti, tanti, pluris, and
minoris are also used with verbs of _buying_ and _selling_, to denote
_indefinite price_; as,--

quanti aedes emisti, _at how high a price did you purchase the house?_

5. Any of the above varieties of the Genitive of Quality may be used
predicatively; as,--

tantae molis erat Romanam condere gentem, _of so great difficulty was
it to found the Roman race_.

GENITIVE WITH ADJECTIVES.

204. The Genitive is used with many Adjectives _to limit the extent of
their application_. Thus:--

1. With adjectives signifying _desire_, _knowledge_, _familiarity_,
_memory_, _participation_, _power_, _fullness_, and their opposites; as,--

studiosus discendi, _desirous of learning_;

peritus belli, _skilled in war_;

insuetus laboris, _unused to toil_;

immemor mandati tui, _unmindful of your commission_;

plena periculorum est vita, _life is full of dangers_.

a. Some participles used adjectively also take the Genitive; as,--

diligens veritatis, _fond of truth_;

amans patriae, _devoted to one's country_.

2. Sometimes with proprius and communis; as,--

viri propria est fortitudo, _bravery is characteristic of a man_.

memoria est communis omnium artium, _memory is common to all
professions_.

a. proprius and communis are also construed with the Dative.

3. With similis the Genitive is the commoner construction in Cicero, when
the reference is to living objects; as,--

filius patris simillimus est, _the son is exactly like his father_;

mei similis, _like me_; vestri similis, _like you_.

When the reference is to things, both Genitive and Dative occur; as,--

mors somno (or somni) similis est, _death is like sleep_.

4. In the poets and later prose writers the use of the Genitive with
Adjectives is extended far beyond earlier limits; as, atrox animi, _fierce
of temper_; incertus consili, _undecided in purpose_.

GENITIVE WITH VERBS.

205. The Genitive is used with the following classes of Verbs:--

_Memini_, _Reminiscor_, _Obliviscor_.

206. 1. WHEN REFERRING TO PERSONS--

a. memini always takes the Genitive of personal or reflexive pronouns;
as,--

mei memineris, _remember me_!

nostri meminit, _he remembers us_.

With other words denoting persons memini takes the Accusative, rarely the
Genitive; as,--

Sullam memini, _I recall Sulla_;

vivorum memini, _I remember the living_.

b. obliviscor regularly takes the Genitive; as,--

Epicuri non licet oblivisci, _we mustn't forget Epicurus_.

2. WHEN REFERRING TO THINGS, memini, reminiscor, obliviscor take sometimes
the Genitive, sometimes the Accusative, without difference of meaning;
as,--

animus praeteritorum meminit, _the mind remembers the past_;

meministine nomina, _do you remember the names?_

reminiscere veteris incommodi, _remember the former disaster_;

reminiscens acerbitatem, _remembering the bitterness_.

a. But neuter pronouns, and adjectives used substantively, regularly
stand in the Accusative; as,--

haec memini, _I remember this;_

multa reminiscor, _I remember many things._

3. The phrase mihi (tibi, etc.) in mentem venit, following the analogy of
memini, takes the Genitive; as,--

mihi patriae veniebat in mentem, _I remembered my country._

_Admoneo_, _Commoneo_, _Commonefacio._

207. These verbs, in addition to an Accusative of the person, occasionally
take a Genitive of the thing; as,--

te veteris amicitiae commonefacio, _I remind you of our old
friendship._

a. But more frequently (in Cicero almost invariably) these verbs take de
with the Ablative; as,--

me admones de sorore, _you remind me of your sister._

b. A neuter pronoun or adjective used substantively regularly stands in
the Accusative (Sec. 178, 1, d); as,--

te hoc admoneo, _I give you this warning._

Verbs of Judicial Action.

208. 1. Verbs of _Accusing_, _Convicting_, _Acquitting_ take the Genitive
of the _charge_; as,--

me furti accusat, _he accuses me of theft_;

Verrem avaritiae coarguit, _he convicts Verres of avarice_;

impietatis absolutus est, _he was acquitted of blasphemy_.

2. Verbs of _Condemning_ take--

a. The Genitive of the _charge_; as,--

pecuniae publicae condemnatus, _condemned (on the charge) of
embezzlement_ (lit. _public money_);

capitis damnatus, _condemned on a capital charge_ (lit. _on a charge
involving his head_).

b. The Ablative of the _penalty;_ as,--

capite damnatus est, _he was condemned to death_;

mille nummis damnatus est, _he was condemned (to pay) a thousand
sesterces_ (lit. _by a thousand sesterces_, Abl. of Means).

3. Note the phrases:--

voti damnatus, voti reus, _having attained one's prayer_ (lit.
_condemned on the score of one's vow_);

de vi, (_accused_, _convicted_, etc.) _of assault_;

inter sicarios, (_accused_, _convicted_, etc.) _of murder_.

Genitive with Impersonal Verbs.

209. 1. The Impersonals pudet, paenitet, miseret, taedet, piget take the
Accusative of _the person affected_, along with the Genitive _of the person
or thing toward whom the feeling is directed_; as,--

pudet me tui, _I am ashamed of you_ (lit. _it shames me of you_);

paenitet me hujus facti, _I repent of this act_;

eum taedet vitae, _he is weary of life_;

pauperum te miseret, _you pity the poor_.

a. Instead of the Genitive of the thing we often find an Infinitive or
Neuter Pronoun used as subject of the verb. Thus;--

me paenitet hoc fecisse, _I repent of having done this_;

me hoc pudet, _I am ashamed of this_.

2. Misereor and miseresco also govern the Genitive; as,--

miseremini sociorum, _pity the allies_.

_Interest_, _Refert._

210. With interest, _it concerns_, three points enter into consideration;
viz.--

a) the _person concerned_;
b) the _thing about which_ he is concerned;
c) the _extent_ of his concern.

211. 1. The _person concerned_ is regularly denoted by the Genitive; as,--

patris interest, _it concerns the father_.

a. But instead of the Genitive of the personal pronouns, mei, tui,
nostri, vestri, the Latin uses the Ablative Singular Feminine of the
Possessive, viz.: mea, tua, etc.; as,--

mea interest, _it concerns me_.

2. The _thing about which_ a person is concerned is denoted--

a) by a Neuter Pronoun as subject; as,--

hoc rei publicae interest, _this concerns the state_.

b) by an Infinitive; as,--

omnium interest valere, _it concerns all to keep well_.

c) by an Indirect Question; as,--

mea interest quando venias, _I am concerned as to when you are coming_.

3. The _degree of concern_ is denoted--

a) by the Genitive (cf. Sec. 203, 3): magni, parvi, etc.; as,--

mea magni interest, _it concerns me greatly_.

b) by the Adverbs, magnopere, magis, maxime, etc.; as,--

civium minime interest, _it concerns the citizens very little_.

c) by the Neuters, multum, plus, minus, etc.; as,--

multum vestra interest, _it concerns you much_.

4. Refert follows interest in its construction, except that it rarely takes
the Genitive of the person. Thus:--

mea refert, _it concerns me_;

but rarely illius refert, _it concerns him_.

Genitive with Other Verbs.

212. 1. Verbs of _Plenty_ and _Want_ sometimes govern the Genitive; as,--

pecuniae indiges, _you need money_.

a. These verbs more commonly take the Ablative (Sec. 214, 1); indigeo is the
only verb which has a preference for the Genitive.

2. Potior, though usually followed by the Ablative, sometimes takes the
Genitive, almost always so in Sallust; and regularly in the phrase potiri
rerum, _to get control of affairs_.

3. In poetry some verbs take the Genitive in imitation of the Greek; as,--

desine querellarum, _cease your complaints_;

operum soluti, _freed from their tasks_.

* * * * *

THE ABLATIVE.

213. The Latin Ablative unites in itself three cases which were originally
distinct both in form and in meaning; viz.--

The Ablative or from-case.
The Instrumental or with-case.
The Locative or where-case.

The uses of the Latin Ablative accordingly fall into Genuine Ablative uses,
Instrumental uses, and Locative uses.

GENUINE ABLATIVE USES.

Ablative of Separation.

214. The Ablative of Separation is construed sometimes with, sometimes
without, a preposition.

1. The following words regularly take the Ablative without a preposition:--

a) The Verbs of _freeing_: libero, solvo, levo;

b) The Verbs of _depriving_: privo, spolio, exuo, fraudo, nudo;

c) The Verbs of _lacking_: egeo, careo, vaco;

d) The corresponding Adjectives, liber, inanis, vacuus, nudus,

and some others of similar meaning.

Thus:--

curis liberatus, _freed from cares_;

Caesar hostes armis exuit, _Caesar stripped the enemy of their arms_;

caret sensu communi, _he lacks common sense_;

auxilio eget, _he needs help_;

bonorum vita vacua est metu, _the life of the good is free from fear_.

NOTE 1.--Yet Adjectives and libero may take the preposition ab,--regularly
so with the Ablative of persons; as,--

urbem a tyranno liberarunt, _they freed the city from the tyrant._

NOTE 2.--Indigeo usually takes the Genitive. See Sec. 212, 1, a.

2. Of Verbs signifying _to keep from_, _to remove_, _to withdraw_, some
take the preposition, others omit it. The same Verb often admits both
constructions. Examples:--

abstinere cibo, _to abstain from food;_

hostes finibus prohibuerunt, _they kept the enemy from their borders_;

praedones ab insula prohibuit, _he kept the pirates from the island_.

3. Other Verbs of separation usually take the Ablative with a Prepositon,
particularly compounds of dis- and se-; as,--

dissentio a te, _I dissent from you_;

secernantur a nobis, _let them be separated from us_.

4. The Preposition is freely omitted in poetry.

Ablative of Source.

215. The Ablative of Source is used with the participles natus and ortus
(in poetry also with editus, satus, and some others), to designate
_parentage_ or _station_; as,--

Jove natus, _son of Jupiter_;

summo loco natus, _high-born_ (lit. _born from a very high place_);

nobili genere ortus, _born of a noble family_.

1. Pronouns regularly (nouns rarely) take ex; as,

ex me natus, _sprung from me_.

2. To denote remoter descent, ortus ab, or oriundus (with or without ab),
is used; as,--

ab Ulixe oriundus, _descended from Ulysses_.

Ablative of Agent.

216. The Ablative accompanied by a (ab) is used with passive verbs to
denote the _personal agent_; as,--

a Caesare accusatus est, _he was arraigned by Caesar_.

1. Collective nouns referring to persons, and abstract nouns when
personified, may be construed as the personal agent. Thus:--

hostes a fortuna deserebantur, _the enemy were deserted by Fortune_;

a multitudine hostium montes tenebantur, _the mountains were held by a
multitude of the enemy_.

2. Names of animals sometimes admit the same construction. Thus:--

a canibus laniatus est, _he was torn to pieces by dogs_.

Ablative of Comparison.

217. 1. The Ablative is often used with Comparatives in the sense of
_than_; as,--

melle dulcior, _sweeter than honey_;

patria mihi vita carior est, _my country is dearer to me than life_.

2. This construction, as a rule, occurs only as a substitute for quam
(_than_) with the Nominative or Accusative. In other cases quam must be
used; as,--

tui studiosior sum quam illius, _I am fonder of you than of him_.

--Studiosior illo would have meant, _I am fonder of you than he is_.

Plus, minus, amplius, longius are often employed as the equivalents of plus
quam, minus quam, etc. Thus:--

amplius viginti urbes incenduntur, _more than twenty cities are fired_;

minus quinque milia processit, _he advanced less than five miles_.

3. Note the use of opinione with Comparatives; as,--

opinione celerius venit, _he comes more quickly than expected_ (lit.
_than opinion_).

INSTRUMENTAL USES OF THE ABLATIVE.

Ablative of Means.

218. The Ablative is used to denote _means_ or _instrument_; as,--

Alexander sagitta vulneratus est, _Alexander was wounded by an arrow_.

There are the following special varieties of this Ablative:--

1. Utor, fruor, fungor, potior, vescor, and their compounds take the
Ablative; as,--

divitiis utitur, _he uses his wealth_ (lit. _he benefits himself by his
wealth_);

vita fruitur, _he enjoys life_ (lit. _he enjoys himself by life_);

munere fungor, _I perform my duty_ (lit. _I busy myself with duty_);

carne vescuntur, _they eat flesh_ (lit. _feed themselves by means of_);

castris potitus est, _he got possession of the camp_ (lit. _made
himself powerful by the camp_).

a.. Potior sometimes governs the Genitive. See Sec. 212, 2.

2. With opus est (rarely usus est), _there is need_; as,--

duce nobis opus est, _we need a leader_.

a. A Neuter Pronoun or Adjective often stands as subject with opus as
predicate. Thus:--

hoc mihi opus est, _this is necessary for me_.

b. An ordinary substantive rarely stands as subject. Thus dux nobis opus
est is a rare form of expression.

c. Note the occasional use of a perfect passive participle with opus est;
as,--

opus est properato, _there is need of haste_.

3. With nitor, innixus, and fretus; as,--

nititur hasta, _he rests on a spear_ (lit. _supports himself by a
spear_);

fretus virtute, _relying on virtue_ (lit. _supported by virtue_).

4. With contineri, consistere, constare, _consist of_; as,--

nervis et ossibus continentur, _they consist of sinews and bones_ (lit.
_they are held together by sinews and bones_);

mortali consistit corpore mundus, _the world consists of mortal
substance_ (lit. _holds together by means of_, etc.).

6. In expressions of the following type:--

quid hoc homine facias, _what can you do with this man?_

quid mea Tulliola fiet, _what will become of my dear Tullia?_ (lit.
_what will be done with my dear Tullia?_)

7. In the following special phrases at variance with the ordinary English
idiom:--

proelio contendere, vincere, _to contend_, _conquer in battle_;

proelio lacessere, _to provoke to battle_;

curru vehi, _to ride in a chariot_;

pedibus ire, _to go on foot_;

castris se tenere, _to keep in camp_.

8. With Verbs of _filling_ and Adjectives of _plenty_; as,--

fossas virgultis complerunt, _they filled the trenches with brush_.

a. But plenus more commonly takes the Genitive. See Sec. 204, 1.

9. Under 'Means' belongs also the Ablative of the Way by Which; as,--

vinum Tiberi devectum, _wine brought down (by) the Tiber_.

10. The means may be a person as well as a thing. Thus:--

militibus a lacu Lemanno ad montem Juram murum perducit, _with_ (i.e.
by means of) _his troops he runs a wall from Lake Geneva to Mt. Jura_.

Ablative of Cause.

219. The Ablative is used to denote cause; as,--

multa gloriae cupiditate fecit, _he did many things on account of his
love of glory_.

1. So especially with verbs denoting mental states; as, delector, gaudeo,
laetor, glorior, fido, confido. Also with contentus; as,--

fortuna amici gaudeo, _I rejoice at the fortune of my friend (i.e. on
account of it_);

victoria sua gloriantur, _they exult over their victory_;

natura loci confidebant, _they trusted in the character of their
country_ (lit. _were confident on account of the character_).

a. fido and confido always take the Dative of the person (Sec. 187, II, a);
sometimes the Dative of the thing.

2. As Ablatives of Cause are to be reckoned also such Ablatives as jussu,
by order of, injussu, _without the order_, rogatu, etc.

Ablative of Manner.

220. The Ablative with cum is used to denote manner; as,--

cum gravitate loquitur, _he speaks with dignity_.

1. The preposition may be absent when the Ablative is modified by an
adjective; as,--

magna gravitate loquitur, _he speaks with great dignity_.

2. The preposition is regularly absent in the expressions jure, injuria,
joco, vi, fraude, voluntate, furto, silentio.

3. A special variety of the Ablative of Manner denotes that _in accordance
with which_ or _in pursuance of which_ anything is or is done. It is
generally used without a preposition. Thus:--

mea sententia, _according to my opinion_;

suis moribus, _in accordance with their custom_;

sua sponte, _voluntarily_, _of his (their) own accord_;

ea condicione, _on these terms_.

Ablative of Attendant Circumstance.

221. The Ablative is often used to denote an _attendant circumstance_ of an
action or an event; as,--

bonis auspiciis, _under good auspices_;

nulla est altercatio clamoribus umquam habita majoribus, _no debate was
ever held under circumstances of greater applause_;

exstinguitur ingenti luctu provinciae, _he dies under circumstances of
great grief on the part of the province_;

longo intervallo sequitur, _he follows at a great distance_.

Ablative of Accompaniment.

222. The Ablative with cum is used with verbs of motion to denote
_accompaniment_; as,--

cum comitibus profectus est, _he set out with his attendants_;

cum febri domum rediit, _he returned home with a fever_.

1. In military expressions the Ablative may stand without cum when modified
by any adjective except a numeral; as,--

omnibus copiis, ingenti exercitu, magna manu; but usually cum exercitu,
cum duabus legionibus.

Ablative of Association.

222A. The Ablative is often used with verbs of _joining_, _mixing_,
_clinging_, _exchanging_; also with assuesco, consuesco, assuefacio, and
some others to denote _association_; as,--

improbitas scelere juncta, _badness joined with crime_;

aer calore admixtus, _air mixed with heat_;

assuetus labore, _accustomed to_ (lit. _familiarized with) toil_;

pacem bello permutant, _they change peace for_ (lit. _with) war_.

Ablative of Degree of Difference.

223. The Ablative is used with comparatives and words involving comparison
(as post, ante, infra, supra) to denote the _degree of difference_; as,--

dimidio minor, _smaller by a half_;

tribus pedibus altior, _three feet higher_;

paulo post, _a little afterwards_;

quo plura habemus, eo cupimus ampliora, _the more we have, the more we
want_.

Ablative of Quality.

224. The Ablative, modified by an adjective, is used to denote _quality;_
as,--

puella eximia forma, _a girl of exceptional beauty_;

vir singulari industria, _a man of singular industry_.

1. The Ablative of Quality may also be used predicatively; as,--

est magna prudentia, _he is (a man) of great wisdom_;

bono anima sunt, _they are of good courage_.

2. In place of the Adjective we sometimes find a limiting Genitive; as,--

sunt specie et colore tauri, _they are of the appearance and color of a
bull_,

3. In poetry the Ablative of Quality sometimes denotes _material;_ as,--

scopulis pendentibus antrum, _a cave of arching rocks._

Ablative of Price.

225. With verbs of _buying_ and _selling_, price is designated by the
Ablative; as--

servum quinque minis emit, _he bought the slave for five minae._

1. The Ablatives magno, plurimo, parvo, minimo (by omission of pretio) are
used to denote _indefinite price_; as,--

aedes magno vendidit, _he sold the house for a high price._

2. For the Genitive of Indefinite Price, see Sec. 203, 4.

Ablative of Specification.

226. The Ablative of Specification is used to denote that _in respect to
which_ something is or is done; as,--

Helvetii omnibus Gallis virtute praestabant, _the Helvetians surpassed
all the Gauls in valor_;

pede claudus, _lame in his foot_.

1. Note the phrases:--

major natu, _older_ (lit. _greater as to age_);

minor natu, _younger._

2. Here belongs the use of the Ablative with dignus, _worthy_, indignus,
_unworthy_, and dignor, _deem worthy of_; as,--

digni honore, _worthy of honor (i.e. in point of honor_);

fide indigni, _unworthy of confidence_;

me dignor honore, _I deem myself worthy of honor_.

Ablative Absolute.

227. The Ablative Absolute is grammatically independent of the rest of the
sentence. In its commonest form it consists of a noun or pronoun limited by
a participle; as,--

urbe capta, Aeneas fugit, _when the city had been captured, Aeneas
fled_ (lit. _the city having been captured_).

1. Instead of a participle we often find an adjective or noun; as,--

vivo Caesare res publica salva erat, _while Caesar was alive the state
was safe_ (lit. _Caesar being alive_);

Tarquinio rege, Pythagoras in Italiam venit, _in the reign of Tarquin
Pythagoras came into Italy_ (lit. _Tarquin being king_);

Cn. Pompejo, M. Crasso consulibus, _in the consulship of Gnaeus Pompey
and Marcus Crassus_ (lit. _P. and C. being consuls_).

2. The Ablative Absolute is generally used in Latin where in English we
employ subordinate clauses. Thus the Ablative Absolute may correspond to a
clause denoting--

a) Time, as in the foregoing examples.

b) Condition; as,--

omnes virtutes jacent, voluptate dominante, _all virtues lie prostrate,
if pleasure is master_.

c) Opposition; as,--

perditis omnibus rebus, virtus se sustentare potest, _though everything
else is lost, yet Virtue can maintain herself_.

d) Cause; as,--

nullo adversante regnum obtinuit, _since no one opposed him, he secured
the throne_.

e) Attendant circumstance; as,--

passis palmis pacem petiverunt, _with hands outstretched, they sued for
peace_.

3. An Infinitive or clause sometimes occurs in the Ablative Absolute
construction, especially in Livy and later writers; as,--

audito eum fugisse, _when it was heard that he had fled_.

4. A noun or pronoun stands in the Ablative Absolute construction only when
it denotes a different person or thing from any in the clause in which it
stands. Exceptions to this principle are extremely rare.

LOCATIVE USES OF THE ABLATIVE.

Ablative of Place.

_A. Place where._

228. The place where is regularly denoted by the _Ablative with a
preposition_; as,--

in urbe habitat, _he dwells in the city_.

1. But certain words stand in the Ablative without a preposition; viz.--

a) Names of towns,--except Singulars of the First and Second Declensions
(see Sec. 232, 1); as,--

Carthagini, _at Carthage_;

Athenis, _at Athens_;

Vejis, _at Veii_.

b) The general words loco, locis, parte; also many words modified by
totus or even by other Adjectives; as,--

hoc loco, _at this place_;

totis castris, _in the whole camp_.

c) The special words: foris, _out of doors_; ruri, _in the country_,
terra marique, _on land and sea_.

d) The poets freely omit the preposition with any word denoting place;
as,--

stant litore puppes, _the sterns rest on the beach_.

_B. Place from which.[50]_

229. Place from which is regularly denoted by the _Ablative with a
preposition_; as,--

ab Italia profectus est, _he set out from Italy_;

ex urbe rediit, _he returned from the city_.

1. But certain words stand in the Ablative without a preposition; viz.--

a) Names of towns and small islands; as,--

Roma profectus est, _he set out from Rome_;

Rhodo revertit, _he returned from Rhodes_.

b) domo, _from home_; rure, _from the country_.

c) Freely in poetry; as,--

Italia decessit, _he withdrew from Italy_.

2. With names of towns, ab is used to mean _from the vicinity of_, or to
denote the point _whence distance is measured;_ as,--

a Gergovia discessit, _he withdrew from the vicinity of Gergovia_;

a Roma X milia aberat, _he was ten miles distant from Rome_.

Urbe and oppido, when standing in apposition with a town name, are
accompanied by a preposition; as,--

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