1498.Forms ofpossumare sometimes put in the subjunctive (1554). Thus,possim, &c., often (1556), alsopossem, &c., usually of present time (1560), less frequently of past time (1559),potuissem, &c., particularly in sentences of negative import (1561), rarelypotuerim, &c. (1558). Sometimes alsodēbērem, &c., of present time (1560),dēbuissem, &c., chiefly in apodosis.
Questions.
1499.The indicative is the mood ordinarily used in enquiries and in exclamations: as,
(a.)huic ego ‘studēs?’ inquam. respondit ‘etiam.’ ‘ubī̆?’ ‘Mediōlānī.’ ‘cūr nōn hīc?’ ‘quia nūllōs hīc praeceptōrēs habēmus,’Plin.Ep.4, 13, 3,said I to the boy, ‘do you go to school?’ ‘yes, sir,’ said he; ‘where?’ ‘at Mediolanum;’ ‘why not here?’ ‘oh because we haven’t any teachers here.’(b.)ut ego tuum amōrem et dolōrem dēsīderō,Att.3, 11, 12,how I always feel the absence of your affectionate sympathy.
1500.Questions and exclamations are used much more freely in Latin than in English. Particularly common are two questions, of which the first is short and general, leading up to the real question: as,
sed quid ais? ubi nunc adulēscēns habet?Pl.Tri.156,but tell me, where is the youngster living now?estne? vīcī? et tibī̆ saepe litterās dō?Cael. inFam.8, 3, 1,is it true? have I beaten? and do I write to you often?The real question is often preceded byquid est,quid dīcis, or byquid,quid vērō,quid tum,quid posteā,quid igitur,quid ergō, &c., &c.: as,quid? canis nōnne similis lupō?DN.1, 97,why, is not the dog like the wolf?
1501.There are two kinds of questions: (1.) Such questions as call for the answeryesornoin English: as,is he gone?These may conveniently be calledYes or No Questions. (2.) Questions introduced by an interrogative pronoun, or by a word derived from an interrogative pronoun: as,who is gone? where is he?These are calledPronoun Questions.
Yes or No Questions.
1502.(1.) Yes or No questions are sometimes put without any interrogative particle: as,
Thraex est Gallīna Syrō pār?H.S.2, 5, 44, of two gladiators,is Thracian Bantam for the Syrian a match?Often intimating censure: as,rogās?Pl.Aul.634,dost ask?orwhat an absurd question.prōmpsistī tū illī vīnum? :: nōn prōmpsī, Pl.MG.830,thou hast been broaching wine for him? :: not I. Especially withnōn: as,patēre tua cōnsilia nōn sentīs?C.1, 1,you don’t see that your schemes are out?It is often doubtful whether such sentences are questions, exclamations, or declarations.
1503.(2.) Yes or No questions are usually introduced by one of the interrogative particles-neor-n,nōnne,num,an,anne.
1504.A question with-neor-nmay enquire simply, without any implication as to the character of the answer, or it may either expect an affirmative answer likenōnne, or less frequently a negative answer likenum: as,
(a.)valen?Pl.Tri.50,art well?habētin aurum?Pl.B.269,have you got the gold?(b.)iussīn in splendōrem darī bullās hās foribus?Pl.As.426,didn’t I give orders to polish up the bosses of the door?facitne ut dixī?Pl.Am.526,isn’t he acting as I said?(c.)istō immēnsō spatiō quaerō, Balbe, cūr Pronoea vestra cessāverit. labōremne fugiēbat?DN.1, 22,I want to know, Balbus, why your people’s Providence lay idle all that immeasurable time; it was work she was shirking, was it?quid, mundum praeter hunc umquamne vīdistī? negābis,DN.1, 96,tell me, did you ever see any universe except this one? you will say no.
1505.Sometimes the-neof an interrogative sentence is transferred to a following relative, chiefly in Plautus and Terence: as,rogās? quīne arrabōnem ā mē accēpistī ob mulierem?Pl.R.860,how can you ask, when you have got the hansel for the girl from me?Similarly,ō sērī studiōrum, quīne putētis difficile, H.S.1, 10, 21,what laggards at your books, to think it hard, i.e.nōnne estis sērī studiōrum, quī putētis difficile?Compare 1569.
1506.To a question withnōnne, a positive answer is usually expected, seldom a negative: as,
(a.)nōnne meministī? :: meminī vērō,TD.2, 10,don’t you remember? :: oh yes. Sometimes a second or third question also hasnōnne, but oftenernōn: as,nōnne ad tē L. Lentulus, nōn Q. Sanga, nōn L. Torquātus vēnit?Pis.77,did not Lentulus and Sanga and Torquatus come to see you?(b.)nōnne cōgitās?RA.80,do you bear in mind?nōnneis rare in Plautus, comparatively so in Terence, but very common in classical Latin.
1507.To a question withnuma negative answer is generally expected. Less frequently either a positive or a negative answer indifferently: as,
(a.)num negāre audēs?C.1, 8,do you undertake to deny it?num, tibi cum faucēs ūrit sitis, aurea quaeris pōcula?H.S.1, 2, 114,when thirst thy throat consumes, dost call for cups of gold?Rarelynumne: as,quid, deum ipsum numne vīdistī?DN.1, 88,tell me, did you ever see god in person?(b.)sed quid ais? num obdormīvistī dūdum?Pl.Am.620,but harkee, wert asleep a while ago?numquīd vīs?Pl.Tri.192,hast any further wish?
1508.A question withan, less oftenanne, or if negative, withan nōn, usually challenges or comments emphatically on something previously expressed or implied: as,
an habent quās gallīnae manūs?Pl.Ps.29,what, what, do hens have hands?anis also particularly common in argumentative language, in anticipating, criticising, or refuting an opponent: as,quid dīcis? an bellō Siciliam virtūte tuā līberātam?V.1, 5,what do you say? possibly that it was by your prowess that Sicily was rid of the war?at vērō Cn. Pompēī voluntātem ā mē aliēnābat ōrātiō mea. an ille quemquam plūs dīlēxit?Ph.2, 38,but it may be urged that my way of speaking estranged Pompey from me. why, was there anybody the man loved more?In old Latin,anis oftener used in a single than in an alternative question, while in classical Latin it is rather the reverse.
1509.(3.) Yes or No questions are sometimes introduced byecquis,ecquō,ecquandō, orēn umquam: as,
heus, ecquis hīc est?Pl.Am.420,hollo, is e’er a person here?ecquid animadvertis hōrum silentium?C.1, 20,do you possibly observe the silence of this audience?(1144).ō pater, ēn umquam aspiciam tē?Pl.Tri.588,O father, shall I ever set mine eyes on thee?
1510.(4.) In Plautus,satinorsatin ut,really,actually, sometimes becomes a mere interrogative or exclamatory particle: as,satin abiīt ille?Pl.MG.481,has that man really gone his way?
Positive and Negative Answers.
1511.There are no two current Latin words corresponding exactly withyesandnoin answers.
1512.(1.) A positive answer is expressed by some emphatic word of the question, repeated with such change as the context may require: as,
an nōn dīxī esse hoc futūrum? :: dīxtī, T.Andr.621,didn’t I say that this would be? :: you did.hūc abiīt Clītiphō :: sōlus? :: sōlus, T.Hau.904,here Clitipho repaired :: alone? :: alone. The repeated word may be emphasized bysānē,vērō: as,dāsne manēre animōs post mortem? :: dō vērō,TD.1, 25,do you grant that the soul lives on after death? :: oh yes. Often, however, adverbs are used, without the repetition, such ascertē,certō,etiam,factum,ita,ita enimvērō,ita vērō,sānē,sānē quidem,scīlicet,oh of course,vērō, rarelyvērum.
1513.(2.) A negative answer is expressed by a similar repetition, withnōnor some other negative added: as,
estne frāter intus? :: nōn est, T.Ad.569.is brother in? :: he’s not. Or, without repetition, by such words asnōn,nōn ita,nōn quidem,nōn hercle vērō,minimē,minimē quidem,minimē vērō,nihil minus.
1514.immōintroduces a sentence rectifying a mistake, implied doubt, or understatement in a question: as,nūllane habēs vitia? :: immō alia, et fortasse minōra, H.S.1, 3, 20,have you no faults? :: I beg your pardon, other faults, and peradventure lesser ones.causa igitur nōn bona est? immō optima,Att.9, 7, 4,isn’t the cause a good one then? good? yes, more than good, very good.
Alternative Questions.
1515.The alternative question belongs properly under the head of the compound sentence. But as the interrogative particles employed in the single question are also used in the alternative question, the alternative question is most conveniently considered here.
1516.In old English, the first of two alternative questions is often introduced by the interrogative particlewhether, and the second byor: as,whether is it easier to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee, or to say Arise?In modern English,whetheris not used thus.
1517.The history of the Latin alternative question is just the reverse of the English. In old Latin, the first question is very often put without any interrogative particle. Later, in the classical period, the use of-ne, or oftener ofutrum, etymologically the same aswhether, is overwhelmingly predominant.
1518.In the simplest form of the alternative sentence, neither question is introduced by an interrogative particle: as,
quid agō? adeō, maneō?T.Ph.736,what shall I do? go up and speak, or wait?(1531).
1519.Of two alternative questions, the first either has no interrogative particle at all, or is more commonly introduced byutrum,-ne, or-n. The second is introduced byan, rarely byanne, or if it is negative, byan nōn: as,
(a.)album an ātrum vīnum pōtās?Pl.Men.915,do you take light wine or dark?Tacitus es an Plīnius?Plin.Ep.9, 23, 3,are you Tacitus or Pliny?sortiētur an nōn?PC.37,will he draw lots or not?(b.)iam id porrō utrum libentēs an invītī dabant?V.3, 118,then furthermore did they offer it voluntarily or did they consent to give it under stress?utrum cētera nōmina in cōdicem acceptī et expēnsī dīgesta habēs an nōn?RC.9,have you all other items methodically posted in your ledger or not?(c.)servosne es an līber?Pl.Am.343,art bond or free?esne tū an nōn es ab illō mīlitī Macedoniō?Pl.Ps.616,art thou or art thou not the Macedonian captain’s man?videōn Clīniam an nōn?T.Hau.405,do I see Clinia or not?
1520.necneforan nōnis rare: as,sēmina praetereā linquontur necne animāī corpore in exanimō?Lucr. 3, 713,are seeds moreover left or not of soul within the lifeless frame?Twice in Cicero: as,sunt haec tua verba necne?TD.3, 41,are these your words or not?Butnecneis common in indirect questions.
1521.Instead of a single second question withan, several questions may be used if the thought requires it, each introduced byan.
1522.Sometimes an introductoryutrumprecedes two alternative questions with-neandan: as,utrum tū māsne an fēmina ’s?Pl.R.104,which is it, art thou man or maid?This construction has its origin in questions in whichutrumis used as a live pronoun: as,utrum māvīs? statimne nōs vēla facere an paululum rēmigāre?TD.4, 9,which would you rather do, have us make sail at once, or row just a little bit?In Horace and late prose,utrumne . . . anis found a few times.
1523.Sometimes a second alternative question is not put at all: as,utrum hōc bellum nōn est?Ph.8, 7, in old English,whether is not this war?
1524.Two or more separate questions asked with-ne . . . -ne, or withnum ... num, must not be mistaken for alternative questions: as,num Homērum, num Hēsiodum coēgit obmūtēscere senectūs?CM.23,did length of days compel either Homer or Hesiod to hush his voice?(1692).
1525.An alternative question is answered by repeating one member or some part of it, with such changes as the context may require.
Pronoun Questions.
1526.Pronoun questions or exclamations are introduced by interrogative pronouns, or words of pronoun origin.
Such words are: (a.)quis,quī,quoius,uter,quālis,quantus,quotus: as,quid rīdēs?H.S.2, 5, 3,why dost thou laugh?(1144).uter est īnsānior hōrum?H.S.2, 3, 102,which of these is the greater crank?hōra quota est?H.S.2, 6, 44,what’s o’clock?(b.) Orunde,ubī̆,quō,quōrorcūr,quīablative,how,quīn,why not,quam,how,quandō,quotiēns: as,unde venīs et quō tendis?H.S.1, 9, 62,whence dost thou come, and whither art thou bound?deus fallī quī potuit?DN.3, 76,how could a god have been taken in?(1495).quam bellum erat cōnfitērī nescīre,DN.1, 84,how pretty it would have been to own up that you did not know(1495).
1527.Sometimesquīnloses its interrogative force, and introduces an impatient imperative, particularly in Plautus and Terence, or an indicative of sudden declaration of something obvious or startling: as,
(a.)quīn mē aspice, Pl.Most.172,why look me over, won’t you?i.e.mē aspice,quīnaspicis?So twice in Cicero’s orations. (b.)quīn discupiō dīcere, Pl.Tri.932,why I am bursting with desire to tell.
1528.In Plautus, Terence, Horace, and Livy,ut,how, also is used in questions: as,ut valēs?Pl.R.1304,how do you do?ut sēsē in Samniō rēs habent?L. 10, 18, 11,how is every thing in Samnium?Very commonly, and in Cicero only so, in exclamations also: as,ut fortūnātī sunt fabrī ferrāriī, quī apud carbōnēs adsident; semper calent, Pl.R.531,what lucky dogs the blacksmiths be, that sit by redhot coals; they’re always warm.
1529.In poetry,quis,uter, andquantusare found a few times with-neattached; as,uterne ad cāsūs dubiōs fīdet sibi certius?H.S.2, 2, 107,which of the two in doubtful straits will better in himself confide?
1530.Two or more questions or exclamations are sometimes united with one and the same verb: as,
unde quō vēnī?H. 3, 27, 37,whence whither am I come?quot diēs quam frīgidīs rēbus absūmpsī, Plin.Ep.1, 9, 3,how many days have I frittered away in utter vapidities.quantae quotiēns occāsiōnēs quam praeclārae fuērunt,Mil.38,what great chances there were, time and again, splendid ones too.
Some Applications of Questions.
1531.A question in the indicative present or future may be used to intimate command or exhortation, deliberation, or appeal: as,
(a.)abin hinc?T.Eu.861,will you get out of this?abin an nōn? :: abeō, Pl.Aul.660,will you begone or not? :: I’ll go.quīn abīs?Pl.MG.1087,why won’t you begone?orget you gone,begone.nōn tacēs?T.Ph.987,won’t you just hold your tongue?ecquis currit pollinctōrem arcēssere?Pl.As.910,won’t some one run to fetch the undertaker man?quīn cōnscendimus equōs?L. 1, 57, 7,why not mount?orto horse, to horse. (b.)quid est, Crasse, īmusne sessum?DO.3, 17,what say you, Crassus, shall we go and take a seat?quoi dōnō lepidum novum libellum?Cat. 1, 1,unto whom shall I give the neat new booklet?quid agō? adeō, maneō?T.Ph.736,what shall I do? go up and speak, or wait?(c.)eōn? vocō hūc hominem? :: ī, vocā, Pl.Most.774,shall I go, and shall I call him here? :: go call him. See also1623. Such indicative questions occur particularly in old Latin, in Catullus, in Cicero’s early works and letters, and in Vergil.
1532.Some set forms occur repeatedly, especially in questions of curiosity, surprise, incredulity, wrath, or captiousness: as,
sed quid ais?T.Andr.575,but apropos, orbut by the way(1500).quid istīc?T.Andr.572,well, well, have it your way: comparequid istīc verba facimus?Pl.E.141.ain tū?Br.152,no, not seriously?itane?T.Eu.1058,not really?Frequentlyegone: as,quid nunc facere cōgitās? :: egone?T.Hau.608,what do you think of doing now? :: what, I?In Plautus, threats are sometimes introduced byscīn quō modō?do you know how?i.e. at your peril.
1533.A question is sometimes united with a participle, or an ablative absolute, or thrown into a subordinate sentence: as,
quem frūctum petentēs scīre cupimus illa quō modō moveantur?Fin.3, 37,with what practical end in view do we seek to know how yon bodies in the sky keep in motion?quā frequentiā prōsequente crēditis nōs illinc profectōs?L. 7, 30, 21,by what multitudes do you think we were seen off when we left that town?‘hominēs’ inquit ‘ēmistī.’ quid utī faceret?Sest.84,‘you bought up men’ says he; with what purpose?
1534.The infinitive is principally used in subordination, and will be spoken of under that head. One use, however, of the present infinitive in main sentences, as a kind of substitute for a past indicative, requires mention here.
1535.In animated narration, the present infinitive with a subject in the nominative sometimes takes the place of the imperfect or perfect indicative: as,
interim cōtīdiē Caesar Aeduōs frūmentum flāgitāre, 1, 16, 1,there was Caesar meantime every day dunning and dunning the Aeduans for the grain.Diodōrus sordidātus circum hospitēs cursāre, rem omnibus nārrāre,V.4, 41,Diodorus kept running round in sackcloth and ashes from friend to friend, telling his tale to everybody.intereā Catilīna in prīmā aciē versārī, labōrantibus succurrere, S.C.60, 4,Catiline meantime bustling round in the forefront of battle, helping them that were sore bestead.tum vērō ingentī sonō caelum strepere, et micāre ignēs, metū omnēs torpēre, L. 21, 58, 5,at this crisis the welkin ringing with a dreadful roar, fires flashing, everybody paralyzed with fear. This infinitive occurs in almost all writers, for instance, Plautus, Terence, Cicero, Horace, and particularly Sallust, Livy, and Tacitus. Less commonly in Caesar. Usually two or more infinitives are combined, and infinitives are freely mixed with indicatives. The subject is never in the second person.
1536.This infinitive is used to sketch or outline persistent, striking, or portentous action, where description fails; and as it merelyintimatesthe action, without distinct declaration, and without notation of time, number, or person, it is called theInfinitive of Intimation. It cannot be adequately represented in English.
1537.The infinitive of intimation is sometimes used without a subject, when emphasis centres in the action alone; as,
ubī̆ turrim procul cōnstituī vīdērunt, inrīdēre ex mūrō, 2, 30, 3,when they saw the tower planted some way off, jeer after jeer from the wall.tum spectāculum horribile in campīs patentibus: sequī fugere, occīdī capī, S.I.101, 11,then a heartrending spectacle in the open fields: chasing and racing, killing and catching.
1538.Terence and Petronius have it in questions: as,rēx tē ergō in oculīs :: scīlicet :: gestāre? :: vērō, T.Eu.401,your king then always bearing you :: of course, of course :: in eye? :: oh yes.quī morī timōre nisi ego?Petr. 62.
1539.It may be mentioned here, that the infinitive of intimation is sometimes used from Sallust on in relative clauses and withcum,when. Also by Tacitus in a temporal protasis withubī̆,ut,dōnec, orpostquam, co-ordinated with a present or imperfect indicative protasis: as,
(a.)cingēbātur interim mīlite domus, cum Libō vocāre percussōrem, Ta. 2, 31,the house meantime was encompassed with soldiers, when Libo called for somebody to kill him(1869). (b.)ubī̆ crūdēscere sēditiō et ā convīciīs ad tēla trānsībant, inicī catēnās Flāviānō iubet, Ta.H.3, 10,when the riot was waxing hot, and they were proceeding from invectives to open violence, he orders Flavian to be clapped in irons(1933).
Declarations.
I. THE SUBJUNCTIVE OF DESIRE.
(A.) Wish.
1540.The subjunctive may be used to express a wish.
Wishes are often introduced byutinam, in old and poetical Latin also byutī,ut, and curses in old Latin byquī; these words were originally interrogative,how. Sometimes the wish is limited bymodo,only. In negative wishesnēis used, either alone, or preceded byutinamormodo; rarelynōn, or the old-fashionednec,not(1446).
1541.(1.) The present and perfect represent a wish as practicable; although a hopeless wish may, of course, if the speaker chooses, be represented as practicable: as,
(a.)tē spectem, suprēma mihī cum vēnerit hōra, Tib. 1, 1, 59,on thee I’d gaze, when my last hour shall come.utinam illum diem videam,Att.3, 3,I hope I may see the day. (b.)utinam cōnēre,Ph.2, 101,I hope you may make the effort. (c.)dī vortant bene quod agās, T.Hec.196,may gods speed well whate’er you undertake.quī illum dī omnēs perduint, T.Ph.123,him may all gods fordo.ō utinam hībernae duplicentur tempora brūmae, Prop. 1, 8, 9,oh that the winter’s time may doubled be.utinam revīvīscat frāter, Gell. 10, 6, 2,I hope my brother may rise from his grave.nē istūc Iuppiter sīrit, L. 28, 28, 11,now Jupiter forefend. The perfect is found principally in old Latin.
1542.The present is very common in asseveration: as,
peream, nisi sollicitus sum,Fam.15, 19, 4,may I die, if I am not worried.sollicitat, ita vīvam, me tua valētūdō,Fam.16, 20,your state of health worries me, as I hope to live.ita vīvam, ut maximōs sūmptūs faciō,Att.5, 15, 2,as I hope to be saved, I am making great outlays. See also1622.
1543.The perfect subjunctive sometimes refers to past action now completed: as,utinam abierit malam crucem, Pl.Poen.799,I hope he’s got him to the bitter cross(1165).utinam spem implēverim, Plin.Ep.1, 10, 3,I hope I may have fulfilled the expectations.
1544.(2.) The imperfect represents a wish as hopeless in the present or immediate future, the pluperfect represents it as unfulfilled in the past: as,
(a.)tēcum lūdere sīcut ipsa possem, Cat. 2, 9,could I with thee but play, e’en as thy mistress’ self, to Lesbia’s sparrow.utinam ego tertius vōbīs amīcus adscrīberer,TD.5, 63,would that I could be enrolled with you myself, as the third friend, says tyrant Dionysius to Damon and Phintias. (b.)utinam mē mortuum prius vīdissēs,QFr.1, 3, 1,I wish you had seen me dead first. (c.)utinam nē in nemore Pēliō secūribus caesa accēdisset abiēgna ad terram trabēs, E. in Cornif. 2, 34,had but, in Pelion’s grove, by axes felled, ne’er fallen to the earth the beam of fir, i.e. for the Argo.utinam ille omnīs sēcum cōpiās ēdūxisset,C.2, 4,I only wish the man had marched out all his train-bands with him.
1545.In old or poetical Latin, the imperfect sometimes denotes unfulfilled past action, like the usual pluperfect; as,utinam in Siciliā perbīterēs, Pl.R.494,would thou hadst died in Sicily.utinam tē dī prius perderent, Pl.Cap.537,I wish the gods had cut thee off before. See2075.
1546.In poetry, a wish is sometimes thrown into the form of a conditional protasis withsīorō sī: as,ō sī urnam argentī fōrs quae mihi mōnstret, H.S.2, 6, 10,oh if some chance a pot of money may to me reveal.
(B.) Exhortation, Direction, Statement of Propriety.
1547.The subjunctive may be used to express an exhortation, a direction, or a statement of propriety.
The subjunctive of exhortation is sometimes preceded in old Latin byutīorut, originally interrogative. In negative exhortations or directions,nē,nēmō,nihil, ornumquam, &c., is used, rarelynōn.
1548.(1.) The present expresses what is to be done or is not to be done in the future: as,
(a.)hoc quod coepī prīmum ēnārrem, T.Hau.273,first let me tell the story I’ve begun.taceam nunc iam, Pl.B.1058,let me now hold my tongue.cōnsīdāmus hīc in umbrā,Leg.2, 7,let us sit down here in the shade.nē difficilia optēmus,V.4, 15,let us not hanker after impossibilities. (b.)HAICE · VTEI · IN · COVENTIONID · EXDEICATIS, CIL. I, 196, 23,this you are to proclaim in public assembly. (c.)nōmina dēclīnāre et verba in prīmīs puerī sciant, Quintil. 1, 4,22,first and foremost boys are to know how to inflect nouns and verbs.utī adserventur magnādīligentiā,Pl.Cap.115,let them be watched with all due care.nē quis tamquam parva fastīdiat grammaticēs elementa,Quintil.1, 4, 6,let no man look down on the rudiments of grammar fancying them insignificant.
1549.(2.) The perfect subjunctive is rare: as,idem dictum sit, Quintil. 1, 1, 8,the same be said, once for all. Mostly in prohibitions: as,morātus sit nēmō quō minus abeant, L. 9, 11, 13,let no man hinder them from going away.
1550.In positive commands, the second person singular often has a definite subject in old or epistolary Latin, and particularlysīs, for the imperativeesorestō. Usually however an indefinite subject (1030): as,
(a.)eās, Pl.R.519,be off.hīc apud nōs hodiē cēnēs, Pl.Most.1129,dine here with us today.cautus sīs, mī Tirō,Fam.16, 9, 4,you must be careful, dear Tiro. (b.)istō bonō ūtāre, dum adsit,CM.33,enjoy this blessing while you have it with you.
1551.When a prohibition is expressed in the subjunctive, the second person of the present is often used in old Latin, sometimes the perfect. Later, however, the perfect is generally prevalent. In the classical period, the present is almost confined to poetry. For the imperative in prohibitions, see1581-1586.
(a.)nē illum verberēs, Pl.B.747,you mustn’t thrash the man. Once in Horace:nē sīs patruos mihī,S.2, 3, 88,don’t play stern governor to me. (b.)nē trānsierīs Ibērum, L. 21, 44, 6,do not cross the Iberus.quod dubitās nē fēcerīs, Plin.Ep.1, 18, 5,what you have doubt about, never do.
1552.(3.) The imperfect or (but not in old Latin) pluperfect subjunctive is sometimes used to express past obligation or necessity: as,
(a.) Imperfect:quae hīc erant cūrārēs, T.Hec.230,thou shouldst have looked to matters here.paterētur, T.Hau.202,he should have stood it.quod sī meīs incommodīs laetābantur, urbis tamen perīculō commovērentur,Sest.54,well, if they did gloat over my mishaps, still they ought to have been touched by the danger to Rome.crās īrēs potius, Pl.Per.710,you’d better have gone tomorrow, i.e. have resolved to go tomorrow.poenās penderēs, Pl.B.427,thou hadst to pay a penalty. (b.) Pluperfect:restitissēs, rēpugnāssēs, mortem pugnāns oppetīssēs, Poet. inSest.45,thou shouldst have made a stand, fought back, and fighting met thy fate.quid facere dēbuistī? frūmentum nē ēmissēs,V.3, 195,what ought you to have done? you should not have bought any wheat. Usually, however, past obligation or necessity is expressed by the gerundive construction, or by some separate verb meaningought(1496).
(C.) Willingness, Assumption, Concession.
1553.The subjunctive of desire may be used to denote willingness, assumption, or concession: as,
ōderint dum metuant, Poet. in Suet.Cal.30,they are welcome to hate, as long as they fear.nē sit sānē summum malum dolor, malum certēest,TD.2, 14,grant for aught I care that pain is not the worst evil, an evil it certainly is.nīl fēcerit, estō, J. 6, 222,he may be guiltless, be it so.
1554.The subjunctive is often used to represent action as conceivable, without asserting that it actually takes place.