2215.The infinitive, used as a substantive in the nominative oraccusative,sometimes has a neuter attribute.
Chiefly thusipsum,hoc ipsum,tōtum hoc: as,ipsum Latīnē loquī est in magnā laude pōnendum,Br.140,just the mere ability of talking good Latin is to be accounted highly creditable. Rarely a possessive,meum,tuum: as,ita tuom cōnfertō amāre nē tibi sit probrō, Pl.Cur.28,so shape thy wooing that it be to thee no shame.
2216.The infinitive alone, or the accusative with the infinitive, is sometimes used in exclamations of surprise, incredulity, disapproval, or lamentation: as,
nōn pudēre, T.Ph.233,not be ashamed.sedēre tōtōs diēs in vīllā,Att.12, 44, 2,sitting round whole days and days at the country place.at tē Rōmae nōn fore,Att.5, 20, 7,only to think you won’t be in Rome.hoc posterīs memoriae trāditum īrī, L. 3, 67, 1,to think this will be passed down to generations yet unborn. Often with a-ne, transferred from the unexpressed verb on which the infinitive depends (1503): as,tēne hoc, Accī, dīcere, tālī prūdentiā praeditum,Clu.84,what? you to say this, Accius, with your sound sense. The exclamatory infinitive is chiefly confined to Plautus, Terence, and Cicero.
2217.This infinitive has already been spoken of; see1535-1539.
2218.The present infinitive represents action as going on, the perfect as completed, and the future as not yet begun, at the time of the action of the verb to which the infinitive is attached.
The forms of the infinitive are commonly and conveniently called tenses, though this designation is not strictly applicable.
2219.In itself, the present infinitive denotes action merely as going on, without any reference to time. With some verbs, however, which look to the future, the present relates to action in the immediate future. With verbs of perceiving, knowing, thinking, and saying, it denotes action as going on at the time of the verb: as,
(a.)facinus est vincīre cīvem Rōmānum,V.5, 170,it is a crime to put a Roman in irons. (b.)audīre cupiō,Caec.33,I am eager to hear.Antium mē recipere cōgitō a. d.VNōn. Māi.,Att.2, 9, 4,I am meditating going back to Antium the third of May. (c.)errāre eōs dīcunt, 5, 41, 5,they say those people are mistaken.tempus dīxī esse, T.Hec.687,I said it was time.dīcēs tibī̆ Siculōs esse amīcōs?V.2, 155,will you say the Sicilians are friends of yours?
2220.The present infinitive is sometimes used withmeminī,recordor,memoriā teneō, and with some analogous expressions, such asaccēpimus,fertur, &c., to represent merely the occurrence of action really completed, without indicating its completion: as,
meminī ad mē tē scrībere,D.38,I remember your writing to me.meministis fierī senātūs cōnsultum,Mur.51,you remember a decree of the senate being passed.sed ego īdem recordor longē omnibus anteferre Dēmosthenem,O.23,and yet I remember putting Demosthenes far above everybody else.hanc accēpimus agrōs et nemora peragrāre,HR.24,we have heard of this goddess’s scouring fields and groves.Q. Maximum accēpimus facile cēlāre, tacēre,Off.1, 108,we have heard of Fabius’s ready cleverness in keeping dark and holding his tongue. But the perfect is used when the action is to be distinctly marked as completed: as,meministis mē ita distribuisse causam,RA.122,you remember that I arranged the case thus. Sometimes present and perfect are united: as,Helenē capere arma fertur, nec frātrēs ērubuisse deōs, Prop. 3, 14, 19 (4, 13, 19),Helen is said to fly to arms, and not to have blushed in presence of her brother gods. Herecapererelates to the same completed action as the more exactērubuisse.
2221.With verbs of saying, used in the narrower sense of promising, the present infinitive sometimes stands for the future (2236): as,
crās māne argentum mihī̆ mīles dare sē dīxit, T.Ph.531,the soldier spoke of paying me the money early in the morning.mē a͡ibat accersere, Pl.Ps.1118,he said he’d fetch me(2186).quae imperārentur facere dīxērunt, 2, 32, 3,they agreed to do what was commanded.
2222.The present infinitive dependent on a past tense ofdēbeō,oportet,possum, often requires the English perfect infinitive in translation: as,quid enim facere poterāmus?Pis.13,for what else could we have done?See, however, 1495. For the infinitive perfect, see2230.
2223.(1.) The perfect active infinitive sometimes serves as a complement ofdēbeō,volō,possum, &c. (2168): as,
tametsī statim vīcisse dēbeō, tamen dē meō iūre dēcēdam,RA.73,though I am entitled to come off victorious at once, yet I will waive my right; comparevīcī,I am victorious, 1608.nīl vetitum fēcisse volet, J. 14, 185,nothing forbidden will he wish to have done; comparefēcī,I am guilty.unde illa potuit didicisse?Div.2, 51,from what source could he have all that information acquired?bellum quod possumus ante hiemem perfēcisse, L. 37, 19, 5,the war which we can have ended up before winter.
2224.(2.) In prohibitions, the perfect active infinitive often serves as a complement ofnōlōorvolō(2168).
Thus, in old Latin,nōlītō dēvellisse, Pl.Poen.872,do not have had it plucked. Particularly so when dependent onnē velitornē vellet, in legal style: as,nē quis convēnisse sacrōrum causā velit, L. 39, 14, 8,that nobody may presume to have banded with others for the observance of the mysteries.BACAS · VIR · NEQVIS · ADIESE · VELET, CIL. I, 196, 7, inscription of 186B.C.,that no male should presume to have had resort to the Bacchants(765;48).nē quid ēmisse velit īnsciente dominō, Cato,RR.5, 4,he must not venture to have bought anything without his master’s knowledge, of a head farm-steward.
2225.In poetry of the Augustan age, the complementary perfect infinitive active is sometimes dependent on a verb of will or effort, such ascūrō,labōrō,tendō: as,tendentēs opācō Pēlion inposuisse Olympō, H. 3, 4, 51,on shadowy Olympus striving Pelion to have piled.
2226.Any past tense of the indicative, when made dependent on a verb of perceiving, knowing, thinking, or saying, is represented by the perfect infinitive.
Thus, inTheophrastus scrībit Cīmōnem hospitālem fuisse: ita enim vīlicīs imperāvisse, ut omnia praebērentur,Off.2, 64,Theophrastus says in his book that Cimon was the soul of hospitality: he had directed his stewards to furnish everything required; thefuisserepresentseratorfuit, and theimperāvissemay representimperābat,imperāvit, or perhapsimperāverat, of direct discourse.praecō dīxisse prōnūntiat,V.2, 75,the crier proclaims ‘speaking finished’(1605).
2227.The perfect infinitive passive withfuissedenotes a past resulting state: as,
dīcō Mithridātī cōpiās omnibus rēbus ōrnātās atque īnstrūctās fuisse, urbemque obsessam esse,IP.20,I must tell you that Mithridates’s troops were completely armed and equipped, and that the town was under siege. Hereōrnātās fuisserepresentsōrnātae erant(1615), andobsessam esserepresentsobsidēbātur(1595).
2228.(1.) The perfect active infinitive is sometimes used withnōlōorvolō, especially in poetry, when the subject of the infinitive is not the same as that of the verb (2189): as,
hanc tē ad cēterās virtūtēs adiēcisse velim, L. 30, 14, 6,I only wish you had this good quality added to the rest.
2229.(2.)volōoften has an emphatic perfect passive infinitive, usually withoutesse(2230); less frequentlycupiōand rarelynōlō: as,
factum volō, Pl.B.495,As.685,I want it done, i.e. I will.illōs monitōs etiam atque etiam volō,C.2, 27,I want those people cautioned over and over. Particularly common in Cicero, not in Caesar or Sallust. Also with impersonal infinitives (1479): asoblīvīscere illum adversāriō tuō voluisse cōnsultum,Att.16, 16c, 10,you must forget that the man wanted your enemy provided for.
2230.The perfect infinitive passive or deponent, commonly withoutesse, is often used in Plautus, Terence, and Cicero, by assimilation with past tenses of verbs of propriety, such asaequum est,convenit,decet, andoportet: as,nōn oportuit relīctās, T.Hau.247,they shouldn’t have been left.tē Iovī comprecātam oportuit, Pl.Am.739,you should have said your prayers to Jove. The perfect active is less common: as,cāvisse oportuit, Pl.Am.944,you should have been upon your guard. Forvolō,cupiō,nōlō, see2229.
2231.The perfect infinitive of completed action is very common with such expressions assatis est,satis habeō,iuvat,melius est,paenitet, &c., also with verbs of emotion, such asgaudeō, &c.: as,mē quoque iuvat ad fīnem bellī Pūnicī pervēnisse, L. 31, 1, 1,I am delighted myself to have reached the end of the Punic war. Oftentimes, however, in verse, the use of the perfect is partly due to the metre.
2232.The future infinitive is only used as a representative of the indicative, and not as a substantive.
2233.For the future infinitive active or passive, a circumlocution withforeorfutūrum essewithutand the subjunctive present or imperfect is often used. This construction is necessary when the verb has no future participle or supine: as,
spērō fore ut contingat id nōbīs,TD.1, 82,I hope we may be so fortunate.clāmābant fore ut ipsī sē dī ulcīscerentur,V.4, 87,they cried out that the gods would avenge themselves.
2234.forewith the perfect participle of a passive or deponent, represents the future perfect of direct discourse: as,dēbellātum mox fore rēbantur, L. 23, 13, 6,they thought the war would soon be over.
2235.(1.) The future infinitive is commonly used withiūrō,minor,polliceor,prōmittō, andspērō, especially when the leading verb and the infinitive have the same subject: as,
iūrāvit sē nisi victōrem in castra nōn reversūrum, Caes.C.3, 87, 5,he swore he would not come back to camp except as a victor.quod sē factūrōs minābantur, Caes.C.2, 13, 4,which they threatened they would do.obsidēs datūrōs pollicitī sunt, 4, 27, 1,they volunteered to give hostages.
2236.(2.) A looser present infinitive is sometimes used with the above verbs, especially in old Latin, generally without a subject accusative. Thus withiūrōby Cato and Plautus, and withminor,proclaim with threats, by Lucretius. Similarlydare pollicentur, 6, 9, 7,they offer to give.reliquōs dēterrērī spērāns, Caes.C.3, 8, 3,hoping that the rest were scared.spērō nostram amīcitiam nōn egēre testibus,Fam.2, 2,I trust our friendship needs no witnesses. Aspossumhas no future infinitive, the present of this verb is necessarily used: as,tōtīus Galliae sēsē potīrī posse spērant, 1, 3, 8,they hope to be able to get the control of the whole of Gaul.
2237.The gerundive is a verbal adjective (899). The gerund is a neuter verbal substantive, used only in the oblique cases of the singular. Both gerundives and gerunds express, in a noun form, the uncompleted action of the verb.
2238.Gerundives and gerunds, like the English verbal in-ing, were originally neither active nor passive (288), but might stand for either an active or a passive. In time a prevailing passive meaning grew up in the gerundive, and a prevailing active meaning in the gerund.
A gerund may be followed by the same case as its verb; but for the gerund of verbs of transitive use, see2242,2255,2259,2265.
2239.Both gerundives and gerunds are modified like verbs, by adverbs, not by adjectives.
2240.The gerundive expresses, in an adjective form, the uncompleted action of a verb of transitive use exerted on a substantive object, the substantive standing in the case required by the context, and the gerundive agreeing with it.
In this construction, which is called thegerundive construction, the substantive and gerundive blend together in sense like the parts of a compound.
male gerendō negōtiō in aere aliēnō vacillant,C.2, 21,owing to bad business-managing they are staggering under debts.studium agrī colendī,CM.59,the occupation of land-tilling.vir regendae rē̆ī pūblicae scientissimus,DO.1, 214,a man of great experience in state-managing.
2241.The gerund expresses, in a substantive form, the uncompleted action of a verb which has no direct object.
ars vīvendī,Fin.1, 42,the art of living.nōn est locus ad tergiversandum,Att.7, 1, 4,’tis no time for shill-I-shall-I-ing.sum dēfessus quaeritandō, Pl.Am.1014,I’m all worn out with hunting.sē experiendō didicisse, Ta. 1, 11,he had learned by experience.
2242.Gerunds of verbs of transitive use are exceptionally found with a substantive object (2255, 2259,2265), and regularly with neuter pronouns and neuter plural adjectives to avoid ambiguity (1106). See also2247.
agendī aliquid discendīque causā,Fin.5, 54,for the sake of doing or learning something.faciendī aliquid vel nōn faciendī vēra ratiō, Plin.Ep.6, 27, 4,the true ground for doing or not doing a thing.artem sē trādere vēra ac falsa dīiūdicandī,DO.2, 157,that he passed along the art of distinguishing between the true and the false.regendī cūncta onus, Ta. 1, 11,the burden of governing the world.
Cases of Gerunds and Gerundives.
2243.The nominative of the gerundive construction, as the subject ofsum, denotes action which is to be done.
The combination acquires the meaning of obligation or propriety, and this meaning also passes over to the accusative withesse. The person who has the action to do is put in the dative of the possessor (1215). Instead of the dative, the ablative withabis sometimes used, particularly where the dative would be ambiguous.
tibī̆ haec cūra suscipienda est,V.4, 69,the undertaking of this care exists for you,i.e.,you must undertake this charge.Caesarī omnia ūnō tempore erant agenda: vēxillum prōpōnendum, sīgnum tubā dandum, ab opere revocandī mīlitēs, aciēs īnstruenda, mīlitēs cohortandī, sīgnum dandum, 2, 20, 1,for Caesar there was everything to be done at the same moment: the standard to be raised, bugle call given, soldiers summoned in from their work, line of battle to be formed, soldiers harangued, signal given for engagement.quaerenda pecūnia prīmum est; virtūs post nummōs, H.E.1, 1, 53,there is money-making to be the first aim: character second to dollars.adeundus mihī̆ illic est homō, Pl.R.1298,I must draw near this fellow.Caesar statuit sibī̆ Rhēnum esse trānseundum, 4, 16, 1,Caesar made up his mind that he must cross the Rhine.ego istum iuvenem domī tenendum cēnseō, L. 21, 3, 6,for my part, I think that young man ought to be kept at home.ē̆ī ego ā mē referendam grātiam nōn putem?Planc.78,should I not think that I ought to show my gratitude to him?quid ā mē amplius dīcendum putātis?V.3, 60,what more do you think that I need say?
2244.fruendus,fungendus,potiundus,ūtendus,vēscendus, are also used in this construction, chiefly in the oblique cases; in the nominative the impersonal construction (2246) is usual. These verbs sometimes have a transitive use in old Latin (1380).
nōn paranda nōbīs sōlum ea, sed fruenda etiam est,Fin.1, 3,that is a thing which we must not only obtain, but enjoy as well, of wisdom.nec tamen est potiunda tibī, O. 9, 754,she is not to be won by thee. Examples of the oblique cases in this use are cited below.
2245.habeōwith the gerundive, as an equivalent ofest mihī̆,est tibī̆, &c. (2243), is sometimes found, chiefly in late writers and particularly in Tacitus: as,
multī habent in praediīs, quibus frūmentum aut vīnum aliudve quid dēsit, inportandum, Varro,RR.1, 16, 2,many on whose estates corn or wine or something else is lacking, have to bring it in.multum interest utrumne dē fūrtō dīcendum habeās an dē cīvibus trucīdātīs, Ta.D.37,it makes a great difference whether you have to speak about a theft or about the murder of Romans.sī nunc prīmum statuendum habērēmus, Ta. 14, 44,if we had to decide the point to-day for the first time.
2246.The neuter of verbs of intransitive use takes the impersonal construction withest. Verbs ordinarily transitive also take the impersonal construction when used without an object.
nunc est bibendum, H. 1, 37, 1,now drinking exists, i.e.now we must drink.inambulandumst, Pl.As.682,I must be moving on.ego amplius dēlīberandum cēnseō, T.Ph.457,I opine there must be more pondering.linguae moderandumst mihī̆, Pl.Cu.486,I must check my tongue.omne animal cōnfitendum est esse mortāle,DN.3, 32,it must be admitted that every living thing is destined to die.nēmō umquam sapiēns prōditōrī crēdendum putāvit,V.1, 38,no wise man ever held that a traitor was to be trusted.
2247.The impersonal construction with an object in the accusative, is old-fashioned and rare.
canēs paucōs habendum, Varro,RR.1, 21,one should keep but few dogs.aeternās quoniam poenās in morte timendumst, Lucr. 1, 111,since punishment eterne they have in death to fear. This construction occurs oftenest in Lucretius and Varro; once in Plautus, a few times in Cicero for special reasons, and here and there in later writers. Not in Caesar or Horace.
2248.The gerundive sometimes acquires, in itself, the meaning of obligation or propriety, which it properly has only when combined withsum, and becomes a mere adjective, used in any case.
fōrmā expetendā līberālem virginem, Pl.Per.521,a freeborn maid of shape delectable.L. Brūtō, prīncipe huius maximē cōnservandī generis et nōminis,Ph.3,11,Brutus, the first of this most highly cherished house and name.huic timendō hostī obvius fuī, L. 21, 41, 4,I met this dreadful foe.Athēnās, multa vīsenda habentīs, L. 45, 27, 11,Athens, which contains many sights worth a visit. Forvolvendus&c., see288.
2249.The attributive gerundive (2248), particularly with a negative,in-privative, orvix, may denote possibility, like the verbal in-bilis: as,
labōrēs nōn fugiendōs,Fin.2, 118,inevitable labours.Polybius, haudquāquam spernendus auctor, L. 30, 45, 5,Polybius, an authority by no means despicable.īnfandum, rēgīna, iubēs renovāre dolōrem, V. 2, 3,thou bidst me, queen, rehearse that woe unspeakable.vix erat crēdendum, 5, 28, 1,it was hardly credible.praedicābile aliquid et glōriandum ac prae sē ferendum,TD.5, 49,something laudable and vauntable and displayable as well.
2250.(1.) The accusative of the gerundive construction is used withlocōandcondūcō, withsuscipiō,habeō, andcūrō, and with verbs of giving or assigning.
With the verbs of giving or assigning (such asdō,trādō,committō,attribuō,dīvidō,relinquō,permittō,dēnotō), the emphasis often gravitates towards the substantive, and the gerundive, as an explanatory appendage, acquires the meaning of purpose. So in Plautus with the verbs of asking (rogōandpetō); in Cicero withposco.
(a.)caedundum condūxī ego illum :: tum optumumst locēs efferendum, Pl.Aul.567,I engaged him for killing :: then you’d better contract for his funeral(1709).sīgnum conlocandum cōnsulēs locāvērunt,Cat.3, 20,the consuls let out the erecting of the statue.redemptor quī columnam illam condūxerat faciendam,Div.2, 47,the contractor who had undertaken the making of that pillar.vellem suscēpissēs iuvenem regendum,Att.10, 6, 2,I wish you had undertaken training the young man.aedem habuit tuendam,V.1, 130,he had the looking after the temple.agrum dē nostrō patre colendum habēbat, T.Ph.364,he had the tilling of a farm from my father.
(b.)COIRAVIT · BASILICAM · CALECANDAM, CIL. I, 1166,he superintended the town hall plastering.pontem faciendum cūrat, 1, 13, 1,he attends to a bridge’s being made, i.e.has it made.cōnsulibus senātus rem pūblicam dēfendendam dedit,Ph.8, 15,the senate entrusted the defence of the state to the consuls.agrōs plēbī colendōs dedit,RP.3, 16,he gave lands to the common people to till.Antigonus Eumenem propīnquīs sepeliendum trādidit, N. 18, 13, 4,Antigonus delivered Eumenes to his kinsfolk to be buried.attribuit nōs trucīdandōs,C.4, 13,us he handed over to be slaughtered.sauciōs mīlitēs cūrandōs dīvidit patribus, L. 2, 47, 12,he apportioned the wounded soldiers among the senators to cure.haec porcīs comedenda relinquēs, H.E.1, 7, 19,you’ll leave them to the pigs to eat.cīvīs Rōmānōs trucīdandōs dēnotāvit,IP.7,he specified Romans for slaughter.
(c.)quae ūtenda vāsa semper vīcīnī rogant, Pl.Aul.96,traps that the neighbours are always asking the use of.artoptam ex proxumō ūtendam petō, Pl.Aul.400,I’m going for the use of a breadpan from next door.
2251.When such a verb is passive, the accusative becomes nominative.
simulācrum Dī̆ānae tollendum locātur,V.4, 76,the moving of the statue of Diana is let out.dīlaceranda ferīs dabor ālitibusque praeda, Cat. 64, 152,I shall be given a prey for beasts and birds to tear.trāditīque fētiālibus Caudium dūcendī, L. 9, 10, 2,and they were delivered to the fetials to be taken to Caudium.
2252.(2.) The accusative of the gerundive construction or gerund is used with a preposition, usuallyad. If the verb is of transitive use, the gerundive is proper, not the gerund (2240).
This construction is used with verbs (including verbs of hindering), with substantives generally to denote purpose, and with adjectives which have the meaning ofcapable,fit,easy,useful, &c., &c.
(a.)hic in noxiāst, ille ad dīcendam causam adest, T.Ph.266,when A’s in trouble, B turns up to make excuses for him.ad pācem petendam ad Hannibalem vēnit, L. 21, 13, 1,he is come to Hannibal to sue for peace.ad eās rēs cōnficiendās Orgetorīx dēligitur, 1, 3, 3,Orgetorix is chosen to do this.dant sē ad lūdendum,Fin.5, 42,they devote themselves to playing.palūs Rōmānōs ad īnsequendum tardābat, 7, 26, 2,a morass hindered the Romans from pursuit.ut peditēs ad trānseundum impedīrentur, Caes.C.1, 62, 2,so that the infantry were hampered in crossing. (b.)causa ad obiūrgandum, T.Andr.150,a reason for finding fault.spatium sūmāmus ad cōgitandum,Fin.4, 1,let us take time for thought.alter occāsiōnem sibī̆ ad occupandam Asiam oblātam esse arbitrātur,IP.4,the other thinks a chance is given him for seizing all Asia. (c.)homo nōn aptissimus ad iocandum,DN.2, 46,a man not very well fitted to be a joker.nimis doctus illest ad male faciendum, Pl.E.378,too well the fellow’s trained at playing tricks.ūtēbātur eō cibō quī esset facillimus ad concoquendum,Fin.2, 64,he made use of the sort of food which was easiest to digest.
2253.Other prepositions are sometimes used: as,inter, in old Latin, Vergil, Livy, and later writers;ob, once in Ennius, rarely in Cicero and Sallust;invery rarely, but even in Cicero;ante(Vergil, Livy),circā(post-Augustan),propter(Varro, Val. Max.), all rare.
mōrēs sē inter lūdendum dētegunt, Quintil. 1, 3, 12,character discovers itself during play.ob rem iūdicandam pecūniam accipere,V.2, 78,to take money for passing judgement on a case.
2254.The dative of the gerundive construction is used with adjectives, verbs, and phrases of ability, attention, and adaptation, with titles of office, and withcomitia,election.
This construction is not very common in classical Latin, where few verbs and substantives take it instead of the usualadand the accusative (2252). In old Latin, it is also joined to adjectives and participles; in Cicero it is thus used only withaccommodātus. From Livy on, the construction becomes a very favourite one. Caesar has it only as below and 3, 4, 1.
tālīs iactandīs tuae sunt cōnsuētae manūs, Pl.Vid.your hands are used to throwing dice.optumum operī faciundō, Pl.R.757,most suitable for carrying on his trade.praeesse agrō colendō,RA.50,to superintend farm managing.cum diēs vēnisset rogātiōnī ferendae,Att.1, 14, 5,when the day came for proposing the bill.hībernīs oppugnandīs hunc esse dictum diem, 5, 27, 5,that this was the day set for attacking the winter quarters.cōnsul plācandīs dīs habendōque dīlēctū dat operam, L. 22, 2, 1,the consul devotes himself to propitiating the gods and raising troops.Dēmosthenēs cūrātor mūrīs reficiendīs fuit,OG.19,Demosthenes was commissioner for repairing the walls.IIIvirīrē̆ī pūblicae cōnstituendae, L.Epit.120,a commission of three for reorganizing the state.comitia collēgae subrogandō habuit, L. 2, 8, 3,he held an election for appointing a colleague.
2255.In the dative, a transitive gerund with an object in the accusative is found four times in Plautus; in Ovid, Livy, and Vitruvius once each.
2256.Late writers sometimes use the dative of the gerundive construction instead of a final clause (1961): as,
subdūcit ex aciē legiōnem faciendīs castrīs, Ta. 2, 21,he withdraws a legion from the field to build a camp.nīdum mollibus plūmīs cōnsternunt tepē̆faciendīs ōvīs, simul nē dūrus sit īnfantibus pullīs, Plin.NH.10, 92,they line the nest with soft feathers to warm the eggs, and also to prevent it from being uncomfortable to their young brood.
2257.The dative of the gerund is used chiefly by old and late writers, and is confined in the best prose to a few special phrases.
ōsculandō meliust pausam fierī, Pl.R.1205,’tis better that a stop be put to kissing.tū nec solvendō erās,Ph.2, 4,you were neither solvent.SC · ARF, i.e.scrībendō arfuērunt, CIL. I, 196, 2,there were present when the document was put in writing.quod scrībendō adfuistī,Fam.15, 6, 2,because you were present at the writing.
2258.(1.) The genitive of the gerundive construction or gerund is used with substantives or adjectives.
(a.)tacendī tempus est, Pl.Poen.741,it’s time to be still.spēs potiundī oppidī, 2, 7, 2,the hope of overpowering the town(2244).summa difficultās nāvigandī, 3, 12, 5,the greatest difficulty in sailing.proeliī committendī sīgnum dedit, 2, 21, 3,he gave the signal for beginning the battle.exemplō eōrum clādēs fuit ut Mārsī mitterent ōrātōrēs pācis petendae, L. 9, 45, 18,their downfall was a warning to the Marsians to send envoys to sue for peace.sīve nāvēs dēiciendī operis essent missae, 4, 17, 10,or if vessels for breaking down the works had been sent. Particularly withcausā,grātiā, or rarelyergō(1257), to denote purpose: as,frūmentandī causā, 4, 12, 1,for foraging.vītandae suspīciōnis causā,C.1, 19,to avoid suspicion.mūneris fungendī grātiā,RP.1, 27,for the sake of doing one’s duty.illīusce sacrī coercendī ergō, Cato,RR.139,because of thinning out yon hallowed grove.
(b.)quam cupida eram hūc redeundī, T.Hec.91,how eager I was to return here.homine perītō dēfīniendī,Off.3, 60,a man accomplished in drawing distinctions.perpessus est omnia potius quam cōnsciōs dēlendae tyrannidis indicāret,TD.2, 52,he stood out against the worst sooner than betray his confederates in the overthrow of the tyranny.īnsuētus nāvigandī, 5, 6, 3,unused to sailing.studiōsus audiendī, N. 15, 3, 2,an eager listener.nescia tolerandī, Ta. 3, 1,ignorant what patience was.nandī pavidus, Ta.H.5, 14,afraid to swim. With adjectives, the gerundive construction is not found in Plautus and Terence, and the gerund not in Plautus. Terence has the gerund withcupidus, Cato withstudiōsus. The construction is of slow growth before Tacitus, who greatly developed it.
2259.In the genitive, a transitive gerund with an object in the accusative is rare except in Plautus; ordinarily the gerundive is used (2240).