THE SIMPLE SENTENCE.

1093.A neuter adjective or pronoun is sometimes used as a substantive in the predicate (1101): as,

trīste lupus stabulīs, V.E.3, 80,a baleful thing the wolf for folds.quod ego fuī ad Trāsumennum, id tū hodiē, L. 30, 30, 12,what I was myself at Trasumene, that you are today.

1094.A demonstrative, determinative, or relative pronoun used substantively takes the number and gender of the substantive it represents; the case depends on the construction of the clause in which it stands: as,

erant peditēs, quōs dēlēgerant; cum hīs in proeliīs versābantur; ad eōs sē recipiēbant; hī concurrēbant, 1, 48, 5,there were foot-soldiers whom they had picked out; with these men they kept company in action; upon them they would fall back; these people would always rally.Hippiās glōriātus est ānulum quem habēret, pallium quō amictus, soccōs quibus indūtus esset, sē suā manū cōnfēcisse,DO.3, 127,Hippias bragged he had made with his own hand the ring which he wore, the cloak in which he was wrapped; and the slippers which he had on.

1095.Sometimes, however, the number and gender of these pronouns are determined by the sense, and not by the form of the substantive represented: as,

equitātum omnem praemittit, quī videant, 1, 15, 1,he sends all the horse ahead, for them to see.hīc sunt quīnque minae. hoc tībī̆ erus mē iussit ferre, Pl.Ps.1149,here are five minae; this my master bade me bring for thee.Domitius Massiliam pervenit atque ab iīs receptus urbī praeficitur, Caes.C.1, 36, 1,Domitius arrived at Massilia, and was received by the people and put in charge of the town.ad hirundinīnum nīdum vīsast sīmia adscēnsiōnem ut faceret admōlīrier; neque eās ēripere quībat inde, Pl.R.598,up to a swallow-nest methought an ape did strive to climb; nor could she snatch the nestlings thence; theeāsrefers tohirundinēs, implied inhirundinīnum.

1096.A pronoun representing two or more substantives sometimes takes the number and gender of the nearest. But usually it is plural, and its gender is determined like that of an adjective (1087).

1097.A demonstrative, determinative, or relative pronoun used substantively is generally attracted to the number and gender of a predicate substantive in its own clause: as,

haec est nōbilis ad Trāsumennumpūgna, L. 22, 7, 1,such is the far-famed fight at Trasumene, 217B.C.ista quidem vīs est, Suet.Iul.82,now that I call an outrage, Caesar’s dying words, 44B.C.But with a negative, sometimes the neuter: as,nec sopor illud erat, V. 3, 173,nor was that sleep.

1098.A demonstrative, determinative, or relative pronoun in agreement with a substantive is often equivalent to a genitive limiting the substantive: as,

hōc metū vagārī prohibēbat, 5, 19, 2,by fear of this he stopped the prowling round.is pavor perculit Rōmānōs, L. 21, 46, 7,the panic occasioned by this demoralized the Romans.quā spē adductī, 4, 6, 4,impelled by the hope of this.

1099.The singular of a word denoting a person is sometimes used in a collective sense.

This singular is generally a military designation: as,mīles,eques,pedes,hostis,Rōmānus,Poenus. But other substantives and adjectives are occasionally thus used.

1100.A substantive or adjective denoting a person is often used in the singular as representative of a class, particularly when two persons are contrasted: as,

sī tabulam dē naufrāgiō stultus adripuerit, extorquēbitne eam sapiēns?Off.3, 89,if a fool has seized a plank from a wreck, will the sage twitch it away?

1101.The neuter singular of certain adjectives is used as an abstract substantive.

These adjectives have commonly stems in-o-, and are often used in the partitive genitive (1250). The nominative is rare, also the accusative and ablative, except in prepositional constructions. Such are:bonum,malum;rēctum,prāvum;decōrum,indecōrum;honestum;vērum,falsum;iūstum,iniūstum;aequum;ambiguum;rīdiculum.ūtile,ināne,commūne,īnsīgne,simile, &c.

1102.Certain adjectives, which originally agreed with an appellative denoting a thing, have dropped the appellative and become substantives.

Such are:Āfricus, sc.ventus;Āfrica, sc.terra;calda, sc.aqua;cānīsc.capillī;circēnsēs, sc.lūdī;decuma, sc.pars;fera, sc.bēstia;hīberna, sc.castra;merum, sc.vīnum;nātālis, sc.diēs;patria, sc.terra;praetexta, sc.toga;summa, sc.rēs;trirēmis, sc.nāvis, and many others.

1103.Certain adjectives denoting relationship, friendship, hostility, connection, or age, may be used in both numbers as substantives.

Such are: (a.)adfīnis,cōgnātus,cōnsanguineus,gentīlis,necessārius,propīnquus; (b.)adversārius,amīcus,inimīcus,familiāris,hostis,intimus,invidus,socius,sodālis; (c.)contubernālis,manipulāris,vīcīnus; (d.)adulēscēns,aequālis,iuvenis,senex.

1104.The masculine plural of many adjectives is used substantively to denote a class.

Such are:bonī,the good,the well-disposed,conservatives,patriots,our party;improbī,the wicked,the dangerous classes,revolutionists,anarchists,the opposite party;doctī,indoctī;piī,impiī, and the like.

1105.Proper names of men are used in the plural to denote different persons of the same name, or as appellatives to express character, oftenest good character: as,

duo Metellī, Celer et Nepōs,Br.247,the two Metelluses, Celer and Nepos.quid Crassōs, quid Pompēiōs ēvertit?J. 10, 108,what overthrew a Crassus, Pompey what?i.e. men like Crassus and Pompey.

1106.The neuter plural of adjectives of all degrees of comparison is very often used as a substantive.

Such adjectives are usually in the nominative or accusative, and may have a pronoun, a numeral, or an adjective, agreeing with them. In English the singular is often preferred. Such are:bona,mala;vēra,falsa;haec,this;omnia,everything;haec omnia,all this, &c., &c.

1107.Names of countries are sometimes used in the plural when the country consists of several parts which are called by the same name as the whole country: as,Galliae,the Gauls;Germāniae,the Germanies.

1108.Material substantives are often used in the plural to denote different sorts of the substance designated, its constituent parts, or objects made of it: as,

aera,lumps of bronze,bronzes,coppers.aquae,water in different places,medicinal springs.cērae,pieces of wax,tablets,wax masks,waxworks.marmora,kinds of marble,blocks of marble,works of marble.nivēs,snowflakes,snowdrifts,snowstorms,repeated snows.spūmae,masses of foam.sulpura,lumps of sulphur.vīna,wines,different kinds of wine.

1109.Abstract substantives are often used in the plural to denote different kinds or instances of the abstract idea, or an abstract idea pertaining to several persons or things: as,

sunt domesticae fortitūdinēs nōn īnferiōrēs mīlitāribus,Off.1, 78,there are cases of heroism in civil life fully equal to those in war.tē cōnscientiae stimulant maleficiōrum tuōrum,Par.18,you are tormented by pricks of conscience for your sins.propter siccitātēs palūdum, 4, 38, 2,because the swamps were dry everywhere.

1110.The plural is sometimes used in generalizations, and in poetry to magnify a single thing, to give mystery to the statement, or often merely for metrical convenience: as,advēnisse familiārēs dīcitō, Pl.Am.353,say that the people of the house are come, the pluralfamiliārēsdenoting one person.Priamī dum rēgna manēbant, V. 2, 22,while Priam’s realms still stood.externōs optāte ducēs, V. 8, 503,choose captains from a foreign strand, i.e. Aeneas.

1111.There are two groups of cases, the principal and the secondary.

1112.The principal cases are the nominative and the accusative. The principal cases, which have more complete inflections than the secondary, express the two chief relations of the noun in the sentence, those of the subject and of the object. The secondary cases are used to express subordinate or supplementary relations.

1113.The nominative is principally used as the subject or predicate noun of a verb or of an infinitive. Besides this use, the nominative occurs in titles, exclamations, and addresses (1114-1123).

1114.The nominative is used in inscriptions, notices, titles, or headings: as,

L · CORNELIVS · CN · F · CN · N · SCIPIO, CIL. I, 34, on a tomb,Lucius Cornelius Scipio, son(fīlius)of Gnaeus, grandson(nepōs)of Gnaeus.LABYRINTHVS HIC HABITAT MINOTAVRVS, CIL. IV, 2331, on a plan of the Labyrinth scratched by a Pompei schoolboy,The Maze. Here lives Minotaur.PRIVATVM PRECARIO ADEITVR, CIL. I, 1215,Private Grounds. No Admittance without leave.Themistoclēs, Neoclī fīlius, Athēniēnsis, N. 2, 1,Themistocles, son of Neocles, of Athens.

1115.The title proper of a book is often put in the genitive, dependent onlīberorlibrī: as,Cornēlī Tacitī Historiārum Liber Prīmus,Tacitus’s Histories, Book First. Or prepositional expressions are used: as,M. Tullī Cicerōnis dē Fātō Liber,Cicero, Fate, in One Book.Cornēlī Tacitī ab Excessū dīvī Augustī Liber Prīmus,Tacitus’s Roman History from the Demise of the sainted Augustus, Book First.

1116.Sometimes the nominative of a title or exclamation is retained in a sentence for some other case: as,Gabīniō cōgnōmen ‘Cauchius’ ūsurpāre concessit, Suet.Cl.24,he allowed Gabinius to take the surname ‘Cauchius;’(compareCatō quasi cōgnōmen habēbat Sapientis,L.6,Cato had the virtual surname of the Wise).‘Marsya’ nōmen habet, O. 6, 400,it has the name of ‘Marsyas;’(comparenōmen Dānuvium habet, S.Fr.3, 55,it has the name Danube),resonent mihi ‘Cynthia’ silvae, Prop. 1, 18, 31,let woods reecho ‘Cynthia’ for me; (comparetū, Tītyre, fōrmōsam resonāre docēs Amaryllida silvas, V.E.1, 4,thou, Tityrus, dost teach the woods to echo Amaryllis Fair).

1117.The nominative is sometimes used in exclamations: as,

fortūnae fīlius, omnēs, H.S.2, 6, 49,‘the child of Fortune,’ allexclaim. This nominative is often accompanied by an interjection, such asecce,ēn,heu,ō,prō,vāh: as,ēn Priamus, V. 1, 461,lo, Priam here.ō fēstus diēs, T.Eu.560,oh day of cheer. Foreccilla, see667.

1118.The vocative nominative is used when a person or thing is addressed: as,

quō usque tandem abūtēre, Catilīna, patientiā nostrā?C.1, 1,in heaven’s name, how long, Catiline, wilt trifle with our patience?valēte, dēsīderia mea, valēte,Fam.14, 2, 4,good bye, my absent loves, good bye. Instead of a proper name, an emphatictūis often used: as,advorte animum sīs tū, Pl.Cap.110,just pay attention, sirrah, please.

1119.Masculine stems in-o-commonly use the special form for the second person singular called the vocative: as,

urbem, urbem, mī Rūfe, cole,Fam.2, 12, 2,stick to town, dear Rufus, yes, to town. But the vocative nominative is sometimes used even of-o-stems: as,audī tū, populus Albānus, L. 1, 24, 7,hear thou, the people of Alba.

1120.Poets use the vocative nominative or vocative proper very freely, sometimes for liveliness, but often simply in place of other cases not allowed by the metre: as,

ōra manūsque tuā lavimus, Fērōnia,lymphā,H.S.1, 5, 24,our faces and our hands, Feronia, in thy stream we wash.occiderat Tatius, populīsque aequāta duōbus, Rōmule, iūra dabās, O. 14, 805,now dead was Tatius, and to peoples twain thou gavest, Romulus, impartial laws.longum tibi, Daedale, crīmen, O. 8, 240,a lasting stigma, Daedalus, to thee. In these three examples,Fērōniae,Rōmulus, andDaedalōwould be impossible. In poetry, the vocative is particularly common in questions.

1121.Nominative forms and vocative forms are often combined: as,dulcis amīce, H.E.1, 7, 12,sweet friend.mī vir, Pl.Am.716,my husband.Iāne pater, J. 6, 394,thou father Janus.

1122.In verse the vocative is occasionally used even in the predicate: as,quō moritūre ruis?V. 10, 811,whither, on death intent, fliest thou?quibus, Hector, ab ōrīs exspectāte venīs?V. 2, 282,out of what limboes, Hector, dost thou gladly welcomed come?

1123.The vocative nominative or vocative proper is sometimes accompanied byō, but only in impassioned addresses: as,ō fortūnāte adulēscēns,Arch.24,oh thou thrice blest youth; also byprōin addresses to gods, byehoandheusin calls on men. Rarely byau,ehem,hem,ē̆heu,eiaorheia,iō.

1124.The accusative is used primarily with verbs, or with expressions equivalent to verbs. The relations expressed by the accusative are all of one general kind; but they vary somewhat, according to the nature of the verb.

1125.I. With most verbs, the accusative either (a.) denotes that which is affected or apprehended, or is produced by the action of the verb (1132); or, less frequently (b.) it repeats the meaning of the verb in the form of a substantive (1140).

Such accusatives, called accusatives of theObject, are never attended by a preposition, and become nominative in the passive construction.

1126.II. With some verbs, the accusative denotes (a.) extent or duration (1151); with others it denotes (b.) aim of motion (1157).

Both these accusatives sometimes have their places taken by a prepositional expression, or by an adverb; in the passive construction, they are not convertible into a nominative, but remain accusative.

1127.Two or even three accusatives are sometimes used with one and the same verb: see1167-1174.

1128.The accusative is sometimes disengaged from the verb, with which it originally stood, and used with a noun or a preposition.

1129.(1.) With substantives, the accusative is rare; it is used (a.) in a few attributive expressions, chiefly old set forms, and rarely to denote (b.) aim of motion.

Thus (a.) the predicativeid aetātis, inid aetātis iam sumus,we are now of that age, becomes attributive inhominēs id aetātis,people of that age. And (b.) asdomum,home, is used with the verbredeō,go back, so also rarely with the substantivereditiō,a return.

1130.With adjectives, the accusative is commonly that of extent: so withaltus,high,lātus,wide, andlongus,long, sometimes withcrassus,thick.

Thus, ineōs surculōs facitō sint longī pedēs bīnōs,see that the scions be two feet long, the accusativepedēs, which belongs with the predicatesint longī, may be used with the attributive adjectivelongusalone, thus:surculī longī pedēs bīnōs,scions two feet long.

1131.(2.) The accusative is used with many prepositions: see1410.

I. THE ACCUSATIVE OF THE OBJECT.

1132.The object of a verb is put in the accusative: as,

(a.)oppida sua omnia incendunt, 1, 5, 3,they set all their towns afire.cōnspexit adrāsum quendam, H.E.1, 7, 49,he spied a man all shaven and shorn. (b.)duās fossās perdūxit, 7, 72, 3,he made two trenches. This accusative, is, as may be seen above, either (a.) receptive, i.e. existing independently of the action of the verb, and only affected or apprehended by it; or (b.) of product, i.e. produced by the action of the verb.

1133.Verbs thus used with an object are said to beused transitively. Such verbs may also be used intransitively, that is without an object, when stress is put on the action merely: thus,

(a.) Transitively:tū mē amās, ego tē amō, Pl.Most.305,thou lovest me, and I love thee.nova dīruunt, alia aedificant, S.C.20, 12,they pull down new structures, and build up others. (b.) Intransitively:amō, Pl.B.511,I’m in love.dīruit, aedificat, H.E.1, 1, 100,it pulleth down, it buildeth up.

1134.Some verbs, in addition to the accusative, often take an infinitive also: thus,eum vident sedēre,V.5, 107,they see him sit, they see that he is sitting. Here the accusativeeum, originally the object,they see him, becomes at the same time the subject of the new statement appended,sedēre,sit, thus giving rise to the construction known as theaccusative with the infinitive.

1135.Instead of the proper accusative of the object, another accusative is sometimes substituted, denoting the ultimate result: as,

rūpēre viam, L. 2, 50, 10,they broke a path,i.e.they brokethrough theobstacles,and so madea path.foedusque ferī, E. 33,and strike a covenant,i.e.strikea victim, and so makea covenant.

1136.In Plautus,quid tibī̆with a substantive of action in-tiōandest, has an accusative like a verb used transitively: as,quid tibī̆ hanc cūrātiōst rem?Pl.Am.519,what business hast thou with this?

1137.Many verbs ordinarily used intransitively, particularly verbs of motion, have a transitive use when compounded with a preposition.

Such prepositions are,ad,circum,ex,in,ob,per,prae,praeter,trāns, and some others: as,plūrēs paucōs circumsistēbant, 4, 26, 2,a good many took their stand round a few.Caesar omnem agrum Pīcēnum percurrit, Caes.C.1, 15, 1,Caesar runs over the whole Picene territory.praeterīre nēmō pristrīnum potest, Pl.Cap.808,no man can pass the mill.flūmen trānsiērunt, 4, 4, 7,they crossed the river.

1138.A few verbs with a transitive use, have, when compounded withcircumandtrāns, besides the accusative of the object, a second accusative of the thing to which the preposition refers: as,istum circumdūce hāsce aedīs, Pl.Most.843,take that man round this house.Caesar funditōrēs pontem trādūcit, 2, 10, 1,Caesar takes the slingers over the bridge.trānsfer līmen aureolōs pedēs, Cat. 61, 166,over the threshold put thy little golden foot. In the passive, the accusative connected with the preposition is sometimes retained: as,Apollōniam praetervehuntur, Caes.C.3, 26, 1,they sail by Apollonia.

1139.Verbs of weeping and wailing, and some other verbs of feeling, which commonly have an intransitive use, sometimes have a transitive use with an accusative: as,

(a.)lūget senātus, maeret equester ōrdō,Mil.20,the senate is in mourning, the equestrian order betrays its sadness. (b.)mātrōnae eum lūxērunt, L. 2, 7, 4,the married women wore mourning for him.maereō cāsum eius modī,Fam.14, 2, 2,I cannot help showing my grief over a misfortune of such a kind.quid mortem congemis ac flēs, Lucr. 3, 934,why dost thou death bewail and weep?Such verbs arefleō,weep,gemō,wail,lāmentor,queror,bewail,doleō,am distressed,lūgeō,mourn,maereō,betray sadness. Similarly,horreō,shudder,reformīdō,am in dread,fastīdiō,feel disdain,rīdeō,laugh, &c., &c. The object is oftener a thing than a person, and passive constructions are rare, and mostly confined to poetry.

1140.The meaning of a verb, even of one ordinarily intransitive, may be emphasized or more exactly defined by an accusative of kindred derivation added.

(a.) Seldom without an adjective: as,dum vītam vīvās, Pl.Per.494,as long as life thou liv’st, i.e. as long as you ever live and breathe.quōrum maiōrum nēmō servitūtem servīvit,T.29,of whose ancestors not one has served servitude, i.e. been a regular slave.vidē nē facinus faciās,Fin.2, 95,mind you don’t do a deed, i.e. a misdeed. (b.) Commonly with an adjective: as,scelestam servitūtem serviunt, Pl.Cu.40,a wicked servitude they serve.facinus memorābile fēcistis, L. 24, 22, 16,you have done a deed well worth mentioning.mīrum atque īnscītum somniāvī somnium, Pl.R.597,a strange and silly dream dreamed I.

1141.The verb sometimes has an accusative of kindred meaning, but of different derivation: as,

ut vīvās aetātem miser, Pl.Am.1023,that thou mayst live thy days in woe.nōn pugnāvit ingēns Īdomeneus Sthenelusve sōlus dīcenda Mūsīs proelia, H. 4, 9, 19,not towering Idomeneus nor Sthenelus alone has battles fought for Muses to rehearse.

1142.The neuter singular accusative of a descriptive adjective is used, particularly by the poets, to denote manner: as,

magnum clāmat, Pl.MG.823,he’s bellowing big.suāve locus vōcī resonat conclūsus, H.S.1, 4, 76,sweet to the voice the pent-up place rings back.suāve rubēns hyacinthus, V.E.3, 63,sweet-blushing hyacinth.cūr tam cernis acūtum?H.S.1, 3, 26,why dost thou see so sharp?The plural is not so common: as,asper, acerba tuēns, Lucr. 5, 33, V. 9, 794,rough, staring savageness.

1143.Some verbs of smell and of taste have an accusative defining what the smell or the taste is: as,pāstillōs Rūfillus olet, Gargōnius hīrcum, H.S.1, 2, 27,of lozenges Rufillus smells, Gargonius of the goat.doctrīnam redolet puerīlem,DO.2, 109,it smacks of A B C studies.nōn omnēs possunt olere unguenta exōtica, Pl.Most.42,not every man can of imported ointments reek.meliōra unguenta sunt quae terram quam quae crocum sapiunt, Cic. in Plin.NH.17, 5, 3, 38,essences that smell of earth are better than those that smell of saffron.

1144.Any verb or verbal expression may be defined in a general way by the neuter accusative of a pronoun or of an enumerative word: as,

id gaudeō, T.Andr.362,I’m glad of that.id maestast, Pl.R.397,she’s mournful over this.id prōdeō, T.Eu.1005,I’m coming out for this.cētera adsentior Crassō,DO.1, 35,on all the other points I agree with Crassus. So alsoquod,forwhich,on account of which,aliquid,quicquam,nihil, &c., &c., and particularlyquid,why,in what respect,wherein,what, orwhat ... for: as,quid vēnistī, Pl.Am.377,why art thou come?quid tibī̆ obstō,RA.145,wherein do I stand in your way?

1145.The accusative of an appellative is rarely used adverbially: as,magnam partem ex iambīs nostra cōnstat ōrātiō,O.189,our own speech is made up a great deal of iambs.maximam partem lacte vīvunt, 4, 1, 8,they live on milk the most part, i.e.chiefly. Prepositional expressions are commoner: as,magnā ex parte, 1, 16, 6,principally. Forvicem,instead of,for, orlike, see the dictionary.

1146.The accusative is sometimes disengaged from a verb, and qualifies a substantive as an attribute, chiefly in a few set expressions (1129): as,ōrātiōnēs aut aliquid id genus,Att.13, 12, 3,speeches or something that kind.aucupium omne genus, Cat. 114, 3,fowling of every kind.nūgās hoc genus, H.S.2, 6, 43,small talk—this kind.hoc genus in rēbus, Lucr. 6, 917,in matters of this kind.cum id aetātis fīliō,Clu.141,with a son of that age. Similarlydiēs quīndecim supplicātiō, 2, 35, 4,a fortnight thanksgiving.

1147.Poets use the accusative to express the part concerned, especially a part of the human body: as,

tremit artūs, Lucr. 3, 489, V.G.3, 84,he shivers in his limbs.tremis ossa pavōre, H.S.2, 7, 57,thou tremblest in thy bones with fear.viridī membra sub arbutō strātus, H. 1, 1, 21,stretching—his limbs—beneath an arbute green.ōs umerōsque deō similis, V. 1, 589,in face and shoulders like a god.

1148.The accusative is used with reflexive verbs in poetry to denote the thing put on: as,

comantem Androgeī galeam induitur, V. 2, 391,Androgeus’ high-haired helm he dons.exuviās indūtus Achillī, V. 2, 275,clad in Achilles’ spoils. Rarely to denote the thing taken off: as,priōrēs exuitur vultūs, St.Th.10, 640,she doffs her former looks.

1149.The accusative is used in exclamations, sometimes merely to call attention to something, but generally with a predicate to express a judgment with emphasis.

(a.) In calling attention,ecceoremis used in old Latin: as,ecce mē, Pl.MG.663,behold, your humble servant.em Dāvom tibī̆, T.Andr.842,there, Davos sir. Forellum,eccillum, &c., see667and673. Also, from Cicero on,ēn: as,ēn quattuor ārās, V.E.5, 65,see, altars four. (b.) In emphatic judgments sometimes the accusative alone: as,fortūnātum Nīcobūlum, Pl.B.455,lucky man that Nicobulus.testīs ēgregiōs,Cael.63,mighty fine witnesses; sometimes with an interjection: as,ō imperātōrem probum, Pl.B.759,oh what a good commander; rarely so withēcastor,edepol,eugē,bravo,heu,īlicet,all’s up,ē̆heu. Interrogatively:hancine impudentiam?V. 5, 62,possible, shamelessness like this?

1150.The accusative is used in excited orders, appeals, and questions, without any verb expressed, or even distinctly felt: as,Tiberium in Tiberim, Suet.Tib.75,Tiberius to the Tiber.dī vostram fidem, T.Andr.716,ye gods your help.prō fidem, Thēbānī cīvēs, Pl.Am.376,oh help, ormurder, ye citizens of Thebes. So withunde,quō, andquandō, often followed bymihī̆ortibī̆: as,quō mihi fortūnam, sī nōn concēditur ūtī?H.E.1, 5, 12,why wealth for me, if wealth I may not use?

II. THE ACCUSATIVE OF SPACE AND TIME, AND OF AIM OF MOTION.

1151.Extent of space or duration of time is denoted by the accusative: as,

(a.)mīlia passuumXXprōcēdit, 5, 47, 1,he pushes on twenty miles.trīduī viam prōgressī, 4, 4, 4,having advanced three days journey.aggerem lātum pedēsCCCXXX, altum pedēsLXXXexstrūxērunt, 7, 24, 1,they built up a mound three hundred and thirty feet wide, and eighty feet high(1130). (b.)mātrōnae annum lūxērunt, L. 2, 7, 4,the married women wore mourning a year.ūndēvīgintī annōs nātus erat,Br.229,he was nineteen years old.secūtae sunt continuōs complūrēs diēs tempestātēs, 4,34,4,there followed a good many days a succession of storms.triennium vagātī, 4, 4, 2,having led a nomad life three years.ūnum diem supplicātiō habita est, L. 10, 47, 7,a thanksgiving was held one day.diēs quīndecim supplicātiō, 2, 35, 4,a fortnight thanksgiving(1129). Sometimesperis added: as,lūdī per decem diēs factī sunt,C.3, 20,games were celebrated ten days long.

1152.The idea of traversing is sometimes not expressed: as,mīlia passuum tria ab eōrum castrīs castra pōnit, 1, 22, 5,he pitches camp three miles away from their camp.quadringentōs inde passūs cōnstituit sīgna, L. 34, 20, 4,four hundred paces from there he set up the standards. See1399.

1153.Withabsumanddistō, the ablative of amount of difference is sometimes used (1393): as,certior factus est Ariovistī cōpiās ā nostrīs mīlibus passuum quattuor etXXabesse, 1, 41, 5,he was informed that Ariovistus’s troops were four and twenty miles away from ours. If the place is not mentioned from which distance is reckoned,aborāis sometimes used before the expression of distance: as,positīs castrīs ā mīlibus passuumXV, 6, 7, 3,pitching camp fifteen miles away.

1154.The accusative is used withabhinc,ago: as,quaestor fuistī abhinc annōs quattuordecim,V.1, 34,you were a quaestor fourteen years ago. Rarely the ablative (1393): as,quō tempore? abhinc annīsXV,RC.37,when? fifteen years ago; and once or twice withabhinc, meaningbefore(1393): as,comitiīs abhinc diēbus trīgintā factīs,V.2, 130,the election having been held thirty days before.

1155.The accusative singular is used with ordinals, to show the number of days, months, or years since a particular event, including the day, month, or year of the event itself: as,quod annum iam tertium et vīcēsimum rēgnat,IP.7,the circumstance that he has now been on the throne two and twenty years.

1156.The accusative in some pronominal expressions and adverbs passes over from ‘time through which’ to a loose ‘time at which’: as,id temporis,RA.97,at that time.hoc noctis, Pl.Am.163b,at this time of night.tum,then,num,nunc,now,nunc ipsum, Pl.B.940,Att.10, 4, 10,this very minute,commodum,just in time. For the locative ablative exceptionally used to denote duration, see1355.

1157.(1.) Proper names of towns and of little islands or peninsulas are put in the accusative to denote the aim with expressions of motion: as,

Labiēnus Lutetiam proficīscitur, 7, 57, 1,Labienus starts for Lutetia.Leucadem vēnimus,Fam.16, 9, 1,we came to Leucas.nocturnus introitus Zmyrnam,Ph.11, 5,the entrance into Smyrna by night(1129).Plautus usesAccherūnsa few times like a town name: as,vīvom mē accersunt Accheruntem mortuī,Most.509,the dead are taking me to Acheron alive.


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