Chapter 368 Allen and Greenough's Latin Grammar Dickinson College Christopher Francese

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The Dative is used—

With the impersonals libet ( lubet ), it pleases , and licet , it is allowed: — quod mihi maximē lubet (Fam. 1.8.3) , what most pleases me. quasi tibi nōn licēret ( id . 6.8), as if you were not permitted. With verbs compounded with satis , bene , and male :— mihi ipse numquam satisfaciō ; ( Fam. 1.1 ), I never satisfy myself. optimō virō maledīcere (Deiot. 28) , to speak ill of a most excellent man. pulchrum est benefacere reī pūblicae (Sall. Cat. 3 ), it is a glorious thing to benefit the state. These are not real compounds, but phrases, and were apparently felt as such by the Romans. Thus, satis officiō meō , satis illōrum voluntātī quī ā mē hōc petīvērunt factum esse arbitrābor (Verr. 5.130) , I shall consider that enough has been done for my duty, enough for the wishes of those who asked this of me. With grātificor , grātulor , nūbō , permittō , plaudō , probō , studeō , supplicō , excellō :— Pompêiō sē grātificārī putant (Fam. 1.1) , they suppose they are doing Pompey a service. grātulor tibi , mī Balbe ( id . 6.12), I congratulate you, my dear Balbus. tibi permittō respondēre (N. D. 3.4) , I give you leave to answer. mihi plaudō ipse domī ; ( Hor. S. 1.1.66 ), I applaud myself at home. cum inimīcī M. Fontêī vōbīs ac populō Rōmānō minentur, amīcī ac propinquī supplicent vōbīs (Font. 35) , while the enemies of Marcus Fonteius are threatening you and the Roman people too, while his friends and relatives are beseeching you. Misceō and iungō sometimes take the dative (see § 413 . a. N.). Haereō usually takes the ablative, with or without in, rarely the dative: as, —haerentem capitī corōnam (Hor. S. 1.10.49) , a wreath clinging to the head.

The dative is often used by the poets in constructions which would in prose require a noun with a preposition. So especially with verbs of contending (§ 413 . b ):— contendis Homērō (Prop. 1.7.3) , you vie with Homer. [In prose: cum Homērō .] placitōne etiam pūgnābis amōrī (Aen. 4.38) , will you struggle even against a love that pleases you? tibi certat (Ecl. 5.8) , vies with you. [ tēcum .] differt sermōnī (Hor. S. 1.4.48) , differs from prose. [ ā sermōne , § 401 .] laterī abdidit ēnsem (Aen. 2.553) , buried the sword in his side. [ in latere , § 430 .]

For the Dative instead of ad with the Accusative, see § 428 . h.

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