Chapter 382Allen and Greenough's Latin GrammarDickinson CollegeChristopher Francese
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Dative with Adjectives
The Dative is used to denote the Purpose or End, often with another Dative of the person or thing affected.
This use of the dative, once apparently general, remains in only a few constructions, as follows:—
The dative of an abstract noun is used to show that
for which a thing serves
or
which it accomplishes
, often with another dative of the person or thing affected:—
reī pūblicae
clādī
sunt
(Iug. 85.43)
,
they are ruin to the state
(they are for a disaster to the state).
māgnō
ūsuī
nostrīs fuit
(B. G. 4.25)
,
it was of great service to our men
(to our men for great use).
tertiam aciem nostrīs
subsidiō
mīsit
(
id
. 1.52),
he sent the third line as a relief to our men.
suīs
salūtī
fuit
(
id
. 7.50),
he was the salvation of his men.
ēvēnit facile quod dīs
cordī
esset
(Liv. 1.39)
,
that came to pass easily which was desired by the gods
(was for a pleasure [lit. heart] to the gods).
This construction is often called the Dative of Service, or the Double Dative construction. The verb is usually
sum
. The noun expressing the
end for which
is regularly abstract and singular in number and is never modified by an adjective, except one of degree (
māgnus
,
minor
, etc.), or by a genitive.
The word
frūgī
used as an adjective is a dative of this kind:—
cōgis mē dīcere inimīcum
Frūgī(Font. 39)
,
you compel me to call my enemy Honest.
hominēs satis fortēs et plānē
frūgī(Verr. 3.67)
,
men brave enough and thoroughly honest.
Cf.
erō frūgī bonae
(Plaut. Pseud. 468),
I will be good for something.
[See §
122
.
b.
]
The Dative of Purpose of concrete nouns is used in prose in a few military expressions, and with freedom in poetry :—
locum
castrīs
dēligit
(B. G. 7.16)
,
he selects a site for a camp.receptuī
canere
,
to sound a retreat
(for a retreat).
receptuī
sīgnum
(Phil. 13.15)
,
the signal for retreat.
optāvit locum
rēgnō(Aen. 3.109)
,
he chose a place for a kingdom.
locum
īnsidiīs
circumspectāre
(Liv. 21.53)
,
to look about for a place for an ambush.
[Cf.
locum
sēditiōnis
quaerere
(
id
. 3.46).]
For the Dative of the Gerundive denoting Purpose, see §
505
.
b.