[*] 378. The Dative is used of the person from whose point of view an opinion is stated or a situation or a direction is defined. This is often called the Dative of the Person Judging,1 but is merely a weakened variety of the Dative of Reference. It is used—
- Of the mental point of view (in my
opinion, according to me. etc.):—
- “Platō mihiūnus īnstar est centum mīlium ” (Brut. 191) , in my opinion (to me) Plato alone is worth a hundred thousand.
- “erit ille mihi semper deus ” (Ecl. 1.7) , he will always be a god to me (in my regard).
- “quae est ista servitūs tam clārō hominī” (Par. 41) , what is that slavery according to the view of this distinguished man?
- Of the local point of view (as you go in
etc.). In this use the person is commonly denoted indefinitely
by a participle in the dative plural:—
- oppidum prīmum Thessaliae venientibus ab Ēpīrō; (B. C. 3.80), the first town of Thessaly as you come from Epirus (to those coming, etc.).
- “laevā parte sinum intrantī” (Liv. 26.26) , on the left as you sail up the gulf (to one entering).
- “est urbeēgressīstumulus ” (Aen. 2.713) , there is, as you come out of the city, a mound (to those having come out).
[*] Note.--The Dative of the Person Judging is (by a Greek idiom) rarely modified by vōlēns , volēns (participles of nōlō, volō), or by some similar word:—
- “ut quibusque belluminvītīs autcupientibus erat ” (Tac. Ann. 1.59) , as each might receive the war reluctantly or gladly.
- “ut mīlitibuslabōs volentibus esset ” (Iug. 100) , that the soldiers might assume the task willingly.