[*] 505. The Dative of the Gerund and Gerundive is used in a few expressions after verbs:—1
- “diem praestitit operī faciendō ” (Verr. 2.1.148) , he appointed a day for doing the work.
- “praeesse agrō colendō ” (Rosc. Am. 50) , to take charge of cultivating the land.
- esse solvendō, to be able to pay (to be for paying).
[*] Note.--The dative of the gerund with a direct object is never found in classic Latin, but occurs twice in Plautus.
[*] a. The dative of the gerund and gerundive is used after adjectives,2 especially those which denote fitness or adaptability:—- “genus armōrum aptum tegendīs corporibus ” (Liv. 32.10) , a sort of armor suited to the defence of the body.
- “reliqua tempora dēmetendīs frūctibus et percipiendīs accommodāta sunt ” (Cat. M. 70) , the other seasons are fitted to reap and gather in the harvest.
- “ perferendīs mīlitum mandātīs idōneus ” (Tac. Ann. 1.23) , suitable for carrying out the instructions of the soldiers.
[*] Note.--This construction is very common in Livy and later writers, infrequent in classical prose.
[*] b. The dative of the gerund and gerundive is used in certain legal phrases after nouns meaning officers, offices, elections, etc., to indicate the function or scope of the office etc.:—- “comitia cōnsulibus rogandīs ” (Div. 1.33) , elections for nominating consuls.
- “triumvir colōniīs dēdūcundīs ” (Iug. 42) , a triumvir for planting colonies.
- triumvirī reī pūblicae cōnstituendae (title of the Triumvirate), triumvirs (a commission of three) for settling the government.