[*] 510. The Supine in -ū 1 is used with a few adjectives and with the nouns fās , nefās , and opus , to denote an action in reference to which the quality is asserted:—
- “rem nōn modo vīsū foedam, sed etiam audītū ” (Phil. 2.63) , a thing not only shocking to see, but even to hear of.
- “quaerunt quid optimum factū sit ” (Verr. 2.1.68) , they ask what is best to do.
- “sī hōc fās est dictū ” (Tusc. 5.38) , if this is lawful to say.
- “vidētis nefās esse dictū miseram fuisse tālem senectūtem ” (Cat. M. 13) , you see it is a sin to say that such an old age was wretched.
[*] Note 1.--The supine in -ū is thus in appearance an Ablative of Specification (§ 418).
[*] Note 2.--The supine in -ū is found especially with such adjectives as indicate an effect on the senses or the feelings, and those which denote ease, difficulty, and the like. But with facilis , difficilis , and iūcundus , ad with the gerund is more common:—
- nec vīsū facilis nec dictū adfābilis ūllī; (Aen. 3.621), he is not pleasant for any man to look at or address.
- difficilis ad distinguendum similitūdō; (De Or. 2.212), a likeness difficult to distinguish.
[*] Note 3.--With all these adjectives the poets often use the Infinitive in the same sense: as,—facilēs “aurem praebēre” (Prop. 2.21.15) , indulgent to lend an ear.
[*] Note 4.--The supine in -ū with a verb is extremely rare: as, “—pudet dictū” (Tac. Agr. 32) , it is a shame to tell. [On the analogy of pudendum dictū .]