Aulus Gellius, Attic Nights
John C. Rolfe, Ed.

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[p. 439]

Of such a nature are we almost all,
That with ourselves (nostri) we discontented are.

Afranius wrote in an Italian play: ¹

At last some god or other pitied us (nostri).

And Laberius in the Necyomantia: ²

Detained for many days, he us (nostri) forgot.

“There is no doubt,” said he, “that in all these phrases: 'we are discontented,' he forgot us,' 'he pitied us' (nostri), the same case is used as in 'I repent' (mei paenitet), 'he pitied me' (mei miseritus est), ' he forgot me' (mei oblitus est). But mei is the case of questioning, ³ which the grammarians call 'genitive,' and comes from ego; and the plural of ego is nos. Tui also is formed from tu, and the plural of this is vos. For Plautus has thus declined those pronouns in the Pseudolus, in the following lines: ⁴

O Sir, could I be told without your words
What wretchedness so grievous troubles you,
I would have spared the trouble of two men:
My own (mei), of asking you, and yours (tis = tui), of answering.

For Plautus here uses mei, not from meus, but from ego. Therefore if you should choose to say patrem mei instead of patrem meum, as the Greeks say τὸν πατέρα μου, it would be unusual, but surely correct, and on the same principle that Plautus used labori mei, 'the trouble of me,' for labori meo, ' my trouble.' The same rule applies also in the plural number, where Gracchus said ⁵ misereri vestrum and Marcus ”