and nisi are always separated in the best Latinity.
5. Nisi forte, nisi vērō, nisi sī, _unless perchance, unless indeed_ (often
with ironical force), take the Indicative; as,--
nisi vērō, quia perfecta rēs nōn est, nōn vidētur pūnienda, _unless
indeed, because an act is not consummated, it does not seem to merit
punishment_.
Conditional Clauses of Comparison.
307. 1. Conditional Clauses of Comparison are introduced by the particles,
ac sī, ut sī, quasi, quam sī, tamquam sī, velut sī, or simply by velut or
tamquam. They stand in the Subjunctive mood and regularly involve an
ellipsis (see § 374, 1), as indicated in the following examples:--
tantus patrēs metus cēpit, velat sī jam ad portās hostis esset, _as
great fear seized the senators as (would have seized them) if the enemy
were already at the gates_;
sed quid ego hīs testibus ūtor quasi rēs dubia aut obscūra sit, _but
why do I use these witnesses, as (I should do) if the matter were
doubtful or obscure_;
serviam tibi tam quasi ēmerīs mē argentō, _I will serve you as though
you had bought me for money_.
2. Note that in sentences of this kind the Latin observes the regular
principles for the Sequence of Tenses. Thus after principal tenses the
Latin uses the Present and Perfect (as in the second and third examples),
where the English uses the Past and Past Perfect.
Concessive Clauses.
308. The term 'Concessive' is best restricted to those clauses developed
from the Jussive Subjunctive which have the force of _granted that_, etc.;
(see § 278) as,--
sit fūr, sit sacrilegus, at est bonus imperātor, _granted that he is a
thief and a robber, yet he is a good commander_;
haec sint falsa, _granted that this is false_;
nē sit summum malum dolor, malum certē est, _granted that pain is not
the greatest evil, yet it is certainly an evil_.
Adversative Clauses with _Quamvīs_, _Quamquam_, etc.
309. Clauses introduced by quamvīs, quamquam, etsī, tametsī, cum,
_although_, while often classed as 'Concessive,' are yet essentially
different from genuine Concessive clauses. As a rule, they do not _grant_
or _concede_ anything, but rather state that something is true _in spite of
something else_. They accordingly emphasize the adversative idea, and are
properly Subordinate Adversative Clauses. The different particles used to
introduce these clauses have different meanings and take different
constructions, as follows:--
1. Quamvīs, _however much_, _although_, does not introduce a statement of
fact, but represents an act merely as conceived. It is followed by the
Subjunctive, usually of the present tense; as,--
hominēs quamvīs in turbidīs rēbus sint, tamen interdum animīs
relaxantur, _in however stirring events men may engage, yet at times
they relax their energies;_
nōn est potestās opitulandī reī pūblicae quamvīs ea premātur perīculīs,
_there is no opportunity to succor the state, though it be beset by
dangers._
2. Quamquam, etsī, tametsī, _although_, introduce a statement of fact, and
are followed by the Indicative (of any tense); as,--
quamquam omnis virtūs nōs allicit, tamen jūstitia id maximē efficit,
_although all virtue attracts us, yet justice does so especially;_
Caesar, etsī nōndum cōnsilium hostium cognōverat, tamen id quod accidit
suspicābātur, _Caesar, though he did not yet know the plans of the
enemy, yet was suspecting what actually occurred_.
a. Etsī, _although_, must be distinguished from etsī, _even if_. The
latter is a conditional particle and takes any of the constructions
admissible for sī. (See §§ 302-304.)
3. Cum, _although_, is followed by the Subjunctive; as,--
Atticus honōrēs nōn petiit, cum eī patērent, _Atticus did not seek
honors, though they were open to him_.
4. Licet sometimes loses its verbal force (see § 295, 6) and sinks to the
level of a conjunction with the force of _although_. It takes the
Subjunctive, Present or Perfect; as,--
licet omnēs terrōrēs impendeant, succurram, _though all terrors hang
over me, (yet) I will lend aid_.
5. Quamquam, with the force _and yet_, is often used to introduce principal
clauses; as,--
quamquam quid loquor, _and yet why do I speak?_
6. In post-Augustan writers quamquam is freely construed with the
Subjunctive, while quamvīs is often used to introduce statements of fact,
and takes either the Indicative or the Subjunctive. Thus:--
quamquam movērētur hīs vōcibus, _although he was moved by these words_;
quamvīs multī opīnārentur, _though many thought_;
quamvīs īnfēstō animō pervēnerās, _though you had come with hostile
intent_.
Clauses with _Dum_, _Modo_, _Dummodo_, denoting a Wish or a Proviso.
310. These particles are followed by the Subjunctive (negative nē) and have
two distinct uses:--
I. They are used to introduce clauses _embodying a wish_ entertained by the
subject of the leading verb; as,--
multī honesta neglegunt dummodo potentiam cōnsequantur, _many neglect
honor in their desire to obtain power_ (_if only they may attain_);
omnia postposuī, dum praeceptīs patris pārērem, _I made everything else
secondary, in my desire to obey the injunctions of my father_;
nīl obstat tibi, dum nē sit dītior alter, _nothing hinders you in your
desire that your neighbor may not be richer than you_.
II. They are used to express a _proviso_ ('_provided that_'); as,--
ōderint, dum metuant, _let them hate, provided they fear_;
manent ingenia senibus, modo permaneat studium et industria, _old men
retain their faculties, provided only they retain their interest and
vigor_;
nūbant, dum nē dōs fiat comes, _let them marry, provided no dowry goes
with it_.
Relative Clauses.
311. Relative Clauses are introduced by Relative Pronouns, Adjectives, or
Adverbs.
312. 1. Relative clauses usually stand in the Indicative Mood, especially
clauses introduced by those General Relatives which are doubled or have the
suffix -oumque; as,--
quidquid id est, timeō Danaōs et dōna ferentēs, _whatever it is, I fear
the Greeks even when they offer gifts;_
quidquid oritur, quālecumque est, causam ā nātūrā habet, _whatever
comes into being, of whatever sort it is, has its primal cause in
Nature._
2. Any simple Relative may introduce a conditional sentence of any of the
three types mentioned in §§ 302-304; as,--
quī hōc dīcit, errat, _he who says this is mistaken_ (First Type);
quī hōc dīcat, erret, _he would be mistaken who should say this_
(Second Type);
quī hōc dīxisset, errāsset, _the man who had said this would have been
mistaken._
INDIRECT DISCOURSE (_ŌRĀTIŌ OBLĪQUA_).
313. When the language or thought of any person is reproduced without
change, that is called Direct Discourse (_Ōrātiō Recta_); as, _Caesar said,
'The die is cast.'_ When, on the other hand, one's language or thought is
made to depend upon a verb of _saying_, _thinking_, etc., that is called
Indirect Discourse (_Ōrātiō Oblīqua_); as, _Caesar said that the die was
cast; Caesar thought that his troops were victorious._
a. For the verbs most frequently employed to introduce Indirect
Discourse, see § 331.
MOODS IN INDIRECT DISCOURSE.
Declarative Sentences.
314. 1. Declarative Sentences upon becoming Indirect change their main
clause to the Infinitive with Subject Accusative, while all subordinate
clauses take the Subjunctive; as,--
Rēgulus dīxit quam diū jūre jūrandō hostium tenērētur nōn esse sē
senātōrem, _Regulus said that as long as he was held by his pledge to
the enemy he was not a senator._ (Direct: quam diū teneor nōn sum
senātor.)
2. The verb of _saying_, _thinking_, etc., is sometimes to be inferred from
the context; as,--
tum Rōmulus lēgātōs circā vīcīnās gentēs mīsit quī societātem
cōnūbiumque peterent: urbēs quoque, ut cētera, ex īnfimō nāscī, _then
Romulus sent envoys around among the neighboring tribes, to ask for
alliance and the right of intermarriage, (saying that) cities, like
everything else, start from a modest beginning_.
3. Subordinate clauses which contain an explanatory statement of the writer
and so are not properly a part of the Indirect Discourse, or which
emphasize the fact stated, take the Indicative; as,--
nūntiātum est Ariovistum ad occupandum Vesontiōnem, quod est oppidum
maximum Sēquanōrum contendere, _it was reported that Ariovistus was
hastening to seize Vesontio, which is the largest town of the Sequani_.
4. Sometimes a subordinate clause is such only in its external form, and in
sense is principal. It then takes the Infinitive with Subject Accusative.
This occurs especially in case of relative clauses, where quī is equivalent
to et hīc, nam hīc, etc.; as,--
dīxit urbem Athēniēnsium prōpugnāculum oppositum esse barbarīs, apud
quam jam bis classēs rēgiās fēcisse naufragium, _he said the city of
the Athenians had been set against the barbarians like a bulwark, near
which (= and near it) the fleets of the King had twice met disaster_.
5. The Subject Accusative of the Infinitive is sometimes omitted when it
refers to the same person as the subject of the leading verb, or can easily
be supplied from the context; as,--
cum id nescīre Māgō dīceret, _when Mago said he did not know this_ (for
sē nescīre).
Interrogative Sentences.
315. 1. Real questions of the Direct Discourse, upon becoming indirect, are
regularly put in the Subjunctive; as,--
Ariovistus Caesarī respondit: sē prius in Galliam vēnisse quam populum
Rōmānum. Quid sibi vellet? Cūr in suās possessiōnēs venīret,
_Ariovistus replied to Caesar that he had come into Gaul before the
Roman people. What did he (Caesar) mean? Why did he come into his
domain?_ (Direct: quid tibi vīs? cūr in meās possessiōnēs venīs?)
2. Rhetorical questions, on the other hand, being asked merely for effect,
and being equivalent in force to emphatic statements, regularly stand in
the Infinitive in Indirect Discourse. Thus :--
quid est levius (lit. _what is more trivial_, = nothing is more
trivial) of the Direct Discourse becomes quid esse levius in the
Indirect.
3. Deliberative Subjunctives of the Direct Discourse remain unchanged in
mood in the Indirect: as,--
quid faceret, _what was he to do?_ (Direct: quid faciat?)
Imperative Sentences.
316. All Imperatives or Jussive Subjunctives of the Direct Discourse appear
as Subjunctives in the Indirect; as,--
mīlitēs certiōrēs fēcit paulisper intermitterent proelium, _he told the
soldiers to stop the battle for a little_. (Direct: intermittite.)
a. The negative in such sentences is nē; as,--
nē suae virtūtī tribueret, _let him not attribute it to his own valor!_
TENSES IN INDIRECT DISCOURSE.
A. Tenses of the Infinitive.
317. These are used in accordance with the regular principles for the use
of the Infinitive as given in § 270.
a. The Perfect Infinitive may represent any past tense of the Indicative
of Direct Discourse. Thus:--
sciō tē haec ēgisse may mean--
_I know you were doing this_.(Direct: haec agēbās.)
_I know you did this_. (Direct: haec ēgistī.)
_I know you had done this_. (Direct: haec ēgerās.)
B. Tenses of the Subjunctive.
318. These follow the regular principle for the Sequence of Tenses, being
Principal if the verb of _saying_ is Principal; Historical if it is
Historical. Yet for the sake of vividness, we often find the Present
Subjunctive used after an historical tense (_Repraesentātiō_); as,--
Caesar respondit, sī obsidēs dentur, sēsē pācem esse factūrum, _Caesar
replied that, if hostages be given, he would make peace_.
a. For the sequence after the Perfect Infinitive, see § 268, 2.
CONDITIONAL SENTENCES IN INDIRECT DISCOURSE.
Conditional Sentences of the First Type.
319. A. THE APODOSIS. Any tense of the Indicative is changed to the
corresponding tense of the Infinitive (§§ 270; 317, a).
B. THE PROTASIS. The protasis takes those tenses of the Subjunctive which
are required by the Sequence of Tenses.
Examples:--
DIRECT. INDIRECT.
sī hōc crēdis, errās, dīcō, sī hōc crēdās, tē errāre;
dīxī, sī hōc crēderēs, tē errāre.
sī hōc crēdēs, errābis, dīcō, sī hōc crēdās, tē errātūrum