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The infinitive as a noun (subject, object, complement)

An infinitive can act as a neuter noun: the subject of est, or the object or complement of verbs like possum, desino and memini; translate "to do" or "doing".

As subject: an infinitive with est and an adjective or noun, "to do this is …" or "doing this is …". An adjective agreeing with it is neuter singular: nihil est grave "is not grievous at all", ipsum mori "dying itself".

As object or complement: after possum, debeo, volo, soleo, desino, memini/memento and similar verbs, the infinitive completes the meaning: praedicere memento "remember to say beforehand".

The subject infinitive may come after est, and a genitive may say whose task it is: Facultatis rationalis est, considerare "it is the task of the reasoning faculty to consider" (see the genitive of characteristic).

The infinitive has no cases. For "of doing", "by doing" or "for doing" Latin uses the gerund instead (agendi, agendo, ad agendum).

Examples

  • Mane praedicere memento tibi 2.1Remember to tell yourself first thing in the morning
  • humanis autem excedere, siquidem Dii sunt, nihil est grave 2.11but to depart from among men, if there are gods, is nothing terrible
  • quid sit ipsum mori 2.12what dying itself is
  • verum enimvero mori non est opus tantum naturae 2.12and indeed dying is not only a work of nature

In the text 230

  • I.1 Ab avo meo Vero accepisse agnosco, moris esse candidi, et ab iracundia alieni.What Marcus received is expressed by an infinitive used as a noun, esse "to be". moris … candidi is a genitive of description: esse with a noun and adjective in the genitive means "to be of such a character". mos in the singular here means "character, disposition". In §15 the same idea is put in the ablative: moribus esse probe temperatis.
  • I.3 A matre, pietatis studium, et largiendi promptitudinem: nec a malo patrando tantum, sed cogitando etiam, continere.
  • I.3 tum victu simplici, quique ab opulentorum more ac instituto abscedat quam longissime, contentum esse.When an infinitive is used as a noun with no subject written, a word describing that subject goes in the accusative: hence contentum, not contentus, "being content". Compare §5, where the subject "I" of a finite verb gives the nominative contentus agerem.
  • I.9 favere promptus, sed sine strepitu: varieque, citra ostentationem, eruditus.
  • I.10 Ab Alexandro Grammatico, increpationibus abstinere;
  • I.13 A Catulo, ne insuper haberem amicorum querimonias, etiamsi ratio earum nulla subesset, sed in statum ipsos pristinum restituere anniterer:
  • I.14 A fratre meo Severo, familiares diligere; veri justique rationem habere.
  • I.14 ab eodem item didici, simpliciter vivere; in philosophiae cultu constanter persistere;
  • I.14 prompte benefacere, impense largiri; spes bonas fovere; de amicorum dilectione nihil ambigere.
  • I.15 A Maximo, mei compotem esse; nec ulla in re transversum abripi.
  • I.15 sed et animo bono esse, cum in morbis, tum et in aliis casibus adversis;
  • I.15 moribus esse probe temperatis, suavibus, verendis: negotia objecta citra quiritationem conficere.
  • I.15 adhaec quod benefacere promptus, et ignoscere.
  • I.16 quod eos audire promptus fuerit, qui adferre quid poterant, quod in publicum conduceret:
  • I.16 posse autem in altero tolerantem, in altero temperantem se praestare; illud vero vere viri est animo consummato invictoque plane praediti.posse is not one more item of the list but the subject of the next clause, taken up again by illud: "to be able to show oneself …: that is truly the mark of a man". se praestare with an accusative adjective is "to show oneself (to be)": tolerantem "enduring" in the one case (doing without), temperantem "temperate" in the other (enjoying).
  • I.17 quod aetatis florem indelibatum servaverim, nec ante tempus justum virilitatis specimen dederim, sed ultra etiam quam opus erat, id facere distulerim.
  • I.17 quod, quotiescunque animus fuit pauperi alicui, aut alias indigo, opem ferre, nunquam responsum est, non suppetere nummos mihi, unde id fieret:
  • II.1 Mane praedicere memento tibi, Hodie futurum est, ut rem habeam cum curioso aliquo, ingrato, protervo, doloso, invido, illiberali.
  • II.1 adversari itaque sibi invicem praeter naturam:est is left out: "to oppose one another is contrary to nature". The infinitive adversari is the subject, as an infinitive often is.
  • II.1 adversantis est autem succensere et aversari.
  • II.5 Vides, quam pauca sint, quae siquis tenuerit, prosperam ac divinam propemodum vitam degere detur. siquidem et dii ipsi nihil amplius exigent ab eo, ista qui observaverit.
  • II.8 Vix, aut ne vix quidem quisquam, ideo infeliciter agere deprehensus est, quia in alienis animis quid ageretur non animadverterit.deprehendi 'to be caught, be found' takes an infinitive: 'has been found to fare badly'. agere here means 'to fare, get on', and infeliciter agere is 'to be unhappy'.
  • II.9 Horum meminisse semper oportet: quae universi, quae tua natura sit; quomodo haec ad illam affecta, qualisque pars qualis universi existat:
  • II.11 humanis autem excedere, siquidem Dii sunt, nihil est grave.The infinitive excedere is the subject of est: 'to depart … is nothing grievous'. An infinitive used this way acts as a neuter noun.
  • II.11 si vero, vel nulli sunt, vel nullam rerum humanarum curam gerunt, quid attinet tandem vivere in mundo vel Deorum, vel providentiae inani?
  • II.12 Facultatis rationalis est, considerare, quam velociter evanescant omnia, in mundo corpora, in aevo eorundem etiam memoria:
  • II.12 quid sit ipsum mori; quodque siquis rem ipsam per se intueatur, cogitationeque ab illa submoverit ea omnia, quibus tanquam larvis horrendis instructa imaginationi nostrae se objicit, nihil esse aliud comperiet quam opus naturae.mori "to die, dying" is an infinitive used as a noun, the subject of sit in yet another indirect question. An infinitive counts as a neuter noun, so ipsum is neuter: "dying itself".
  • II.12 verum enimvero mori non est opus tantum naturae, sed quod eidem et conducat.
  • II.12 ejusdem denique facultatis fuerit, considerare, homo Deum quomodo, et qua sui parte contingat; quoque pacto habitura se sit pars ista, ubi corpore soluta fuerit.
  • II.17 Vitae humanae tempus, punctum est: materia, fluida: sensus, obscurus: corporis universi fabrica, putrescere prona: anima, vaga: fortuna, res impervestigabilis: fama, res incerta:The adjective pronus "leaning forward, inclined" is completed by an infinitive: "prone to rot". This is a poetic and late use; classical prose would say ad putrescendum.
  • III.1 nam si delirare ceperit, perspiratio forsan, et nutritio, et imaginatio, et appetitus, et istiusmodi reliqua, neutiquam deficient.
  • III.1 ea vero vis, qua sese uti possit, et officii sui numeros omnes absolvere, et quae animo conceperit distincte explicare, et de hoc ipso, an mortem sibi consciscere debeat, considerare,All four infinitives depend on possit "he can": the power by which he can use himself, fulfil …, set out …, and consider ….
  • III.2 proinde, siquis animum ac cogitationem norit altius defigere in ea quae in universo hoc fiunt,
  • III.2 tam vetulae item vetulive maturitatem quandam ac decorem, quam et quicquid in pueris venustatis animum allicientis deprehenditur, castis oculis spectare poterit.
  • III.3 sin sensu cariturus sis, desines voluptatibus ac doloribus distineri; desines vasi tanto deteriori inservire.
  • III.4 oportet itaque in cogitationum serie frustraneum et superfluum omne declinare: curiosum autem et malignum multo magis.
  • III.5 qui ita se composuerit, ut qui promptus decedere, classicum duntaxat, quo e vita avocetur, expectet.
  • III.5 rectum denique, non surrectum ac suffultum esse oportet.
  • III.6 horum enim quisquam si vel minimum adjungere visum fuerit, praevalebit confestim, et abripiet te.
  • III.6 judiciumque, quo minus externa rerum facie specieque corrumpatur, integrum servare curae sit, quo rerum examen exquisitius instituas.
  • III.7 utpote qui, si statim demigrandum fuerit, perinde promptus sit decedere, ac aliud quid agere, quod modeste et decore agi oporteat.
  • III.11 nihil enim perinde magnanimitatem ingenerat, atque expedite vereque discutere posse unumquodque eorum quae in vita contingunt;The thing compared is an infinitive phrase used as a noun: "(as) being able to examine readily and truly". discutere first meant "shatter, scatter"; in later Latin, as here, "examine, investigate".
  • III.11 eademque sic intueri semper, ut mentem simul subeat, quali mundo qualem usum hoc praebeat, quamnam universi respectu dignitatem obtineat;A second infinitive still compared with nihil: nothing produces greatness of mind so much as examining things "and always looking at the same things in such a way that …". intueri is a deponent infinitive.
  • III.12 huic, inquam, si adhaeseris, nihil ulterius expectans, nihil fugitans; sed quod prae manibus est juxta naturae dictamen agere, et in dictis quibusque animo heroico veritatem libere proloqui contentus; prospere plane victurus es.contentus "content, satisfied" takes two infinitives: "content to do … and to speak out …". proloqui is a deponent infinitive, passive in form but active in meaning.
  • III.15 Nesciunt quam variae significationis sint vocabula ista, furari, serere, emere, quiescere, quid facto opus est videre, quod quidem non oculis corporeis, sed visu quodam aliusmodi efficitur.The infinitives are quoted as words, in apposition to vocabula: the words "to steal", "to sow", "to buy", "to rest". Marcus means that each has a deeper, moral sense besides the everyday one. furari is a deponent, "to steal" (from fur "thief"); it is not the noun furor "madness".
  • III.16 visorum imagines admittere, etiam pecudum commune est:The infinitive admittere "to take in" is the subject, so the predicate commune is neuter. communis takes a genitive of those who share: pecudum commune "common to cattle". visa are "things seen, impressions"; their imagines are the pictures they leave in the mind.
  • III.16 affectibus tanquam fidiculis agitari, atque abripi, feris quoque competit, et effoeminatis, et Phalaridi, et Neroni, et Deos negantibus, et patriam deserentibus, et postquam fores sibi occluserint, quidlibet perpetrantibus.
  • III.16 Si caetera ergo eorum, qui jam dicti sunt, communia fuerint, restat, ut viri boni hoc sit peculiare, in eis quae officii sui esse videbuntur, mentis ductum sequi, et fatis volventibus casus vitae intextos lubenter amplexari;peculiaris "one's own, peculiar to" takes the genitive like communis: viri boni peculiare "peculiar to the good man". hoc "this" points forward: what is peculiar is said by infinitives used as nouns, here sequi and amplexari, and in the next three parts polluere, perturbare, servare, obsequi, ferre and divertere. sequi and amplexari are deponent: passive in form, active in meaning.
  • III.16 genium vero intra se in pectore situm, nec polluere, nec visorum congerie perturbare; sed placidum servare;More of what is peculiar to the good man. genium is the object of the three infinitives that follow and is put first as the topic: "the spirit placed within him … neither to defile, nor to trouble, but to keep calm". situm is the perfect participle of sino, "placed"; se refers to the good man.
  • III.16 huic tanquam Deo, decenter obsequi; nihil a veritate alienum proloquendo, nihil a justitiae ratione devium exequendo.
  • III.16 Quod si nemo illi fidem adhibuerit, quod simpliciter, modeste, tranquille degat, neque id a quoquam aegre ferre, aut a via ea, quae ad vitae finem ducit, ideo divertere:These infinitives still depend on hoc sit peculiare three parts back: it is also the good man's mark "not to take it ill from anyone, nor for that reason to turn aside". aegre ferre "to bear with difficulty" means "to resent"; after neque, aut continues the negative: "nor".
  • III.16 ad quem par est accedere purum, pacatum, promptum, sponte sua fato suo sese accommodantem.
  • IV.3 Recessus sibi requirunt multi multos, villas agrestes, litora, montes. istiusmodi loca et ipse plurimum soles appetere.
  • IV.3 hoc autem totum vulgarium cum primis est hominum. cum liceat, quocunque ipse volueris tempore, in teipsum secedere.
  • IV.3 denique quam multi, ubi inimicitiis exercendis, suspicionibus fovendis, odiis, litigiis, vitam exegissent, tandem defuncti et in cineres redacti sint, desine tandem tibi molestiam facessere.
  • IV.3 proinde, memento tandem in particulam istam secedere:
  • IV.4 unde ergo nobis intellectu, ratione, atque adeo lege agere posse, nisi inde, a communi illa civitate?
  • IV.6 Ab ejusmodi hominibus fieri istiusmodi necesse est.
  • IV.6 siquis aliter vult esse, idem ficum succo acri carere velit.
  • IV.9 Commodi sui caussa natura facere haec cogitur.
  • IV.10 hoc itaque, prout cepisti, observare pergas; et quicquid feceris, bonum te praestes, quomodo bonus quis proprie dicitur.
  • IV.12 alterum, nihil ut facias, nisi quod partis regere legemque dare natae ratio suggesserit, idque ad generis humani utilitatem.
  • IV.21 hoc respondere licebit, si pro concesso sumatur, animas corporibus esse superstites.
  • IV.24 Pauca agas, inquit, si tranquillus esse cupis.
  • IV.24 an non praestiterat dixisse, quae necessaria sunt agas, quaeque animantis civilis ratio dictat, et quo modo dictat.
  • IV.24 pleraque enim eorum quae dicere et facere consuevimus, cum necessaria non sint, si amputaverimus, a negotiis multo vacabit magis, minusque perturbata futura est nobis vita nostra.
  • IV.24 oportet itaque ad singula sibi suggerere, an non istud ex earum numero est, quae non sunt necessaria?
  • IV.30 mihi vero, inquit alter, cum nec ex disciplinae exercitio qui praeberi solet, commeatus suppetat, persisto tamen.
  • IV.32 illi vero cum primis sunt memoria recolendi, quos ipse noris aliquando se rebus inanibus distinuisse, cum id interim facere, quod conditioni propriae consentaneum erat, huic firmiter inhaerere, eodemque contentum esse, neglexerint.
  • IV.32 illud etiam istic meminisse oportet, in actione unaquaque eam, quae adhibetur, curam, pro rei dignitate ac congruentia esse attemperandam.
  • IV.33 porro quidnam est hoc ipsum memoriam aeternam consequi? mera vanitas.hoc ipsum "this very thing" is explained by the infinitive consequi "to attain, win" (the infinitive of the deponent consequor, passive in form): "this very thing, winning everlasting remembrance". The answer mera vanitas "sheer emptiness" leaves out est.
  • IV.33 ecquid est igitur, in quod studium conferre par sit?
  • IV.33 unum hoc, ut mens sit justa, actio socialis, dictio mentiri nescia, affectio quicquid contigerit amplecti prompta, ut necessarium, ut familiare, ut a principio fonteque istiusmodi profluens.promptus "ready" takes an infinitive here: amplecti prompta "ready to embrace", with amplecti the infinitive of the deponent amplector. Its object is the whole clause quicquid contigerit "whatever has befallen", set before it; contigerit is perfect subjunctive, inside the ut clause.
  • IV.36 et assuesce te cogitationi isti, nihil aeque diligere universi naturam, ac ea quae jam existunt mutare, et ex eis sic mutatis nova germina refingere.
  • IV.36 etenim semina ea sola opinari, quae in terram uterumque dejiciuntur, plebeium est nimis.The subject of plebeium est "is plebeian, is the mark of a common mind" is the infinitive opinari "to think" (deponent, passive in form) with all that depends on it. plebeium is neuter because an infinitive counts as a neuter noun; nimis "too, far too" makes it stronger.
  • IV.37 Jam jam moriturus es: necdum simplex es, imperturbatus, posse extrinsecus laedi suspicione immunis, cunctis propitius, juste agere unicam prudentiam ratus?ratus is the perfect participle of the deponent reor "think", but it is used with present sense: "thinking, holding". It takes two accusatives: the object juste agere "to act justly", an infinitive used as a noun, and the predicate unicam prudentiam "the only wisdom": "holding that acting justly is the only wisdom".
  • IV.46 Dictum illud Heracliti in memoria semper habeatur; terrae mors est, aquam fieri; aquae mors est, aerem fieri; aeris vero, ignem fieri: et e converso.In each saying the infinitive is a noun, the predicate of est: "the death of earth is to become water". aquam is accusative because the unexpressed subject of fieri (the earth) would be accusative, and a noun after fieri "become" takes the same case as its subject. Each element "dies" by turning into the next.
  • IV.46 illius quoque meminisse profuerit, qui quo via duceret, oblitus est.
  • IV.47 Quemadmodum si Deorum quis praediceret tibi, aut cras, aut summum perendie, moriturum te, haud in magno poneres, nisi animi esses abjectissimi, perendie potius quam crastino mori.
  • IV.48 quot mathematici, qui aliorum fata, quasi magnum quid esset id posse, praedixerint:quasi "as if" takes the subjunctive, esset. Its subject is the infinitive phrase id posse "to be able (to do) that", i.e. to foretell, and magnum quid "some great thing" is the predicate. So: "as if being able to do that were a great thing". After quasi, as after si, quid means "something".
  • IV.49 nunquid casus ullus prohibeat te, justum esse, magnanimum, temperantem, prudentem, temeritate, errore immunem, modestum, liberum, aut aliud quid eorum, quae ubi affuerint, natura humana sua obtinet universa?
  • IV.49 Non est infelix casus iste, sed fortiter ferre hoc felicitatis est.
  • IV.51 compendiosa est ea, quae secundum naturam est. in omni nimirum cum dictione, tum actione veri rectique curam habere.
  • V.1 Mane, cum gravatim exurgis, in promptu sit tecum hoc modo disserere; Ad opus humanum jam expergiscor.in promptu esse "to be at hand, ready" is an idiom: promptu is the ablative of a noun used only in this phrase. sit is a jussive subjunctive, "let it be", and its subject is the infinitive disserere: "let reasoning with yourself in this way be at hand", i.e. have these words ready. tecum is te + cum "with yourself", the preposition joined to the end of the pronoun.
  • V.1 an non arbusculas, aviculas, formicas, araneas, apiculas vides eam quam in mundo stationem obtinent, excolere satagentes?
  • V.1 tu autem, quae hominis sunt, facere recusas? et non properas potius ad id, quod naturae tuae convenit?
  • V.1 et isti enim, ubi rebus hisce addicti fuerint, nec cibum, nec somnum capere magis expetunt, quam ista, ad quae tam enixe feruntur, promovere:
  • V.2 Quam facile est imaginationem omnem vel turbulentam vel inconvenientem ita amoliri et abstergere, ut in summa statim tranquillitate consistas?The two infinitives are the subject of est: "to push away and to wipe off … is how easy!" facile is the neuter adjective, which is what agrees with an infinitive subject, not the adverb "easily". quam "how" makes the whole an exclamation; the question mark at the end, which Gataker's own edition (1652) prints too, is the old printers' way of marking one.
  • V.3 quae tu noli attendere, sed recta perge, naturae tum propriae, tum et communi obsecutus.
  • V.5 num et per conditionis naturalis defectum aliquem obmurmurare, restrictum esse, adulari, corpusculum tuum incusare, assentari, ostentare te, animo tantopere jactari, cogeris?num expects the answer "no": "surely you are not forced …?" The main verb cogeris "are you forced" waits till the very end, after seven infinitives that say what to do. et here means "also": you may lack sharpness by nature, but is nature to blame for these faults too? conditio naturalis is one's natural condition, the way one is made.
  • V.5 nequaquam, per Jovem; sed his omnibus jam olim licuit tibi esse immunem.
  • V.5 hoc tantummodo nomine si notari poteras, quod tardiori hebetiorique ingenio natus sis, exercitatione vitium istud corrigere conandum fuerat, hebetudinem tuam neque insuper habendo, neque in eadem tibi complacendo.
  • V.6 in horum ergo numero esse oportet, qui quid faciant, ipsi quodammodo ne intelligunt quidem? ita plane.
  • V.6 At hoc ipsum, inquis, quid agas, intelligere necessarium est.The subject of necessarium est is the infinitive intelligere: "to understand is necessary". Its object hoc ipsum "this very thing" is then spelled out by the indirect question quid agas "what you are doing".
  • V.7 aut nihil omnino precari, aut hoc modo simpliciter et ingenue precari par est.
  • V.15 tum siquid istorum ad hominem pertineret, hominis non esset ea despectui habere, eisque sese opponere. nec laude dignus haberetur, qui istis minus indigentem se praestiterit.
  • V.16 imbue ergo illam cogitationibus istiusmodi. verbi gratia; ubicunque vivere, ibidem et bene vivere licere.
  • V.16 in aula vero vivere licere: ergo et in aula bene vivere dari.
  • V.17 Quae fieri nequeunt sectari, insanum est. fieri autem non potest, quin istiusmodi quaedam improbi agant.The infinitive sectari "to pursue" (from the deponent sector) is the subject of insanum est "is mad"; an infinitive counts as a neuter noun, so the adjective is neuter. Gataker's comma after sectari marks off this whole subject. Its object is the clause put first, Quae fieri nequeunt "(the things) which cannot happen"; nequeo "I cannot" is the negative of queo "I can".
  • V.20 Alia quidem ratione nobis conjunctissimus est homo; quatenus officii est nostri juvare illos ac sustinere.
  • V.29 Quo modo vivere cogitas vita mox excessurus, eodem, si volueris, vivere jam licet.
  • V.33 animula ipsa, exhalatio a sanguine emissa: apud eos, qui istiusmodi sint, celebrem esse, inane quiddam.Last, fame. The subject is an infinitive phrase, celebrem esse "to be famous", and inane quiddam "an empty thing" is its predicate, with est left out. celebrem is accusative because the unexpressed subject of an infinitive ("one, anyone") is accusative. qui istiusmodi sint has the subjunctive of characteristic: "people who are of that sort", the dull and changeable people just described.
  • VI.2 et in hoc ergo sufficit, quod prae manibus est rite disponere.sufficit "it is enough" has the infinitive disponere "to set in order" as its subject. The object of disponere is the clause quod prae manibus est "what is before (your) hands", the business at hand. et in hoc "in this too" means in dying as in everything else: there also it is enough to do well the thing in front of you.
  • VI.13 Quemadmodum de obsoniis atque eduliis ejusmodi cogitare licet, hoc piscis esse cadaver, hoc avis, hoc suis:
  • VI.13 cogitationes enim istae ita res ipsas attingunt, easdemque pervadunt, ut quaenam eae sint, penitius per hoc cernere detur.
  • VI.14 quae vero politiores adhuc afficiunt, ad ea pertinent, quae anima continentur rationali, non quidem universali illa, sed qua artium cultrix, aliasve solers existit, aut qua mere talis, ut servitiorum turbam possidere.The last kind of admirer values a rational soul merely as such, mere talis, and ut "as" brings in the example: owning a crowd of slaves, who are rational beings. possidere is an infinitive used as a noun, "owning". Gataker (so his 1652 edition prints) keeps close to a Greek infinitive here; classical Latin would not put an infinitive after ut, but would write ut … possideat. servitium "slavery" can mean "slaves" taken together.
  • VI.15 in hoc igitur flumine, in quo consistere non datur, quorsum quis horum sic praeterlabentium quicquam in pretio habeat?
  • VI.15 quale enim quiddam est aerem semel traxisse, mox reddere, quod momentis singulis facimus; tale quiddam est et totam illam respirandi facultatem, quam heri et nudiustertius in ortu acceperas, eo redonare, unde primo hauseras.The perfect infinitive traxisse "to have drawn in" and the present reddere "to give back" stand as nouns: taking a breath and letting it go. quod "which" sums up the whole act. momentis singulis "at every single moment" is an ablative of time.
  • VI.16 Non est aestimatione multa dignum, aut perspirari, quod et plantarum est; aut respirare, quod et pecudum et belluarum est; aut a sensibus rerum imagines impressas admittere;The subject of Non est … dignum is a string of infinitives used as nouns, running on into the next sentence: perspirari, respirare, admittere, impelli, convenire, nutriri. An infinitive counts as a neuter noun, so the predicate dignum "worthy" is neuter. dignus takes the ablative: aestimatione multa "of much esteem". After non, aut … aut is "either … or", in English "neither … nor".
  • VI.16 aut ab affectibus sigillarium instar impelli; aut gregatim convenire; aut nutriri: hoc enim perinde est atque alimenti quod est superfluum excernere.
  • VI.16 ecquid est igitur, quod pretio aliquo dignum sit? num plausibus excipi? nequaquam.
  • VI.16 etenim necesse erit invidere, aemulari, eos suspectos habere, qui his privare te possunt, eis struere insidias, qui id, quod tu tanti aestimas, possident.necesse erit "it will be necessary" takes a string of infinitives as its subject, ending with struere insidias; the person is not named, but it is you, who prize such things. aemulari is the infinitive of the deponent aemulor "be jealous of, rival". suspectos habere "to hold (people) suspect".
  • VI.18 eos, qui eodem secum tempore vivunt, laudare cum renuant; ipsi a posteris, qui eos nec norint unquam nec viderint, celebrari plurimi faciunt.
  • VI.20 licet enim illos cavere et declinare citra suspicionem ullam aut odium.
  • VI.27 Crudele quiddam est, non permittere hominibus, ut ad ea ferantur, quae ad se pertinere sibique conducere opinantur.The subject of est is the infinitive phrase non permittere … "not to allow": "it is a cruel thing not to allow …". quiddam "a certain thing, something", with crudele, makes "a cruel sort of thing".
  • VI.29 Turpe est in vitae tuae instituto, prius animam tibi deficere, quam corpus deficiat.turpe est "it is shameful" has an accusative and infinitive for its subject: animam tibi deficere "for the soul to give out on you". tibi is a dative of reference: the soul fails you, that is, your soul fails.
  • VI.44 etenim consilii expertem Deum nec cogitare facile fuerit.
  • VI.44 sin de nulla prorsus re consilia ineunt, quod tamen impium est credere, quorsum tunc immolemus, supplicemus, juremus, alia faciamus, quae facimus singuli, tanquam si Deos praesentes et conversantes nobiscum habeamus:
  • VI.48 Oblectare te siquando libuerit, virtutes eorum, qui tecum vivunt, cogita; hujus industriam, illius modestiam, alterius liberalitatem, alterius aliam aliquam.
  • VI.52 Licet de re hac vel illa nihil opinari, atque ita animi perturbationem omnem effugere.
  • VII.2 quas resuscitare tibi, quoties libuerit, licet.
  • VII.2 reviviscere tibi licet.
  • VII.2 res ipsas intuere prout prius vidisti. hoc est enim reviviscere.
  • VII.3 in his igitur benevolum placidumque consistere par est, non autem insolescere:par est "it is right, it is fitting" has infinitives for its subject: consistere "to stand (firm)", non … insolescere "not to grow haughty", and in the next sentence intelligere. benevolum and placidum are accusative because they describe the unexpressed subject of the infinitive, "one" or "you": "to stand kindly and calmly". insolesco "grow haughty" is an inceptive verb in -sco: do not look down on the crowd with scorn.
  • VII.3 intelligere nihilominus, tanti quemque esse, quanti illud est in quo studium posuerit.
  • VII.4 In sermone, eis quae dicuntur; in conatu omni, eis quae fiunt animum advertere oportet:
  • VII.5 quicquid enim, vel per me, vel cum alio fecero, ad id duntaxat tendere fas est, quod est societati utile et congruum.
  • VII.13 hoc ipsum benefacere per se nondum oblectat te: adhuc tanquam quod fieri deceat tantum facis, nondum perinde acsi tibi ipsi benefacias.The infinitive benefacere "to do good" is used as a neuter noun, the subject of oblectat, and hoc ipsum "this very" agrees with it: "this very thing, doing good". per se "in itself, for its own sake".
  • VII.14 in me autem situm est, nihil tale opinari.situm est in "it lies in, it is placed in", that is, it is in someone's power (situm is the perfect participle of sino, like sita in 2.15). Its subject is the infinitive phrase nihil tale opinari "to think nothing of the kind"; opinari is the infinitive of the deponent opinor.
  • VII.22 Hominis est, etiam eos qui offendunt diligere.
  • VII.23 istis autem, sicut arcae, dissolvi nihilo magis molestum est, quam compingi primo fuerat.The infinitives are the subjects: dissolvi "to be taken apart" and compingi "to be put together" each act as a neuter noun, so the adjective is neuter, molestum. istis and arcae are datives of the one affected: "for these things, as for a box". A box suffers nothing when its boards are taken apart, as it suffered nothing when they were joined.
  • VII.31 meminisse suffecerit, lege certa pleraque ferri, aut paucis saltem duntaxat exceptis.
  • VII.36 Male audire, cum benefacias, regium est.male audire "to hear ill" is an idiom: "to be spoken ill of, have a bad name" (bene audire is "to be well spoken of"). audire works here almost as a passive, "to be talked of". The infinitive is the subject of est, so the predicate regium "kingly" is neuter.
  • VII.46 Verum, o bone vir, illud videris, annon aliud quid generosum esse bonumque existat, quam servare et servari.Two infinitives used as nouns, the active and passive of servo: "saving and being saved", that is, keeping oneself and others alive by any means. Callicles prizes oratory because it can save a man's life in court; Socrates has set it beside the pilot's skill, which also saves lives, and asks whether nobility is not something else.
  • VII.46 neque enim hoc est, quod, vir vere qui sit, tantopere expetere debeat, ut temporis tantundem vivat; neque vitae oportet avidum esse;
  • VII.49 inde licet et futura prospicere.
  • VII.49 proinde par est, per annos quadraginta vitam perlustrare humanam, atque per annorum decem millia.par est 'it is equal, it is all one' has the infinitive perlustrare 'to survey' as its subject. After words of likeness atque means 'as': 'it is the same to survey human life for forty years as (to survey it) for ten thousand years'. vitam … humanam 'human life' is split by its verb, which puts weight on the adjective at the end.
  • VII.51 Divinitus at spirantem auram Pati necesse est cum labore et lacrymis.at 'but' stands second in its clause, as it may in verse: read at divinitus spirantem auram. In Pati necesse est 'to endure is necessary' the infinitive is the subject and no person is named: 'one must endure'. The wind sent from heaven is whatever the gods send, death included.
  • VII.54 Omni loco omnique tempore, in te situm est, et casu praesenti pie acquiescere, et cum hominibus praesentibus secundum jus fasque versari, et visa praesentia perite explorare, nequid incompertum clam subrepat.in te situm est 'it lies in you, it is in your power' (situm, from sino, 'placed'). Its subject is the three infinitives, each opened by et: et … et … et 'both … and … and'. They are the three Stoic disciplines: accepting what happens, acting justly towards others, and testing one's impressions.
  • VII.55 itaque in hominis natura primum ac praecipuum est societatem colere; secundum, corporis affectionibus neutiquam succumbere.The infinitive colere is the subject, and the neuter adjectives primum ac praecipuum are the predicate: 'to cultivate fellowship is the first and chief thing'. societas is the bond between people, the life we share with others.
  • VII.55 est enim hoc motus rationalis et intellectualis proprium, circumscribere semet, et nec sensus nec affectus motibus unquam superari: animalis enim uterque est.
  • VII.55 tertium in natura rationali est, lapsu et seductione immunem esse.
  • VII.63 hoc jugiter meminisse cumprimis necessarium est.The infinitive meminisse "to remember" is the subject of necessarium est, and the predicate is neuter because an infinitive counts as a neuter noun. meminisse is perfect in form but present in meaning. cumprimis, cum primis "among the first (things)" written as one word, is "above all".
  • VII.64 illud etiam memineris, multa taedio nos afficere, quae non advertimus eandem cum dolore rationem habere, verbi gratia, dormitare, quando vigilare libet, aestu affici, fastidio laborare.verbi gratia "for the sake of a word" is "for example". Three infinitives used as nouns give the examples, in apposition to multa: dormitare "being drowsy", aestu affici "being affected by heat", fastidio laborare "suffering from distaste", i.e. having no appetite. In quando vigilare libet "when it pleases (one) to be awake", the impersonal libet has no dative: "when one would like to stay awake".
  • VII.68 Vi omni immunem, in summa animi hilaritate, vitam transigere licet, etiamsi quae libuerit adversus te vociferentur homines universi, etiamsi massae istius corporeae coalitae et circundatae tibi membra ferae discerpant.
  • VIII.1 conturbatae sunt itaque rationes tuae: neque adeo aut facile est tibi philosophi existimationem comparare; et vitae etiam institutum adversatur.The infinitive comparare "to acquire" is the subject of facile est "it is easy": "to win a philosopher's reputation is not easy for you". neque adeo means "and so not". After a negative, aut carries the "not" on ("not … either"); here it stands alone, without a second aut, and neque adeo aut comes to "and so … not … either". Gataker's own edition (1652) prints it so. The Greek has "no longer" here.
  • VIII.3 illis vero, cum ea neutiquam perspecta haberent, de quam multis solicitos esse necesse fuit? quam multis rebus inservire?
  • VIII.6 Universi natura hoc solenne habet; quae istic existunt illo transferre, res mutare, hinc tollere, illic deponere, omnia vices has subeunt:hoc "this" points ahead, and four infinitives say what it is: transferre, mutare, tollere, deponere "to carry over, to change, to take away, to set down". solenne "customary" is the predicate: nature holds this as its regular business. solennis is Gataker's spelling of sollemnis.
  • VIII.7 id quod deprehendere licebit, si non seorsim unum aliquod in re ulla consideraveris, sed istius omnia cum alterius alicujus confertim sumptis contuleris.
  • VIII.8 at potes contumelia abstinere, potes voluptate et dolore superiorem te praestare, potes gloriolam nihili facere, potes stupidis et ingratis non succensere, imo et illorum curam gerere.potes "you can" stands at the head of each clause, and each time it takes an infinitive: abstinere, praestare, facere, succensere, and at the end gerere. The repetition answers nec legere possis: reading may be beyond you, but these things are not.
  • VIII.12 Quando somnum gravatim excutis, reminiscere, et conditioni tuae et naturae humanae consentaneum esse, ut actiones ad communitatem conducentes edas, cum dormire etiam brutis animantibus commune sit.
  • VIII.15 Memineris, aeque turpe esse mirari quenquam tanquam de re insueta, quod ea mundus, quorum ferax est, profert; ac mirari quenquam, quod ficus ficus ferat, aut mirari medicum, quod quis febricitaverit, gubernatorem, quod ventus adversus flaverit.
  • VIII.16 Memineris, aeque tibi liberum esse sententiam mutare et corrigenti parere, atque in re cepta ulla persistere.tibi liberum esse "to be free for you", that is, to lie within your freedom. Its subjects are the infinitives mutare, parere and persistere, used as nouns; aeque … atque "just as … as" weighs the first two against the third.
  • VIII.17 sin minus, quid tibi queri profuerit?
  • VIII.24 Ipsum lavari quale quid tibi videtur?An infinitive can be used as a neuter noun: lavari "to bathe, bathing" is the subject of videtur, and ipsum "itself" is neuter to agree with it. lavari, the passive of lavo "wash", has a reflexive sense, "to wash oneself, take a bath".
  • VIII.26 Homini volupe est, quae hominis propria sunt, facere.volupe (also volup) is an old word, "agreeably, to one's liking", used with esse: volupe est "it is a pleasure". The subject is the infinitive facere, and the dative Homini says whose pleasure it is: "it is a pleasure for a man to do …".
  • VIII.26 proprium autem est hominis, contribuli suo benevolum esse, sensuum motus insuper habere, visa probabilia discernere, universi naturam, eaque quae secundum hanc fiunt, contemplari.The things proper to man are four infinitives, used as nouns and subjects of est: esse, habere, discernere, contemplari. That is why the predicate proprium is neuter singular, as an adjective said of an infinitive always is.
  • VIII.30 Et in senatu, et apud quemlibet privatim, curae sit modeste potius quam diserte loqui.
  • VIII.32 In singulis actionibus vitam componere oportet; ut si unaquaeque quantum datur, quod suum est tulerit, in eo acquiescas.
  • VIII.34 caeterum istic illud scitum est, quod unire te denuo licet.
  • VIII.47 hoc autem statim delere in te situm est.in te situm est "is placed in you" is the regular phrase for "lies in your power"; situm is the perfect participle of sino in its sense "placed", neuter because its subject is the infinitive delere "to wipe out". hoc "this" is the judgement, the object of delere.
  • VIII.47 pari modo, si anxium te habet, quia hoc aut illud quod rectum tibi videtur, non facis, cur non facere potius quam angi velis?
  • VIII.47 sed nec vivere tanti est, ni id fiat.A second objection, this time without inquis: "but living is not worth so much". vivere is an infinitive used as a noun, the subject of est; tanti is the genitive of value again, "worth so much", i.e. worth having. nec here is simply "not".
  • VIII.47 excede ergo e vita aequo animo, quo modo excederes si id agere daretur, simul etiam obstantibus ipsis propitius.
  • VIII.53 Num in votis habes ab eo laudari, qui intra horulae spatium ter semet execratur?num opens a question that expects the answer "no": "surely you do not …?", "do you really …?". in votis habere "to have among one's wishes" means "to wish for"; what is wished is the passive infinitive laudari "to be praised", and ab eo "by a man" names the agent.
  • VIII.54 Curae tibi deinceps sit, non tam cum aere ambiente te conspirare, quam menti cuncta ambienti consentire.
  • VIII.55 huic tantum est noxia, cui concessum est ab ea immunem esse, quandocunque id ipse voluerit.
  • VIII.56 alioqui vicini mei malitia malum me faceret: id quod Deo non est visum, ne alieni arbitrii esset miserum me facere.
  • VIII.57 cujusmodi vero res sit radius, perspicere licet, si per angustum aliquod foramen lumen a Sole profectum in domicilium tenebricosum subingredi videris.
  • IX.3 cujusmodi enim res est, adolescere, senescere, crescere, adultum esse, barbatum esse, dentire, canescere, serere, praegnantem esse, parere, aliaque id genus opera naturalia, quae vitae tuae secum ferunt aetates, ejusmodi plane res est et dissolvi.Each infinitive is used as a noun: "growing up, growing old, growing, being full-grown, being bearded, teething, going grey". An infinitive counts as a neuter singular noun, so a whole row of them still takes the singular est.
  • IX.3 hominis est igitur considerati, nec temerarie, nec impetuose, nec fastuose adversus mortem se gerere: sed tanquam opus naturale, eam praestolari,
  • IX.3 etiamsi enim offendi eis te neutiquam oportet, sed curare eos, placideque ferre; meminisse tamen licuerit, quod ab hominibus haud idem tecum sentientibus discessurus es.
  • IX.11 idem et tibi licet facere. aut dicas, quis te prohibeat.
  • IX.12 sed hoc unum velis, ita moveri motumve sistere, prout ratio civilis exigit.velis is a subjunctive used as a command, "you should want". hoc unum "this one thing" is spelled out by two infinitives: moveri "to be moved", i.e. to set yourself going, and motum sistere "to stop the motion". The -ve on motumve means "or".
  • IX.26 Innumera perpessus es, quia non didicisti mente tua contentus esse agente ea ad quae condita est, sed ad alia eadem abuteris.
  • IX.27 bene velle tamen illis oportet. sunt enim natura amici.
  • IX.32 Supervacanea multa, quae molestiam tibi pariunt, praecidere, cum in opinione tua tota sita sint, animumque angustiis exemptum plurimum dilatare poteris,The main verb is held back to the end. The object supervacanea multa, the infinitive praecidere, and a second infinitive dilatare all hang on poteris "you will be able": "you will be able to cut away many needless things … and to widen your mind". The future poteris is a promise; its condition follows in the next sentence, si … complexus fueris.
  • IX.40 an non ergo potius fuerit eis quae in potestate tua sunt cum libertate uti, quam ad ea quae extra potestatem tuam sunt, cum servitute animique abjectione anxie ferri?
  • IX.41 etenim hoc est sectae cujusvis commune, in casibus quibuscunque a philosophia non absistere, nec cum plebeiis hominibus naturae rerum imperitis una nugari:communis "common" takes a genitive of those who share: sectae cujusvis commune "common to every school", Stoic and Epicurean alike. cujusvis is the genitive of quivis "any you like". hoc "this" is spelled out by the infinitives that follow, which act as nouns: "not to withdraw …, nor to chatter …".
  • IX.41 sed rei tantum praesenti agendae intendere, et instrumento per quod fiat.
  • IX.42 omnino vero licet tibi deceptum melius edocere.
  • X.1 ecquando futura es plena, rei nullius indiga, nihil desiderans ulterius, nihil expetens vel animatum vel inanime, quo frui tibi volupe sit,
  • X.1 sed et a Deis provenire, beneque habitura, quaecunque ipsis concedere visum est, et quaecunque concessuri sunt,
  • X.3 Quicquid contingit, vel ita contingit, ut id ferre natus sis, vel ut non sis.
  • X.8 etenim talis persistere, qualis hactenus fueris, et in vita istiusmodi foede volutari ac discerpi, hominis est sensus expertis plane vitaeque nimis avidi,
  • X.8 ad nominum autem istorum recordationem, multum conducet meminisse Deorum, quodque nolunt illi ratione praeditos ipsis adulari, sed similes ipsis fieri.The infinitive meminisse "to remember" is the subject of conducet "it will help". memini takes a genitive of the person remembered, Deorum, and here also a quod clause: "and (to remember) the fact that …".
  • X.8 meminisse et, ficum esse quae ea quae ficus sunt facit; canem, quae canis; apem, quae apis; et hominem pariter, qui quae hominis.
  • X.9 oportet autem unumquodque ita et considerare et agere, ut et activa facultas consummetur, et contemplativa simul exerceatur, et fiducia ex certa rei cujusque scientia orta servetur, latens quidem, nec abscondita tamen.
  • X.11 utpote qui duobus hisce etiam contentus sit, quicquid impraesentiarum agit, justum praestare, et quicquid impraesentiarum sibi obvenit, diligere:The two things are infinitives standing in apposition to duobus hisce: praestare and diligere. justum praestare is "to render (it) just", with justum a predicate to quicquid: "to make whatever he is doing just". impraesentiarum "at present, for the moment" (from in praesentia rerum) keeps him in the present.
  • X.12 Ecquis suspicionis usus est, cum quid fieri oporteat considerare praesto sit?
  • X.12 hoc enim assequi, ut juste agas, optimum est: nec nisi ab hoc aberrando excideris.
  • X.15 hoc enim satius est, quam ita vivere, uti ipsi vivunt voluntve.
  • X.21 amat et mundus facere quicquid futurum est ut fiat.
  • X.21 annon illud ita et fit et dicitur vulgo, Amat, hoc vel illud fieri.
  • X.26 haec, tanta licet involvantur caligine, contemplari oportet,
  • X.28 considera et fato nos illigatos teneri: et rationali animali soli datum esse, ut eis quae eveniunt, sponte obsequi possit; cum sequi ipsum omnibus sit necessarium.
  • X.31 cur ergo tibi non sufficit spatium hoc tam breve, prout te decet, transigere?The subject of sufficit "is enough" is the infinitive at the end, transigere "to pass through, spend", and spatium hoc tam breve "this so brief a span" is its object. In prout te decet "as becomes you", the impersonal decet takes the person in the accusative.
  • X.32 Nulli liceat vere de te dicere, non esse te simplicem, aut non esse te bonum.
  • X.32 tu tantum statuas, nec ulterius vivere, quam talis futurus sis. neque enim ratio id poscit, ni talis sis.
  • X.33 quicquid enim hoc fuerit, vel facere idipsum, vel dicere licet, nec obtendas, impediri te.
  • X.33 ante ingemiscere non desinas, quam eo te adegeris, ut quod voluptuariis hominibus est luxu diffluere, hoc tibi fuerit de subjecta quaque oblata tibi materia ea facere, quae humanae constitutioni conveniant.The comparison is built on quod … hoc "what … that": "what melting away in luxury is to pleasure-lovers, that doing … will be to you". The infinitives diffluere and facere are subjects, and the datives voluptuariis hominibus and tibi say for whom. luxu diffluere "to dissolve in luxury" is a classical phrase for a life of soft excess: acting rightly should be your pleasure as indulgence is theirs.
  • X.33 etenim pro oblectamento esse tibi debet, quicquid secundum naturam tuam agere tibi datur. datur autem hoc ubique.
  • X.33 istic vero, si ita dicere licuerit, praestantior fit homo ac laude dignior, dum eis quae objiciuntur, recte utitur.
  • X.35 Sani est oculi, cernere visibilia quaevis, nec dicere, Viridia velim.
  • X.35 sed et auditus ac olfactus est sani, ad sonos odoresve quosvis percipiendos promptum esse.
  • X.35 pari igitur ratione et mentis est sanae, ad obvenientia quaeque idoneam esse.
  • X.37 Solenne tibi sit, in cujusque (quoad ejus fieri potest) actione omni, apud te quaerere, Istud iste quo fine facit?
  • X.38 illud est suadela, illud vita, illud (si fas dicere) homo est.
  • XI.1 sed in quacunque parte, et ubicunque deprehensa fuerit, quod praecessit plenum prorsus et perfectum sibi facit: ut dicere liceat, Ego quae mea sunt, omnia habeo.
  • XI.1 propria sunt animae rationalis et ista; proximos diligere, veracem, verecundam esse, nihil sibi praeferre, quod et legis est proprium.
  • XI.9 etenim tam hoc imbecillis est animi, succensere istis, quam ab actione desistere, et consternatum succumbere.hoc "this" points ahead to the infinitive succensere istis "to be angry with them", which is the real subject; succenseo takes the dative. On the other side of quam stand two more infinitives: desistere "to give up" and succumbere "to give in".
  • XI.13 at ego mitis esse ac benevolus cuique pergam; et huic etiam ipsi, errorem ostendere promptus;pergam is the future of pergo "go on", with an infinitive: "I shall go on being". Since esse has the same subject as pergam, the adjectives mitis and benevolus stay in the nominative, agreeing with ego. cuique "to each one" is the dative of quisque.
  • XI.14 Qui se invicem contemnunt, iidem et sibi invicem assentantur: quique se invicem transcendere cupiunt, sibi invicem se submittunt.
  • XI.15 Quam putidus et insincerus est, qui dicit, Ego simpliciter tecum agere statui.
  • XI.15 quid facis, mi homo? quid praedicere opus est? res ipsa appareat,
  • XI.16 nec accedit ad nos, sed quiescit; nos autem sumus, qui judicia de his proferimus atque nobis ipsis inscribimus, cum nec inscribere in nobis situm sit, et si clanculum irrepserint, statim obliterare:
  • XI.18 Tertio, quod, si haec recte faciunt, aegre ferre non oportet: sin minus, nolentes utique et nescientes agunt.
  • XI.18 adversus iram vero praesto sit illud; irasci haud virile esse; sed mansuetum placidumque animi affectum, ut humanius quiddam, ita et masculum magis.The infinitive irasci is the subject of esse: "that to be angry is not manly". virile is neuter to agree with it, since an infinitive counts as a neuter noun.
  • XI.18 velle, improbi ne peccent, insaniae est. id enim quod fieri non potest, appetit.
  • XI.18 tum concedere, ut adversus alios tales sint, sed ne in te peccent postulare, et stolidum est et tyrannicum etiam.Two infinitives are the subject of est: concedere "to allow" and postulare "to demand". Each takes a noun clause: concedo ut "allow that", postulo ne "demand that … not"; the ne clause comes before its verb. The predicates stolidum and tyrannicum are neuter because their subjects are infinitives.
  • XI.19 aliquid enim non a teipso dicere, in rerum absurdissimarum numero habeto.The infinitive phrase is used as a noun and is the object of habeto: "to say something not from your very self: count that among …". teipso is te and ipso written as one word, "your own self", stronger than the plain a te before.
  • XI.33 Insani est, ficum hyeme quaerere.
  • XII.1 mundo, qui te protulit, dignum te praestabis, desinesque in patria tua peregrinus esse, eaque quae quotidie eveniunt tanquam inopinata admirari, et ex hac vel illa re suspensus teneri.desinere "to cease" takes infinitives, here three: esse, admirari and teneri. With esse the predicate is nominative, agreeing with the subject "you": peregrinus esse "to be a stranger". Your patria "native land" is the world itself, the city of which all rational beings are citizens (4.4); the stranger in the world of 4.29 is the man who does not know what goes on in it.
  • XII.5 curare nempe, ne homines, boni cumprimis, quique frequentissima cum ipsis quasi commercia habuerint, atque per opera pia sacraque ministeria quam maxime familiares ipsis extiterint, ubi semel defuncti sunt, non existerent amplius, sed omnino extinguerentur?The infinitive curare "to take care" spells out hoc unum "this one thing" in the last sentence; nempe "namely" marks it as an explanation. curare ne "to take care that … not" takes a clause with the subjunctive.
  • XII.18 curaeque sit tibi hoc ipsum in formam, materiam, finem, et tempus, intra quod desiturum sit, distinguendo explicare.
  • XII.21 omnia enim mutare ac verti et interire nata sunt, ut nova alia serie perpetua producantur.
  • XII.25 ejicere autem ecquis impediat?
  • XII.27 quantoque sit philosophiae magis consentaneum in oblata sibi materia justum, temperantem, Deis obsequentem se simpliciter praestare.se praestare with a predicate adjective means "to show oneself (as)": "to show oneself just, temperate, obedient to the gods". The three accusatives agree with se; Deis is dative because obsequor takes the dative.
  • XII.31 Quid expetis? num existere? num sentire, movere, crescere, denasci? an rursus voce uti, cogitare?Marcus questions himself: "What are you after? To go on existing?" Each short question is an infinitive, the object of expetis understood again each time. num expects the answer "no".
  • XII.31 si ergo contemptu digna satis ista videntur omnia, ad illud perge, quod ultimum restat, Deo nempe ac rationi obsequi.perge "go on" is the imperative of pergo. illud "that" is explained by the infinitive obsequi "to obey", brought in by nempe "namely"; obsequor takes the dative, Deo … rationi.