1571. The second person of the imperative mood is used in commands,
either particular or general.
Commands are very often attended by a vocative or vocative nominative,
or by #tū#, _sir_, _sirrah_, or #vōs#, _gentlemen_, _you people_ (1118).
They are of various kinds, as follows: (_a._) Order, often to an
inferior: thus, to an official: #līctor, conligā manūs#, _Rab._ 13, L.
1, 26, 7, Gell. 12, 3, 2, _lictor, tie up his wrists_. To soldiers: as,
#dēsilīte mīlitēs#, 4, 25, 3, _overboard, my men_. #sīgnifer, statue
sīgnum#, L. 5, 55, 1, _standardbearer, plant your standard_. #īnfer
mīles sīgnum#, L. 6, 8, 1, _advance your standard, man_, or _charge_. To
sailors: as, #hūc dīrigite nāvēs#, L. 29, 27, 13, _head your galleys
this way_. To slaves: as, #convorrite aedēs scōpīs, agite strēnuē#, Pl.
_B._ 10, _sweep up the house with brooms, be brisk_. Also to an equal:
as, #aperīte aliquis#, Pl. _Mer._ 130, _open the door there somebody_
(1080). Or to a superior: as, #heus, exī, Phaedrome#, Pl. _Cur._ 276,
_ho Phaedromus, come out_. (_b._) Exhortation, entreaty, summons,
request, prayer, imprecation, wish, concession, &c.: as, #vōs vōbīs
cōnsulite#, 7, 50, 5, _every man of you for himself_. #ēs, bibe, animō
obsequere#, Pl. _MG._ 677, _eat, drink, and be merry_. #sperne
voluptātēs#, H. _E._ 1, 2, 55, _scorn thou delights_. #quīn tū ī intrō#,
Pl. _Most._ 815, _go in, go in, won’t you go in?_ (1527). #patent
portae, proficīscere, ēdūc tēcum etiam omnīs tuōs#, _C._ 1, 10, _the
gates are open, march forth; take out all your myrmidons with you too_.
#audī, Iuppiter#, L. 1, 32, 6, _bow down thine ear, Jupiter_. #ī in
crucem#, Pl. _As._ 940, _get you gone to the cross_. #vīve valēque#, H.
_S._ 2, 5, 109, _long live and thrive_, or _farewell_. #tibī̆ habē#, Pl.
_Men._ 690, _you keep it yourself_.
1572. The imperative is often softened by the addition of #amābō#,
#obsecrō#, #quaesō#, _prithee_, _I beg_, or #sīs#, #sultis#, #sōdēs#,
_please_ (97). It is sharpened by #age#, #agedum# or #agidum#, #age
sīs#, _mark me_, or #ī#, _go_, _come on_, or by #modo#, _only_. The
concessive imperative sometimes has #sānē#, _for all me_.
1573. In Plautus and Terence, the enclitic #dum#, _a while_, _a minute_,
_just_, is often attached to the imperative: as, #manedum#, Pl. _As._
585, _wait a minute_. In classical Latin, #dum# is retained with #age#
and #agite#: as, #agedum cōnferte cum illīus vītā P. Sūllae#, _Sull._
72, _come now, compare Sulla’s life with that man’s_ (1075).
1574. It may be mentioned here, that the imperative is often used in the
protasis of a conditional sentence: as,
#tolle hanc opīniōnem, lūctum sustuleris#, _TD._ 1, 30, _do away with
this notion, and you will do away with mourning for the dead_. Once only
in old Latin, but often in late Latin, with a copulative: as, #perge, ac
facile ecfēceris#, Pl. _B._ 695, _start on, and you will do it easily_.
1575. (1.) The third person, and the longer forms of the second person,
are used particularly in laws, legal documents, and treaties, and also
in impressive general rules and maxims: as,
(_a._) #rēgiō imperiō duō suntō#, _Leg._ 3, 8, _there shall be two men
vested with the power of kings_. #amīcitia rēgī Antiochō cum populō
Rōmānō hīs lēgibus estō#, L. 38, 38, 1, _there shall be amity between
king Antiochus and Rome on the following terms_. (_b._) #vīcīnīs bonus
estō#, Cato, _RR._ 4, _always be good to your neighbours_. #mōribus
vīvitō antīquīs#, Pl. _Tri._ 295, _live thou in old-time ways_. The
longer forms are often called the _Future Imperative_.
1576. (2.) The longer forms of the second person are also sometimes used
in the ordinary speech of everyday life: as, #cavētō#, _QFr._ 1, 3, 8,
_beware_. In old Latin, often #ēs#, _be thou_, but in classical Latin,
oftener #estō# (or #sīs#). Usually #habētō#, meaning _keep_, or
_consider_, regularly #scītō#, #scītōte#, _you must know_ (846). In
verse, the long forms may sometimes be due to the metre: as, #hīc hodiē
cēnātō#, Pl. _R._ 1417, _take dinner here today_. #pār prō parī
refertō#, T. _Eu._ 445, _pay tit for tat_. But also without such
necessity: as, #aufertō intrō#, Pl. _Tru._ 914, _take it within_.
#quiētus estō, inquam#, T. _Ph._ 713, _be not concerned, I say_.
1577. (3.) It may be mentioned here, that the longer forms are very
often used in the apodosis of a complex sentence, particularly with a
future or a future perfect protasis: as,
#sī iste ībit, ītō#, Pl. _Ps._ 863, _if he shall go, go thou_. #medicō
mercēdis quantum poscet, prōmittī iubētō#, _Fam._ 16, 14, 1, _you must
order your medical man to be promised all he shall charge in the way of
a fee_. #ubī̆ nihil erit quod scrībās, id ipsum scrībitō#, _Att._ 4, 8b,
4, _when you don’t have anything to write, then write just that_. #cum
ego P. Grānium testem prōdūxerō, refellitō, sī poteris#, _V._ 5, 154,
_when I put Granius on the witness stand, refute him if you can_.
1578. In such combinations, however, the shorter forms are sometimes
found: as, #ubi volēs, accerse#, T. _Andr._ 848, _fetch me when you
will_. And conversely the longer forms are also found with a present
protasis: as, #ūnum illud vidētō, sī mē amās#, _Fam._ 16, 1, 2, _attend
to this one thing, an thou lovest me_.
1579. A command is sometimes expressed by the subjunctive, accompanying
#fac#, #facitō#, #fac ut#, #facitō ut#, #cūrā ut#, #cūrātō ut#, #vidē#,
#vidē ut#, #volō#, or particularly #velim#: as,
#magnum fac animum habeās et spem bonam#, _QFr._ 1, 2, 16, _see that you
keep up an heroic soul and unabated hope_ (1712). #fac cōgitēs#, _Fam._
11, 3, 4, _see that you bear in mind_. #cūrā ut valeās#, _Fam._ 12, 29,
3, _take good care of yourself_. #velim exīstimēs#, _Fam._ 12, 29, 2,
_I should like to have you consider_. For commands in the subjunctive
alone, see 1547; in the future indicative, 1624; in the form of a
question, 1531.
1580. A periphrastic perfect passive form is rare: as, #iūre caesus
estō#, Twelve Tables in Macrob. _Sat._ 1, 4, 19, _he shall be regarded
as killed with justifying circumstances_. #probē factum estō#, L. 22,
10, 6, _let it be considered justified_. #at vōs admonitī nostrīs quoque
cāsibus este#, O. _Tr._ 4, 8, 51, _but be ye warned by our misfortunes
too_.
[Errata:
1571 ... Pl. _MG._ 677,
677.
1577 ... _Att._ 4, 8b, 4,
4.]