1762. When the leading verb is a subjunctive, the present is regarded as
primary, and the imperfect and pluperfect as secondary: as,
(_a._) #exspectō eius modī litterās ex quibus nōn quid fīat, sed quid
futūrum sit sciam#, _Att._ 5, 12, 2, _I am expecting a letter of a kind
to let me know not what is going on, but what will be going on_. #quid
prōfēcerim faciās mē velim certiōrem#, _Fam._ 7, 10, 3, _how far I have
succeeded I wish you would let me know_. (_b._) #quālis esset nātūra
montis quī cōgnōscerent mīsit#, 1, 21, 1, _he sent some scouts to find
out what the character of the mountain was_. #quid mē prohibēret
Epicūrēum esse, sī probārem quae dīceret#, _Fin._ 1, 27, _what would
prevent me from being an Epicurean, if I accepted what he said?_ #quae
sī bis bīna quot essent didicisset Epicūrus, certē nōn dīceret#, _DN._
2, 49, _Epicurus would certainly not say this, if he had ever been
taught how much twice two is_ (1748).
1763. An imperfect subjunctive of action non-occurrent at the present
time has occasionally the present sequence: as, #mīrārēris, sī
interessēs, quā patientiā valētūdinem toleret#, Plin. _Ep._ 1, 22, 7,
_you would be amazed to find, if you were with him, with what dogged
endurance he bears up under his illness_. But the secondary sequence is
far more common.
1764. (1.) The perfect subjunctive in independent main sentences of
prohibition (1551) or of action conceivable (1558) is regarded as a
primary tense: as,
#nē dubitārīs quīn id mihī̆ futūrum sit antīquius#, _Att._ 7, 3, 2,
_don’t entertain any doubt that this course will be preferable in my
eyes_. #quid nōn sit citius quam quid sit dīxerim#, _DN._ 1, 60,
_I could sooner tell what is not, than what is_.
1765. (2.) In subordinate sentences, the perfect subjunctive has the
main sequence when it represents the indicative perfect definite, and
the secondary when it represents the indicative historical perfect or
the imperfect: as,
(_a._) #nēmō ferē vestrūm est, quīn, quem ad modum captae sint Syrācūsae
saepe audierit#, _V._ 4, 115, _there is hardly a man of your number but
has heard over and over again how Syracuse was taken_. (_b._) #quā rē
acciderit ut id suspicārēre quod scrībis nesciō#, _Fam._ 2, 16, 1, _how
it came to pass that you suspected what you write, I can’t imagine_.