Syntax.
180
The Imperative.
281. The Imperative is used in commands, admonitions, and entreaties (negative ne); as,egredere ex urbe, depart from the city ; mihi igllosce, pardo1t me; vale, farewell. I. The Present is the tense of the Imperative most commonly used, but the Future is employed-
a) Where there is a distinct reference to future time, especially in the apodosis of conditional sentences; as,rem vobis propdnam ; vos eam pendrtote, I will lay the matter before you; do you (thm) consider it; si bene dispu tabit, tribuito litteris Graecis, if lze shall speak well, attribute it to Greek liter.ature. b) In laws, treaties, wills, maxims, etc. ; as,coneules summum jus habento, th~ consuls shall have supreme power; hominem mortuom in urbe ne sepelito, no one shall bury a dead body ift the dty ; amicitia regi Antiocho cum populo Romano his legibus et corrdfciorribus esto, let there be frimdship betuieen Antiochus and the Roman people on the followi1tg terms and conditions; quartae esto partis Marcus heres, let Marcus be hdr to a fourth. (of the property) ; ignoscito saepe alteri, numquam tibi,forgive your ndghbor often, yourself neuer, 2. Except with the Future Imperative the negative is not used in classical prose. Prohibitions are regularly expressed in other ways. See ยง 276, b. 3. Questions in the Indicative introduced by quin (why not are often equivalent to an Imperative or to the Hortatory Subjunctive; as,-
n
n;
quin abis, go away! (lit. why don't you go away quin vocem oontfnetds, keep still! (lit. wIT)' don't you stop your voices quin equos cODscendimu8, let us mount our horses (lit. why do we not mount our horses
n;
n.