Wheelock's FAQ chapter 31

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Wheelock's FAQ chapter 31: Questions

Questions are listed at the top of the page and are divided into several categories. Click on the links at left and you will be taken to the question and corresponding answer below.
Category: Sententia Antiquae (SA's)
SA10
The first verb seems to be a plural imperative (ferte) but then at the end is a verb in the second person singular (potes). Shouldn't these two agree?

Wheelock's FAQ chapter 31: Answers

Category: Sententia Antiquae (SA's)
SA10:
The first verb seems to be a plural imperative (ferte) but then at the end is a verb in the second person singular (potes). Shouldn't these two agree?
A:

Michael Pajak's answer:

---> The line is from Terence's _Adelphoe_ (The Brothers).

In the 5th edition of Wheelock it reads "ferte misero auxilium." (no more)

In Terence, it reads: ". . . ferte misero atque innocenti auxilium . . ."

With the addition of "tantum . . . (auxilium) quantum potes" in Wheelock's 6th edition, you do need to have the two verbs, fero and possum, agree in number. So it should be either:

  1. ferte misero tantum auxilium quantum potestis. or
  2. fer misero tantum auxilium quantum potes.
Last updated Thu Nov 13 17:13:41 GMT 2003

FAQ ©2003 by its creator Gary Bisaga and Meredith Minter Dixon. Copyright to FAQ answers is retained by their authors.