§355. Interest and Rēfert

The impersonals interest and rēfert take the Genitive of the person (rarely of the thing) affected.

The subject of the verb is a neuter pronoun or a substantive clause:—

• Clōdī intererat Milōnem perīre (cf. Mil. 56), it was the interest of Clodius that Milo should die.
• aliquid quod illōrum magis quam suā rētulisse vidērētur (Iug. 111), something which seemed to be more for their interest than his own.
• videō enim quid meā intersit, quid utrīusque nostrum (Fam. 7.23.4), for 1 see what is for my good and for the good of us both.

a. Instead of the genitive of a personal pronoun the corresponding possessive is used in the ablative singular feminine after interest or rēfert:—

• quid tuā id rēfert? māgnī; (Ter. Ph. 723), how does that concern you? much. [See also the last two examples above.]
• vehementer intererat vestrā quī patrēs estis (Plin. Ep. 4.13.4), it would be very much to your advantage, you who are fathers.

b. The accusative with ad is used with interest and rēfert to express the thing with reference to which one is interested:—

• māgnī ad honōrem nostrum interest (Fam. 16.1), it is of great consequence to our honor.
• rēfert etiam ad frūctūs (Varr. R. R. 1.16.6), it makes a difference as to the crop.

• quid id ad mē aut ad meam rem rēfert (Pl. Per. 513), what difference does that make to me or to my interests?
• quid rēferat intrā nātūrae fīnīs vīventī (Hor. S. 1.1.49), what difference does it make to me who live within the limits of natural desire?
• nōn rēferre dēdecorī (Tac. Anu. 15.65), that it makes no difference as to the disgrace.