§378. Dative of Reference

The Dative is used of the person from whose point of view an opinion is stated or a situation or a direction is defined.

This is often called the Dative of the Person Judging,¹ but is merely a weakened variety of the Dative of Reference. It is used—

• Of the mental point of view (in my opinion, according to me. etc.):—

  • Platō mihiūnus īnstar est centum mīlium (Brut. 191), in my opinion (to me) Plato alone is worth a hundred thousand.
  • erit ille mihi semper deus (Ecl. 1.7), he will always be a god to me (in my regard).
  • quae est ista servitūs tam clārō hominī (Par. 41), what is that slavery according to the view of this distinguished man?

• Of the local point of view (as you go in etc.). In this use the person is commonly denoted indefinitely by a participle in the dative plural:—

  • oppidum prīmum Thessaliae venientibus ab ēpīrō; (B. C. 3.80), the first town of Thessaly as you come from Epirus (to those coming, etc.).
  • laevā parte sinum intrantī (Liv. 26.26), on the left as you sail up the gulf (to one entering).
  • est urbeēgressīstumulus (Aen. 2.713), there is, as you come out of the city, a mound (to those having come out).
  • ut quibusque belluminvītīs autcupientibus erat (Tac. Ann. 1.59), as each might receive the war reluctantly or gladly.
  • ut mīlitibuslabōs volentibus esset (Iug. 100), that the soldiers might assume the task willingly.