Heavy Construction

Interest and Réfert.

355.

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

• Clodí intererat Milónem períre (cf. Mil. 56), It was the interest of Clodius that Milo should die.

  

• aliquid quod illórum mágis quam suá rétulisse vidérétur (Iug. 111), something which seemed to be more for their interest than his own.

  

• videó enim quid meá intersit, quid utríusque nostrum (Fam. vii. 23. 4), for I 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 refert:

• quid tui id réfert ? magni (Ter. Ph. 723), how does that concern you? much. [See also the last two examples above.]

  

• vehementer intererat vestrá quí patrés estis (Plin, Ep. iv. 13. 4), it would be very much to your advantage, you who are fathers.

NOTE: This is the only construction with refert in classic prose, except in one passage in Sallust (see example above).

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

• mágni ad honarem nostrum interest (Fam. xvi. 1), it is of great consequence to our honor.

  

• réfert etiam ad fructús (Varr. R. R. i. 16. 6), it makes a difference as to the crop.

NOTE 1: Very rarely the person is expressed by ad and the accusative, or with refert by the dative (probably a popular corruption): -

• quid id ad me aut ad meum rem refert (Pl. Pers. 513), what difference does that make to me or to my interests?

  

• quid referat intra náturae fínís viventí (Hor. S. i. 1. 49), what difference does it make to me who live within the limits of natural desire?

  

• non referre dedecorí (Tac. Ann. xv. 65), that it makes no difference as to the disgrace.

NOTE 2: The degree of interest is expressed by a genitive of value, an adverb or an adverbial accusative.