fŭgĕrĕ, Rōmānī sĕquī the enemy fly, the Romans pursue.
This is called the Historical Infinitive, as it is frequent in historical descriptions.
(D) The Infinitive is also used in Exclamations: mēne inceptō dēsistĕrĕ victam! to think that I should desist from my design baffled!
§ 204. Tenses of the Infinitive.
The Present Infinitive expresses an action of the same time as the leading Verb; as—
dīcō tē errārĕ I say that you are wrong.
dīxīi te errārĕ I said that you were wrong.
The Perfect Infinitive expresses an action of a time prior to the leading Verb; as—
dīcō tē errāssĕ I say that you have been wrong (or were wrong).
dīxī tē errāssĕ I said that you had been wrong.
The Future Infinitive expresses an action of a time future to the leading Verb; as—
dīcō tē errātūrum I say that you will be wrong.
dīxī tē errātūrum I said that you would be wrong.
The Subject of the Infinitive.
§205. 1. If the Subject of the Infinitive is expressed with the Infinitive, it is put into the Accusative : cŭpĭō tē vĕnīrĕ I wish you to come; bŏvem lŏquī mōnstrum est it is a irodigy that an ox should speak.
The Historical Infinitive is of course an exception, as it is equivalent to a Finite Verb.
Any Adjectival Complements referring to the Subject of the Infinitive agree with it in the Ace.: cŭpĭō tē incŏlŭmem ăbīrĕ I wish you to go away unharmed.
For the omission of the Subject when Indefinite, see 373.
