so beautiful was Helen, you would have thought her a goddess. (For the Indefinite Second Person, see § 355.)
3. The Subjunctive in the Apodosis of Conditional Statements belongs here. It denotes what it is thought would happen, or would have happened, subject to certain circumstances: pulchram earn pŭtes you would think her beautiful, sī vĭdĕās if you were to see her. See § 239.
The Subjunctives in this Section are sometimes supposed to be incomplete Conditional statements : suāsĕrim I would advise you (if you were to ask my advice), vĕlim I should wish (if it were any use doing so), and so forth. The Subjunctives of the next section have been explained similarly: hōc făcĭās you would do this (if you were asked).
§ 384. By a slight change of meaning the Subjunctive is used of events which it is thought should happen or should have happened} It is thus found:
(1) In Recommendations or mild commands: hōc făcĭās you should do this; hōc nōn fēcissēs you ought not to have done this.[1]
(2) In Questions:, quĭd ēnŭmĕrem artĭum multĭtūdĭnĕm? why should I enumerate the multitude of the arts? cum haec vĭdērem, quĭd făcĕrem? what was I to do when I saw this?
Ques. nōn argentum reddĕrem? ought I not to have returned the money (silver)? Ans. nōn reddĕres you ought not.
§ 385. Commands and Requests.—In Positive Requests besides(1) the Imperative § 186 and(2) the Subjunctive of Desire § 189, Latin writers also use forms which are properly Statements, viz. (3) the Fut. Ind., which puts the Request as something which will happen, and is thus a strong Command, as hōc făciēs you will do this; and (4) the Subjunctive of Imagination which puts it as a Recommendation only (see above). Sometimes also (5) the Request is put as a Question : quīn īs why don't you go? (§ 354). Lastly (5) certain periphrases are used, as fĕc vĕniās be sure and come.
In Negative Requests (Prohibitions) (l) the Imper. is not used in Prose, nor (2) the 2nd Person Pres. Subj. with nē except as in § 208. But (3) the Fut. Ind. with nōn is used in all persons, as hōc nōn făciēs you shall (or will) not do this. So also (4) the Subj. of Imagination in Recommendations (see above). Lastly, periphrases are found, as nōli īrĕ do not go, căvē ĕās beware of going, and (in the poets) dēsĭnĕ cease, parcĕ spare, etc., with Infinitives.
- ↑ The Subjunctive in this use is often called "Jussive." In Questions it is also called " Deliberative " or " Dubitative,"
