b. We observe, further, that the ablative and its participle are absolutely independent grammatically of the rest of the sentence. If we were to express the thought in English in a similar way, we should use the nominative independent or absolute. In Latin the construction is called the Ablative Absolute, or the Ablative with a Participle. This form of expression is exceedingly common in Latin, but rather rare in English, so we must not, as a rule, employ the English absolute construction to translate the ablative abolute. The attendant circumstance may be one of time (when or after), or one of cause (since), or one of concession (though), or one of condition (if). In each case try to discover the precise relation, and translate the ablative and its participle by a clause which will best express the thought.
[381.] Rule. Ablative Absolute. The ablative of a noun or pronoun with a present or perfect participle in agreement is used to express attendant circumstance.
Note 1. The verb sum has no present participle. In consequence we often find two nouns or a noun and an adjective in the ablative absolute with no participle expressed; as, tē duce, you (being) leader, with you as leader; patre īnfirmō, my father (being) weak.
Note 2. Be very careful not to put in the ablative absolute a noun and participle that form the subject or object of a sentence. Compare
| a. The Gauls, having been conquered by Cæsar, returned home b. The Gauls having been conquered by Cæsar, the army returned home |
In a the subject is The Gauls having been conquered by Cæsar, and we translate,
Gallī ā Caesare victi domum revertērunt
In b the subject is the army. The Gauls having been conquered by Cæsar is nominative absolute in English, which requires the ablative absolute in Latin, and we translate,
Gallīs ā Caesare victīs exercitus domum revertit
Note 3. The fact that only deponent verbs have a perfect active participle (cf. [§ 375. a]) often compels a change of voice when translating from one language to the other. For example, we can translate Cæsar having encouraged the legions just as it stands, because hortor is a deponent verb. But if we wish to say Cæsar having conquered the Gauls, we have to change the voice of the participle to the passive because vincō is not deponent, and say, the Gauls having been conquered by Cæsar (see translation above).