[1205.] The dative of a person or thing interested, benefited, harmed, may be added at option to almost any verb: as,
cōnservāte parentī fīlium, parentem fīliō, Cael. 80, save the son for the father, the father for the son. mea domus tibī̆ patet, mihī̆ clausa est, RA. 145, the very house I own is open for you, is shut upon me. cui flāvam religās comam, simplex munditiīs? H. 1, 5, 4, for whom bind’st thou in wreaths thy golden hair, plain in thy neatness? nōn audēret facere haec viduae mulierī, quae in mē fēcit, T. Hau. 953, he durst not to an unprotected female do what he hath done towards me.
[1206.] The place of a verb with the dative of interest is sometimes filled by an interjection, ecce, ei, em, or vae: as, ei mihi quālis erat, E. 1, 7, V. 2, 274, ah me, how ghastly he did look. vae vīctīs, Pl. Ps. 1317, said by Brennus, 390 B.C., L. 5, 48, 9, woe worth the worsted. vae capitī atque aetātī tuae, Pl. R. 375, a murrain on thy head and life.
[1207.] The dative is often added to the entire sentence, where either a genitive or a possessive pronoun limiting a substantive might be used.
In such cases the dative expresses interest, advantage, or disadvantage, while the genitive would simply indicate the owner or the object: as, trānsfīgitur scūtum Puliōni, 5, 44, 7, unfortunately for Pulio, his shield gets pierced through and through. mīlitantī in Hispāniā pater ē̆ī moritur, L. 29, 29, 6, while serving in Spain he had the misfortune to lose his father. huic ego mē bellō ducem profiteor, C. 2, 11, I here proclaim myself captain for this war. sēsē Caesarī ad pedēs prōiēcērunt, 1, 31, 2, they cast themselves at Caesar’s feet. nostrīs mīlitibus spem minuit, 5, 33, 5, it dashed the hopes of our soldiers. extergē tibi manūs, Pl. Most. 267, wipe off thy hands. vellunt tibi barbam lascīvī puerī, H. S. 1, 3, 133, the wanton gamins pull thy beard, poor soul.
[1208.] This dative is sometimes detached from the verb, and used immediately with a substantive, instead of the genitive: as, Philocōmasiō custōs, Pl. MG. 271, the keeper for Philocomasium. rēctor iuvenī, Ta. 1, 24, a mentor for the young man. So particularly with a gerundive in official expressions: as, cūrātor mūrīs reficiendīs, OG. 19, commissioner for rebuilding the walls.
[1209.] Verbs of warding off sometimes take a dative, especially in poetry, also those of robbing and ridding: as, (a.) hunc quoque arcēbis gravidō pecorī, V. G. 3, 154, him also wilt thou for the pregnant herd keep far. sōlstitium pecorī dēfendite. V. E. 7, 47, the summer’s heat keep distant for the flock. (b.) torquem dētrāxit hostī, Fin. 1, 35, he pulled a torque away from his enemy. ēripiēs mihī̆ hunc errōrem, Att. 10, 4, 6, you will rid me of this mistake.
[1210.] With verbs of motion the dative of the person interested denotes in poetry the end of motion also: as, multōs Danaūm dēmittimus Orcō, V. 2, 398, we send down many a Danaan for the nether king. So also the dative of personified words of place: as, it clāmor caelō, V. 5, 451, up goes a shout for heaven, i.e. heaven hears a shout. sēdibus hunc refer ante suīs, V. 6, 152, first bear him duly to his place of rest, i.e. let his expectant grave receive him.