nōn tam praeclārum est scīre Latīnē quam turpe nescīre, Br. 140, it is not so creditable to be a Latin scholar as it is disreputable not to be. mihī̆ inter virtūtēs grammaticī habēbitur aliqua nescīre, Quintil. 1, 8, 21, in my eyes it will be one merit in a classical scholar not to be omniscient. temporī cēdere semper sapientis est habitum, Fam. 4, 9, 2, bowing to the inevitable has always passed as a mark of wisdom. peccāre licet nēminī, Par. 20, no man is at liberty to sin. An indefinite hominem, aliquem, or tē, is rare: as, illa laus est, līberōs hominem ēducāre, Pl. MG. 703, it is a crown of glory for a man a family to rear.
[2213.] (1.) A predicate noun referring to the unexpressed indefinite subject of the infinitive is put in the accusative: as,
nōn esse cupidum pecūnia est, nōn esse emācem vectīgal est, contentum vērō suīs rēbus esse maximae sunt dīvitiae, Par. 51, for a man not to have desires, is money down, not to be eager to buy is an income; but to be satisfied with what you have is the greatest possible wealth. A plural predicate is rare: as, esset ēgregium domesticīs esse contentōs, O. 22, it would be a grand thing for people to be satisfied with home examples.
[2214.] (2.) When the subject of the infinitive is implied in a dative, a predicate noun may also be in the dative: as,
mihī̆ neglegentī esse nōn licet, Att. 1, 17, 6, it will not do for me to be careless. With a dative and licet, however, the predicate is sometimes in the accusative: as, quod sī cīvī Rōmānō licet esse Gādītānum, Balb. 29, now if a Roman is allowed to be a Gaditanian. Regularly so, when the subject is indefinite and not expressed ([2212]): as, haec praescrīpta servantem licet magnificē vīvere, Off. 1, 92, a man who holds to these rules may live a noble life.
[2215.] The infinitive, used as a substantive in the nominative or accusative, sometimes has a neuter attribute.
Chiefly thus ipsum, hoc ipsum, tōtum hoc: as, ipsum Latīnē loquī est in magnā laude pōnendum, Br. 140, just the mere ability of talking good Latin is to be accounted highly creditable. Rarely a possessive, meum, tuum: as, ita tuom cōnfertō amāre nē tibi sit probrō, Pl. Cur. 28, so shape thy wooing that it be to thee no shame.
[THE INFINITIVE OF EXCLAMATION.]
[2216.] The infinitive alone, or the accusative with the infinitive, is sometimes used in exclamations of surprise, incredulity, disapproval, or lamentation: as,