nōn pudēre, T. Ph. 233, not be ashamed. sedēre tōtōs diēs in vīllā, Att. 12, 44, 2, sitting round whole days and days at the country place. at tē Rōmae nōn fore, Att. 5, 20, 7, only to think you won’t be in Rome. hoc posterīs memoriae trāditum īrī, L. 3, 67, 1, to think this will be passed down to generations yet unborn. Often with a -ne, transferred from the unexpressed verb on which the infinitive depends ([1503]): as, tēne hoc, Accī, dīcere, tālī prūdentiā praeditum, Clu. 84, what? you to say this, Accius, with your sound sense. The exclamatory infinitive is chiefly confined to Plautus, Terence, and Cicero.
[THE INFINITIVE OF INTIMATION.]
[2217.] This infinitive has already been spoken of; see [1535-1539].
[THE TENSES OF THE INFINITIVE.]
[2218.] The present infinitive represents action as going on, the perfect as completed, and the future as not yet begun, at the time of the action of the verb to which the infinitive is attached.
The forms of the infinitive are commonly and conveniently called tenses, though this designation is not strictly applicable.
[The Present Tense.]
[2219.] In itself, the present infinitive denotes action merely as going on, without any reference to time. With some verbs, however, which look to the future, the present relates to action in the immediate future. With verbs of perceiving, knowing, thinking, and saying, it denotes action as going on at the time of the verb: as,
([a.]) facinus est vincīre cīvem Rōmānum, V. 5, 170, it is a crime to put a Roman in irons. (b.) audīre cupiō, Caec. 33, I am eager to hear. Antium mē recipere cōgitō a. d. V Nōn. Māi., Att. 2, 9, 4, I am meditating going back to Antium the third of May. (c.) errāre eōs dīcunt, 5, 41, 5, they say those people are mistaken. tempus dīxī esse, T. Hec. 687, I said it was time. dīcēs tibī̆ Siculōs esse amīcōs? V. 2, 155, will you say the Sicilians are friends of yours?