[The Substantive Participle.]
[2287.] Participles sometimes become substantives, especially the perfect participle: as,
vīvit gnāta, T. Ph. 749, your daughter’s alive. dē dēmēnsō suō, T. Ph. 43, out of his allowance. īnstitūtum tenēbimus, TD. 4,7, we will hold to our fundamental idea. Adverbs, not adjectives, are commonly used to qualify perfect participles used as substantives; for examples, see [1440]. The masculine singular is rarely used as a substantive; the neuter, both singular and plural, is common, particularly with prepositions.
[2288.] The masculine plural of the perfect participle, when used as a substantive, generally denotes a definite class of persons: as,
ut damnātī in integrum restituantur, vīnctī solvantur, V. 5, 12, that the condemned go scot-free, the imprisoned are set at liberty. Catilīna cum expedītīs in prīmā aciē vorsārī, S. C. 60, 4, Catiline bustling round in the van with the light infantry. ēvocātīs equōs sūmit, 7, 65, 5, he took away the veterans’ horses. Rarely not denoting a definite class: as, missī intercipiuntur, 5, 40, 1, the men who had been sent (i.e. on a particular occasion) are cut off.
[2289.] The perfect participle alone sometimes serves as the subject of a sentence instead of an abstract substantive ([2285]): as,
nōtum furēns quid fēmina possit, V. 5, 6, the knowledge of what a woman in her wrath can do. prōnūntiātum repente nē quis violārētur, multitūdinem exuit armīs, L. 4, 59, 7, the sudden proclamation that nobody was to be harmed, deprived the people of their weapons. This use is found chiefly in Livy, once or twice in Cicero; not in Caesar or Sallust. See [1382].
[2290.] The present participle is rarely a substantive in the nominative and ablative singular, but often in the other cases.
in cōnstituentibus rem pūblicam, Br. 45, among the founders of a state. multae īnsectantēs dēpellunt, DN. 2, 127, many drive off their pursuers. nec praeterita nec praesentia abs tē, sed futūra exspectō, Fam. 2, 8, 1, I do not expect from you the past or the present, but the future.