Vārus imperium sē habēre dīxit, Lig. 22, Varus said that he had authority. id sēsē effectūrōs spērābant, 7, 26, 2, they hoped to accomplish it ([2235]).
[2339.] The reflexive, in this construction, sometimes refers to an emphasized word not the formal subject of the verb: as,
canum custōdia quid sīgnificat aliud nisi sē ad hominum commoditātēs esse generātōs? DN. 2, 158, the watchfulness of the dog—does not it show that he was created for the convenience of man?
[2340.] When the subject of the infinitive is different from that of the verb, the reflexive sometimes refers to the subject of the verb, sometimes to that of the infinitive: as,
Ariovistus respondit omnēs Galliae cīvitātēs ad sē oppugnandum vēnisse, 1, 44, 1, Ariovistus answered that all the states of Gaul had come to attack him, i.e. Ariovistus. nēminem sēcum sine suā perniciē contendisse, 1, 36, 6, that no man had contended with him without his own undoing; sēcum refers to Ariovistus, the subject of the main verb respondit, suā to nēminem.
[2341.] In subordinate subjunctive clauses of purpose, indirect discourse, or indirect question, the reflexive refers to the subject of the main sentence: as,
huic mandat, ut ad sē quam prīmum revertātur, 4, 21, 2, he instructs him to come back to himself as soon as possible. excruciābit mē erus, quia sibī nōn dīxerim, Pl. MG. 859, my master’ll torture me ‘because I have not told him.’ Paetus omnīs librōs, quōs frāter suus relīquisset, mihī̆ dōnāvit, Att. 2, 1, 12, Paetus made me a present of all the books ‘that his brother left.’ For the use of is for sē, see [2370].
[2342.] The reflexive, in such subordinate clauses, sometimes refers to an emphatic word not the main subject: as,
identidem fēlīcem Priamum vocābat, quod superstes omnium suōrum exstitisset, Suet. Tib. 62, he was for ever calling Priam ‘Fortune’s darling, because he outlived all his kith and kin.’
[2343.] The reflexive referring to the main subject is sometimes irregularly used in subordinate indicative clauses.