E.g., l. 24: j'ai su trouver = "I succeeded in finding."
l. 399: . . . que j'ai laissé plus calme = "whom I left . . ."
APPENDIX III.
ACTIVE INFINITIVES WITH PASSIVE MEANING.
Faire, laisser, and a very few verbs of physical perception, such as voir, entendre, sentir, are idiomatically used before an active infinitive which assumes a passive meaning. E.g., J'ai fait faire un habit, "I have had a coat made."
These constructions are due to the dropping of the obvious subject of the infinitive ("I made [the tailor] make a coat") which must be supplied in order to account for the form.
E.g., Esth. l. 9: . . . je te fais chercher = _que je fais [mes esclaves] te chercher.
l. 146: Quand verrai-je relever tes remparts = quand verrai-je [tes fils] relever tes remparts.
l. 386: Sa voix s'est fait entendre = sa voix a fait [nous] entendre elle-même.
l. 731: laissant de ses eaux partager le secours = laissant [cette main] partager le secours de ses eaux.