Infinitive with both an accusative and a dative subject? LLPSI, Capitulum XXIII, ll 138, 139.

Latin Learning Latin
1

Salvete.

I’ve come across the following and whilst I think the meaning is ‘aren’t you ashamed to deny the poor tutor the wages’ I am nevertheless, puzzled by the grammar.

Nonne te pudet pauperi magistro mercedem negare?

So, what I think is going on is that the impersonal verb ‘pudet’ is completed by the infinitive ‘negare’. Negare can be transitive or intransitive but appears to my untutored eye to be both here. The dative ‘pauperi magistro’ is the subject of the infinitive, is it not? Is the accusative ‘mercedem’ simultaneously the subject of the infinitive?

I’m teaching myself and my method is to glean every bit of understanding I can as I go along. If I ignored my uncertainty and simply ploughed on I’d be cheating myself. So I’m hoping someone can assist by suggesting how the sentence works.

2

negare has a direct object here (mercedem). Hence, it is only transitive (although I cannot think of an example where it is both at the same time). It has also an indirect object (pauperi magistro). You could think of “pauperi magistro mercedem negare” as the subject of the impersonal pudet.

3

Thank you. A clear explanation and very helpful.