Tacitus Annals 1.5

[Phoebus Apollo]

Haec atque talia agitantibus gravescere valetudo Augusti, et quidam scelus uxoris suspectabant. quippe rumor incesserat, paucos ante menses Augustum, electis consciis et comite uno Fabio Maximo, Planasiam vectum ad visendum Agrippam; multas illic utrimque lacrimas et signa caritatis spemque ex eo fore ut iuvenis penatibus avi redderetur: quod Maximum uxori Marciae aperuisse, illam Liviae.

I'm struggling to see why fore, the future infinitive of esse, is used here.

The translation I'm following renders it (from spemque) 'and, as a result, there was hope that the young man would be restored to his grandfather's hearth' - but is the literal translation 'and for that reason there would be hope'?

 

[Bitmap]

I actually take fore as an infinitive construction that is dependent on spes est. fore ut is used to render a passive future sentence.
So on a syntactic level it would be:
spes est (= speratur)

fore [inf. dependent on spes est]​

ut iuvenis ... redderetur [purpose clause dependent on fore]​

​

So a very litteral translation would be:

"... there was hope, that it would happen (= fore), that he would be restored (= ut clause)

I'll invoke Pacifica to double check my understanding, though.

 

[Pacifica]

You're right.

 

[Phoebus Apollo]

Thank you both!

 

[Phoebus Apollo]

I actually take fore as an infinitive construction that is dependent on spes est. fore ut is used to render a passive future sentence.
So on a syntactic level it would be:
spes est (= speratur)

fore [inf. dependent on spes est]​

ut iuvenis ... redderetur [purpose clause dependent on fore]​

​

So a very litteral translation would be:

"... there was hope, that it would happen (= fore), that he would be restored (= ut clause)

I'll invoke Pacifica to double check my understanding, though.

Just a quick question - why would it be a purpose clause and not a result clause?

 

[Pacifica]

In fact, I think it's rather a result clause.

 

[Bitmap]

Maybe you can call it a result clause. I'm not always too familiar with English terminology. I was wondering what exactly to call the ut myself ... I suppose in my own terminology, I would have gone for an ut explicativum.

 

[Pacifica]

I suppose in my own terminology, I would have gone for an ut explicativum.

I'm not familiar with the term, but it sounds right. The ut clause explains what it is that "will be".

 

[Pacifica]

It's closer to a result clause, but I'm not sure what the exact term should be. It's a substantive clause, while result clauses aren't...

 

[Pacifica]

... in sentences like tam velociter cucurrit ut volare videretur, I mean.

 

[Phoebus Apollo]

Okay, thank you both!

 

[Dantius]

It's closer to a result clause, but I'm not sure what the exact term should be. It's a substantive clause, while result clauses aren't...

It's called a substantive result clause.

 

[Dantius]

Or a substantive clause of result.