W. M. Lindsay, Syntax of Plautus

---

The type of Genitive represented by lucri facere, a type variously explained in Grammars as ‘Genitive of Material’ and ‘Partitive Genitive,’ is much affected by Plautus. Here are some examples:

lucri facere, e.g.
• Most. 354 “ecquis homo est qui facere argenti cupiat aliquantum lucri?”;
• Bacch. 859 “nihil est lucri quod me hodie facere mavelim”;
• Poen. 771 “me esse hos trecentos Philippos facturum lucri”;
sumpti facere,
• Cas. 425 “et praeter operam restim sumpti fecerim”;
• Trin. 250 “quod ebibit, quod comest, quod facit sumpti”;
compendi facere, e.g.
• Most. 60 “orationis operam compendi face”;
• Pseud. 1141 “operam fac compendi quaerere”;
• Asin. 307 “verbivelitationem fieri compendi volo”.

The phrase damni facere occurs only in a context which admits of damni being a Partitive Gen,

• Merc. 421 “multo edepol, si quid faciendumst, facere damni mavolo”;
Bacch. 1032 “quam propter tantum damni feci et flagiti” (cf. Pseud. 440);
• Asin. 182 “neque ille scit quid det, quid damni faciat”.

We find also the Accusative in these phrases:

lucrum facere (when used absolutely), e.g.
• Truc. 426 “lucrum hercle videor facere mi, voluptas mea, ubi quippiam me poscis”;
sumptum facere (when used absolutely), e.g
• Asin. 217 “necesse est facere sumptum, qui quaerit lucrum”;
• Bacch. 98 “et operam dare mi et ad eam operam facere sumptum de tuo”;
compendium facere (with Genitive), e.g.
• Stich. 194 “ut faciam praeconis compendium”, ‘to dispense with an auctioneer’;
• Rud. 180 “errationis fecerit compendium”, ‘will make short work of wandering.’

We find also ponere (addere, conferre) ad compendium, e.g. Cas. 517 “id ponito ad compendium.”