W. M. Lindsay, Syntax of Plautus

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For the Accusative of Time (see T. Kane: Case Forms with and without Prepositions used by Plautus and Terence to express time, Baltimore, 1895) may be cited the quasi-Adverb aetatem ‘for one's lifetime,’¹ e.g.

• Amph. 1023 “ut profecto vivas aetatem miser”,
• Asin. 21 “ut tibi superstes uxor aetatem siet”,
• Asin. 274 “aetatem velim servire, Libanum ut conveniam modo”,
• Asin. 848 “cum hac annum ut esses”,
• Pers. 21 “plusculum annum” (with ellipse of quam),
• Pers. 628 “si hanc emeris, numquam hercle hunc annum vortentem, credo, servibit tibi.”

We find already in Plautus that curious misuse of the Accusative for the Ablative in expressions like

• Mil. 618 “tibi istuc aetatis homini”,
• Merc. 290 “quid tibi aetatis videor?”,

just as we find omni in aetate for omnem aetatem in Poen. 228 “quae noctes diesque omni in aetate semper ornantur.”

Abhinc takes an Accusative of Time, as in classical Latin, e.g.

• Bacch. 388 “hoc factumst ferme abhinc biennium”,
• Ter. Andr. 69 “abhinc triennium”,
• Turpilius 134;

but the MSS. show the Ablative (cf. anno ‘a year ago’ Amph. prol. 91 “etiam histriones anno quom in proscaenio hic Jovem invocarunt, venit, auxilio is fuit”; see below, 63) in Most. 493 “qui abhinc sexaginta annis (-os, edd.) occisus foret.”