W. M. Lindsay, Syntax of Plautus

---

Nor can we ascribe to Greek influence (cf. ἄρχειν τινός, μεμνῆσθαί τινος) the Genitive with potior, memini, obliviscor (in Ter. Eun. 306 “oblitus sum mei”; in Plautus only with Accusative of thing, e.g. Cas. 104 “non sum oblitus officium meum”; cf. Livius Andronicus Odyss. 4 “te oblitus sum”). From Cas. 112 “hercle me suspendio, quam tu eius potior fias, satiust mortuum”, we might infer that potiri took the Genitive because it was the equivalent of potis (cf. Greek πόσις ‘lord’） fieri; and the same explanation has been offered of oblivisci, reminisci, meminisse, the equivalents of oblitus, memor, esse. The treatment of these three Verbs (cf. venit mihi in mentem, also commonere Rud. 743 “mearum me absens miseriarum commones”） scarcely differs from the classical usage (for details see Babcock in Cornell Studies xiv, 1901); but the Plautine use of potiri calls for remark.

• Potire (Active), ‘to put in possession of’ (good or bad things), takes Accusative of person and Genitive of thing, e.g. Amph. 178 “eum nunc potivit pater servitutis”;
• potiri (Passive), ‘to fall into the power of,’ takes Genitive, e.g. Capt. 92 “postquam meus rex est potitus hostium”;
potiri (Deponent), ‘to make oneself master of,’ ‘to obtain,’ takes Accusative, e.g.
• Rud. 190 “laborem hunc potiri”,
• Ter. Adelph. 876 “hic potĭtur gaudia” (see below, 45),
and sometimes Ablative, e.g.
• Pseud. 1071 “si ille hodie illa sit potitus muliere”,
• Ter. Phorm. 830 “curavi propria ut Phaedria poteretur.”