as if they formed the front rank

ăgĭto, āvi, ātum, 1, v. freq. a. [ago], as if the supine were agitu; cf.: quaero quaerito.

Lit., to put a thing in motion, to drive or impel (mostly poet., or in more elevated prose; from poetry it passed, after the Aug. per., into common prose).

Of cattle, to drive, conduct (cf. ago):

calcari quadrupedem agitabo advorsum clivom,

Plaut. As. 3, 3, 118:

stimulo boves agitat,

Vulg. Eccli. 38, 26:

hanc in curru bijugos agitare leones,

drives her span of lions, Lucr. 2, 602:

agitantur quadrigae,

Varr. L. L. 6, § 41 Müll.:

ad flumina currus,

Verg. G. 3, 18:

jussit agitari currum suum,

Vulg. 2 Macc. 9, 4: lanigeros greges hirtasque capellas, to drive, poet. for to tend, Verg. G. 3, 287:

sacros jugales (dracones),

Ov. M. 5, 661:

quadrigas bigasque et equos desultorios,

Suet. Caes. 39.—

Of the motion of other things, to move, impel, shake:

triremem in portu,

Nep. Dion, 9, 2:

alas,

Ov. Tr. 3, 4, 21:

manibusque leves agitavit habenas,

id. M. 7, 221:

hastam,

id. ib. 3, 667: caput, to move the head ( in token of assent = annuere), id. ib. 1, 567:

arundinem vento agitatam,

Vulg. Matt. 11, 7.—Esp., of animals, to hunt, chase, pursue: etiamsi excitaturus [p. 72] non sis nec agitaturus feras, Cic. Off. 3, 17:

aquila insectans alias aves atque agitans,

id. Div. 2, 70:

trepidas columbas,

Ov. M. 5, 606; 11, 300:

damas,

id. ib. 10, 539:

cursu timidos onagros,

Verg. G. 3, 409 al. —

Of the motion caused by the wind, to drive to and fro, toss about, agitate, disturb:

ventus enim fit, ubi est agitando percitus aër,

when the air is violently agitated and driven, Lucr. 6, 686:

mare ventorum vi agitari atque turbari,

Cic. Clu. 49 fin.; id. Univ. 3, 7:

freta ponti Incipiunt agitata tumescere,

Verg. G. 1, 357:

aristas,

Ov. A. A. 1, 553:

Zephyris agitata Tempe,

Hor. C. 3, 1, 24:

ventis agitatur pinus,

id. ib. 2, 10, 9:

veteres agitantur orni,

id. ib. 1, 9, 12:

agitaret aura capillos,

id. Epod. 15, 9.—

Of the motion caused by the water: agitata numina Trojae, tossed or driven about upon the sea, Verg. A. 6, 68; Prop. 3, 21, 5.—

In gen., of the motion caused by other things:

magnes (lapis) agitat (ferri ramenta) per aes,

Lucr. 6, 1054:

agitari inter se concursu,

Cic. N. D. 1, 39: pulsu externo agitari, Macr Somn. Scip. 9.— Poet. of mist, to produce it by motion or agitation: dejectuque (Peneus) gravi tenues agitantia fumos Nubila conducit, and by its impetuous descent (into the valley) raises clouds producing mist, Ov. M. 1, 571—

Trop.

To rouse up, excite, move, urge, drive, impel one to something: aliquem, sometimes in aliquid (so in Florus very freq.):

in furias agitantur equae,

are excited to fury, Ov. A. A. 2, 487:

agitare plebem,

to stir up, rouse, Liv. 3, 11:

populum,

Flor. 2, 12, 2; so id. 11, 6, 2 al.:

agitatus cupiditate regni,

id. 3, 1:

gens sacratis legibus agitata in exitium urbis,

id. 1, 16, 7.—

To disquiet, disturb, to drive hither and thither, to vex, trouble, torment (the fig. taken from the sea agitated by storm; cf. Gernh. and Beier upon Cic. Off. 1, 24, 82):

dii deaeque te agitant irati,

Plaut. Pers. 4, 4, 115:

atra bilis agitat hominem,

id. Capt. 3, 4, 64; so id. Curc. 1, 1, 92; 2, 1, 24:

ut eos agitent furiae, neque usquam consistere patiantur,

Cic. Rosc. Am. 24 (cf. Verg. A. 3, 331:

scelerum furiis agitatus Orestes,

id. ib. 4, 471):

suum quemque scelus agitat amentiaque afficit,

id. ib. 24:

agitare et insequi poëtas,

Tac. Or. 4; 25 and 41:

multis injuriis jactata atque agita ta,

Cic. Quint. 2:

est magni viri, rebus agitatis (= perturbatis, Beier) punire sontes,

id. Off. 1, 24, 82:

agitabatur animus inopiā rei familiaris et conscientiā scelerum,

Sall. C. 5, 7:

quos conscientia defectionis agitabat,

Tac. Agr. 16:

commotus metu atque libidine diversus agitabatur,

was drawn in different directions, Sall. J 25, 6; Liv. 22, 12. ne te semper inops agitet vexetque cupido, Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 98:

quos agitabat timor,

Tac. Agr. 16:

timore et metu agitati,

Vulg. Judith, 15, 1:

injuriis agitatus,

Flor. 1, 8, 7:

seditionibus,

Just. 12, 4, 12.—

To assail with reproach, derision, insult; to reprove, blame, scoff, deride, insult, mock:

agitat rem militarem, insectatur totam legationem,

attacks, ridicules, Cic. Mur. 9, 21; id. Brut. 28, 109: mea saevis agitat fastidia verbis, Hor Epod. 12, 13; without verbis:

agitant expertia frugis,

id. A. P. 341:

vesanum poëtam agitant pueri,

id. ib. 456.—

In gen., to drive or urge on a thing, to accomplish or do, to drive at, to be employed in, be engaged in, to have, hold, keep, to celebrate; v. ago, II. D. (in the historians, esp. Sallust, very freq.):

Haec ego non agitem?

should I not drive at? Juv. 1, 52:

vigilias,

to keep, Plaut. Trin. 4, 2, 27; so,

custodiam,

id. Rud. 3, 6, 20; so Tac. A. 11, 18:

hoc agitemus convivium vino et sermone suavi,

let us celebrate, Plaut. As. 5, 1, 7:

Dionysia,

Ter. Heaut. 4, 4, 11; so id. Hec. 1, 2, 18:

convivia,

Ov. M. 7, 431; Suet. Claud. 32 festa gaudia, Sil. 15, 423:

meum natalem,

Plaut. Pers. 5, 1, 16;

so festos dies,

Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 63:

jocos,

Ov. M. 3, 319:

agraria lex a Flavio tribuno plebis vehementer agitabatur,

was powerfully urged, supportcd, Cic. Att. 1, 19:

quae cum praecepta parentis mei agitarem,

was striving to comply with, Sall. J. 14, 2 (modestius dictum pro:

studere, ut agerem, Cort.): laeti pacem agitabamus,

were at peace, enjoyed the delights of peace, id. ib. 14, 10:

dicit se missum a consule venisse quaesitum ab eo, pacem an bellum agitaturus foret,

id. ib. 109, 2:

quoniam deditionis morā induciae agitabantur,

there was a truce, id. ib. 29, 4; id. C. 24, 2.— Poet.:

ceu primas agitant acies, certamina miscent,

as if they formed the front rank, Sil. 9, 330.—Hence of time, esp. life, to pass, spend (cf. ago, II. D 5.):

vita hominum sine cupiditate agitabatur,

Sall. C. 2, 1:

agitare aevum,

Verg. G. 4, 154; id. A. 10, 235:

festos dies,

Tac. H. 3, 78.—In Sall., Tac., Flor., et al., agitare absol., to live, dwell, abide, sojourn, be:

hi propius mare Africum agitabant,

Sall. J 18, 9; cf id. ib. 19, 5; id. Fragm. H. 3, 11; so id. J. 54, 2; 59, 1; 94, 4:

laeti Germant agitabant,

Tac. A. 1, 50:

secretus agitat,

id. ib. 11, 21:

montium editis sine cultu atque eo ferocius agitabant,

id. ib. 4, 46; Flor. 4, 12, 48.—

Of the mind: agitare aliquid or de aliquā re (in corde, in mente, animo, cum animo, secum, etc.), to drive at a thing in the mind, i. e. to turn over, revolve, to weigh, consider, meditate upon, and with the idea of action to be performed or a conclusion to be made, to deliberate upon, to devise, contrive, plot, to be occupied with, to design, intend, etc.: id ego semper mecum sic agito et comparo, Att ap. Non. 256, 20:

quom eam rem in corde agito,

Plaut. Truc 2, 5, 3:

id agitans mecum,

Ter. Phorm. 4, 3, 10; so Sall. J. 113, 3:

habet nihil aliud quod agitet in mente,

Cic. N. D. 1, 41:

est tuum sic agitare animo, ut, etc.,

id. Fam. 6, 1:

quae omnes animo agitabant,

Tac. A. 6, 9:

provincias secretis imaginationibus agitans,

id. ib. 15, 36 in animo bellum, Liv 21, 2; Vell. 1, 16; Quint. 12, 2, 28.—With inf., as object:

ut mente agitaret bellum renovare,

Nep. Ham. 1, 4.— Poet.:

aliquid jamdudum invadere magnum Mens agitat mihi,

Verg. A 9, 187. —Sometimes also without mente, animo, and the like, agitare aliquid, in the same signif:

quodsi ille hoc unum agitare coeperit, esse, etc.,

Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 96:

rem a me saepe deliberatam et multum agitatam requiris,

id. Ac. 1, 2: oratori omnia quaesita, disputata, tractata, agitata ( well considered or weighed) esse debent, id. de Or. 3, 14:

fugam,

Verg. A. 2, 640.—So esp. freq. in Tac.:

Britanni agitare inter se mala servitutis, Agr 15: bellum adversus patrem agitare,

id. H. 4, 86, id. A. 1, 5; 1, 12.—With de:

de bello,

Tac. H. 2, 1:

agitanti de Claudio,

id. A. 6, 46:

de tempore ac loco caedis agitabant,

id. ib. 15, 50; 1, 12; id. H. 4, 59.—With num:

agitavere, num Messalinam depellerent amore Silli,

Tac. A. 11, 29; id. H. 1, 19.— With - ne:

agitavere placeretne, etc.,

Tac. H. 3, 1.—With an:

an Artaxata pergeret, agitavit,

Tac. A. 13, 41 —With quomodo, Tac. A. 2, 12.—With ut (of purpose):

ut Neronem pudor caperet, insita spe agitari,

Tac. A. 16, 26.—

To treat or speak of or concerning a thing, to confer about, deliberate upon. Romae per omnīs locos et conventus de facto consulis agitart ( impers., for agitabatur), discussions were had, Sall. J 30, 1;

cum de foedere victor agitaret,

Liv. 9, 5; 30, 3.—

Sat agitare, with gen., in Plaut., = sat agere, to have enough to do, to have trouble with: nunc agitas sat tute tuarum rerum, Bacch. 4, 3, 23.