at one's own disposal

sponte, abl., and spontis, gen. (perh. the only cases in use of a noun spons, assumed by Charis. p. 34 P., and Aus. Idyll. 12, 8, 11, as nom. But ad spontem is Müller's reading, Varr. L. L. 6, 7, 72, for a sponte), f. [spondeo; prop. a pledging of one's self to a thing; hence, opp. to external necessity or inducement, of free will, of one's own accord].

Sponte, in good prose always joined with meā, tuā, suā ( poet. and in post-Aug. prose; also absol. or with gen.), of free will, of one's own accord, of one's self, freely, willingly, voluntarily, spontaneously (syn. ultro):

sponte valet a voluntate,

Varr. L. L. 6, § 69 Müll.:

si imprudenter aut necessitate aut casu quippiam fecerit, quod non concederetur iis, qui suā sponte et voluntate fecissent,

Cic. Part. Or. 37, 131:

tuo judicio et tuā sponte facere,

id. Fam. 9, 14, 2; cf.:

Galliam totam hortatur ad bellum, ipsam suā sponte suoque judicio excitatam,

id. Phil. 4, 3, 8:

potius consuefacere filium, Suā sponte recte facere quam alieno metu,

Ter. Ad. 1, 1, 50:

si hic non insanit satis suā sponte, instiga,

id. And. 4, 2, 9:

ut id suā sponte facerent, quod cogerentur facere legibus,

Cic. Rep. 1, 2, 3:

meā sponte (opp. invitatu tuo),

id. Fam. 7, 5, 2:

meā sponte (opp. monente et denuntiante te),

id. ib. 4, 3, 1:

non solum a me provocatus, sed etiam suā sponte,

id. ib. 1, 7, 3:

transisse Rhenum sese non suā sponte, sed rogatum et arcessitum a Gallis,

Caes. B. G. 1, 44:

et suā sponte multi in disciplinam conveniunt et a parentibus propinquisque mittuntur,

id. ib. 6, 14:

sive ipse sponte suā, sive senatusconsulto accitus,

Liv. 10, 25, 12:

quaesitum est, praecipitata esset ab eo uxor, an se ipsa suā sponte jecisset,

Quint. 7, 2, 24:

gaudeo id te mihi suadere, quod ego meā sponte pridie feceram,

Cic. Att. 15, 27: sponte ipsam suāpte adductam, Lucil. ap. Varr. L. L. 6, § 69 Müll.:

me si fata meis paterentur ducere vitam Auspiciis et sponte meā componere curas,

Verg. A. 4, 341:

interim sponte nostrā velut donantes,

Quint. 3, 6, 8.—Sometimes propriā for suā (late Lat.):

sponte se propriā dederunt,

Amm. 17, 2, 3:

Richomeres se sponte obtulit propriā,

id. 31, 12, 15.—

Absol.:

Italiam non sponte sequor,

Verg. A. 4, 361:

sponte properant,

Ov. M. 11, 486:

odio tyrannidis exsul Sponte erat,

id. ib. 15, 62:

sponte en ultroque peremptus,

Stat. Th. 10, 809; cf.:

multitudo sponte et ultro confluens,

Suet. Caes. 16:

nec illum sponte exstinctum,

Tac. A. 3, 16:

sponte judicioque plaudere,

Quint. 8, 3, 4:

opto ut ea potissimum jubear, quae me deceat vel sponte fecisse,

Plin. Ep. 6, 29, 11: equites Romani natalem ejus sponte atque consensu biduo semper celebrarunt, Suet. Aug. 57.—

With gen.:

sponte deūm,

according to the will of the gods, Luc. 1, 234 Cort.:

sponte ducum,

id. 1, 99:

sponte deorum,

id. 5, 136; Val. Fl. 4, 358:

naturae,

Plin. 7, prooem. 1, § 4; 9, 51, 74, § 160; 11, 49, 110, § 263; 14, 4, 6, § 53; Sil. 14, 153:

principis,

Tac. A. 2, 59:

Caesaris,

id. ib. 6, 31:

praefecti,

id. ib. 4, 7:

incolarum,

id. ib. 4, 51:

litigatoris,

id. ib. 13, 42; 7, 51; id. H. 4, 19; Curt. 4, 1, 16.—

Very rarely with a prep.: de tuā sponte, Cotta ap. Charis. p. 195 P.:

a sponte,

Varr. L. L. 6, § 69 Müll.; cf. § 71 sqq. ib.—

Transf., of one's own will or agency (opp. to foreign participation or assistance), by one's self, without the aid of others, alone (rare but class.):

nequeo Pedibus meā sponte ambulare,

Plaut. Truc. 2, 6, 46:

nec suā sponte, sed eorum auxilio,

Cic. Fam. 7, 2, 3:

cum oppidani autem etiam suā sponte Caesarem recipere conarentur,

Caes. B. C. 3, 11 fin.:

his cum suā sponte persuadere non possent, legatos ad Dumnorigem mittunt, ut eo deprecatore a Sequanis impetrarent,

id. B. G. 1, 9:

civitatem ignobilem atque humilem Eburonum suā sponte populo Romano bellum facere ausam, vix erat credendum,

id. ib. 5, 28; cf. id. ib. 7, 65:

judicium quod Verres suā sponte instituisset,

Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 43, § 111:

cum illa civitas cum Poenis suo nomine ac suā sponte bellaret,

id. ib. 2, 4, 33, §

72: ecquis Volcatio si suā sponte venisset, unam libellam dedisset?

id. ib. 2, 2, 10, § 26.—

Of things concr. and abstr., of itself, spontaneously:

is autem ardor non alieno impulsu sed suā sponte movetur, etc.,

Cic. N. D. 2, 12, 32:

ut cum suā sponte nullā adhibitā vi, consumptus ignis exstinguitur,

id. Sen. 19, 71:

natura videtur Ipsa suā per se sponte omnia dis agere expers,

Lucr. 2, 1092:

aliae (arbores) nullis hominum cogentibus ipsae Sponte suā veniunt,

Verg. G. 2, 11; cf.:

stellae sponte suā jussaene vagentur et errent,

Hor. Ep. 1, 12, 17:

sapientem suā sponte ac per se bonitas et justitia delectat,

Cic. Rep. 3, 16, 26:

res quae suā sponte scelerata est,

id. Verr. 2, 1, 42, § 108; id. Or. 32, 115:

justitium in foro suā sponte coeptum prius quam indictum,

Liv. 9, 7, 8:

clamor suā sponte ortus,

id. 9, 41, 17:

id suā sponte ap parebat,

id. 22, 38, 13:

de capite signum in manum sponte suā delapsum,

id. 27, 11, 3 ex loco superiore, qui prope suā sponte in hostem inferebat, id. 5, 43, 3:

quod terra crearat Sponte suā,

Lucr. 5, 938:

sponte suā quae fiunt aëre in ipso,

id. 4, 738:

ut vera et falsa suā sponte, non alienā judicantur,

Cic. Leg. 1, 17, 45:

te Sponte suā probitas officiumque juvat,

Ov. P. 2, 3, 34:

sponte deae munus promeritumque patet (i. e. sine indice),

id. F. 4, 394.—Very rarely with quādam: litterae syllabaeque... orationem sponte quādam sequantur, Quint 5, 10, 125. —

Absol.:

ut numeri sponte fluxisse videantur,

Quint. 9, 4, 147.—

spontis, only in the phrase suae spontis (esse).

To be one's own master, at one's own disposal (very rare and mostly post-Aug.;

not in Cic. or Cæs.): quod suae spontis statuerant finem,

Varr. L. L. 6, § 71 Müll.:

sanus homo, qui suae spontis est, nullis obligare se legibus debet,

Cels. 1, 1.—

In Columella, of things, = suā sponte, of itself, spontaneously:

altera (cytisus est) suae spontis,

springs up spontaneously, Col. 9, 4, 2:

ubi loci natura neque manu illatam neque suae spontis aquam ministrari patitur,

id. 11, 3, 10.