'what was more shameful than to adopt a course of action at the enemy's behest?' A rhetorical question can also have the accusative and infinitive if it is equivalent to a statement. In the following example, the meaning is 'there is none of us who doesn't know these things': (Cicero) 'which of us do you think does not know these things?' Indirect commands Using the infinitive In an indirect command, there are two possible forms. If the verb of speaking is 'I order', the same construction is used as in indirect statement, that is accusative and infinitive: (Curtius) 'Perdiccas ordered the boys to mount their horses' (Caesar) 'he ordered the centurions to follow him' A few other verbs, such as 'I allow', 'I forbid', and sometimes 'I order' take the same construction: (Martial) 'my friend Paetus forbids me to be sad' Verbs of will, such as 'I forbid', are always used personally even in the perfect passive tense: (Livy) 'the people of Nola were forbidden to approach the walls' Quite commonly these verbs are used with a passive infinitive: (Caesar) 'Caesar ordered the bridge to be torn down' (Caesar) 'He ordered the signal to be given and an attack to be made on the enemy' (Caesar) 'they do not allow wine to be imported' (Cicero) 'no law forbids this to be done / says this may not be done' (Suetonius) 'he ordered that Livia should be brought to him' Using the subjunctive However, most verbs of ordering, persuading, and encouraging are followed by 'that' or 'that not' and a subjunctive mood verb. This construction is common after verbs such as 'I order', 'I ask', 'I request', 'I advise', 'I persuade', 'I exhort' and others. If the context is past, the imperfect subjunctive is used, otherwise the present: (Nepos) 'he ordered him to go round all the doors of the building' (Nepos) 'he persuaded the people that a fleet of a hundred ships should be built with that money' (Caesar) 'he commanded the army not to join battle without his orders' (Caesar) 'he requested to be sent to Caesar' (Cicero) 'I advise you not to do it' In negative commands, it is usual to write 'not ever' instead of 'never', 'not anyone' instead of and so on. (Cicero) 'I made an edict that no one was to leave without my permission' If there are two negative commands, the second starts with