a-spĭcĭo (adsp-, Jan; asp-, others except Halm, who uses both), spexi, spectum, 3, v. a. (aspexit = aspexerit, Plaut. As. 4, 1, 25), to look to or upon a person or thing, to behold, look at, see.
I Lit., constr. in the ante - class. per. sometimes with ad; but afterwards with the acc., with a finite clause , or absol.; in eccl. Lat., with in with acc. , and super with acc.
α With ad : aspice ad me, Plaut. Capt. 3, 4, 38: aspicient ad me, Vulg. Zach. 12, 10: aspicere ad terram, Plaut. Cist. 4, 2, 25: ad caelum, Vulg. 2 Macc. 7, 28: Aspice nunc ad sinisteram, Plaut. Merc. 5, 2, 38 (Ritschl, spice ): ad Scrofam, Varr. R. R. 1, 2, 26; cf. the epitaph of Pacuvius: Adulescens, tametsi properas, te hoc saxum rogat, Ut se[se] aspicias, etc., ap. Gell. 1, 24 fin. —
β With acc.: Aspice hoc sublimen candens, Enn. ap. Cic. N. D. 2, 25, 65: templum Cereris, id. ap. Varr. L. L. 7, 2, 82: me, Pac. ap. Non. p. 470, 20: aspicite (me) religatum asperis Vinctumque saxis, Att. ap. Cic. Tusc. 2, 10, 23; Plaut. As. 4, 1, 25: me huc aspice, id. Am. 2, 2, 118: faciem alicujus, id. Ps. 1, 2, 9.—In Plaut. twice with contra : aspiciam aliquem contra oculis, Cas. 5, 3, 2: Th. Aspicedum contra me. Tr. Aspexi. Th. Vides? Tr. Video, Most. 5, 1, 56; so, non audebat aspicere contra Deum, Vulg. Exod. 3, 6: formam alicujus aspicere, Ter. Heaut. 773: tergum alicujus, Vulg. Exod. 33, 8: aspicite ipsum: contuemini os, etc., Cic. Sull. 27: me, Vulg. Job, 7, 8: sic obstupuerant, sic terram intuebantur, sic furtim non numquam inter se aspiciebant, etc., Cic. Cat. 3, 5, 13; so Vulg. Jer. 4, 23: aspicis me iratus, Cic. Phil. 2, 30 fin. : hominis omnino aspiciendi potestatem eripere, id. Lael. 23, 87: ut nemo eorum forum aut publicum aspicere vellet, Liv. 9, 7, 11: aliquid rectis oculis, Suet. Aug. 16: Aspicit hanc torvis (oculis), Ov. M. 6, 34: aspiciunt oculis Superi mortalia justis, id. ib. 13, 70: aliquid oculis aequis, Verg. A. 4, 372: aspice vultus Ecce meos, Ov. M. 2, 92 al.: horrendae aspectu, Hor. S. 1, 8, 26: aspice nos hoc tantum, look on us thus much only , Verg. A. 2, 690 Wagner: Aspice Felicem sibi non tibi, Romule, Sullam, poët. ap. Suet. Tib. 59.—In pass. (rare): unde aliqua pars aspici potest, Cic. Mil. 3: pulvis procul et arma adspiciebantur, Tac. H. 2, 68; id. G. 13: super triginta milia armatorum aspiciebantur, id. Agr. 29; 40; id. A. 3, 45; 11, 14: Septentrionem ibi adnotatum primā tantum parte noctis adspici, Plin. 2, 73, 75, § 185: quasi eum aspici nefas esset, Cic. Verr. 5, 67; 5, 187; id. Har. Resp. 8: adspici humana exta nefas habetur, Plin. 28, 1, 2, § 5.—
γ Absol. : Vide amabo, si non, quom aspicias, os inpudens videtur, Ter. Eun. 838: postquam aspexi, ilico Cognovi, id. Heaut. 656.—
δ With in with acc. : in terram aspicere, Vulg. Psa. 101, 20; ib. Isa. 5, 30: in caelum, ib. Matt. 14, 9.—
ε With super with acc. : super castra aspicere, Vulg. Judith, 9, 7 al.—
B Transf.
1.a Of things in space, to look toward , lie toward : tabulatum aspiciat meridiem, Col. 8, 8, 2: cryptoporticus non aspicere vineas, sed tangere videtur, Plin. Ep. 5, 6, 29: ea pars Britanniae, quae Hiberniam aspicit, Tac. Agr. 24: terra umidior quā Gallias, ventosior quā Noricum aspicit, id. G. 5.—
b Of persons: nobilissimi totius Britanniae eoque in ipsis penetralibus siti nec servientium litora aspicientes, Tac. Agr. 30.—
2 With the access. idea of purpose (cf.: adeo, aggredior, etc.), to look upon something in order to consider or examine it; and in gen. to consider , survey , inspect (freq. in Liv.): hujus ut aspicerent opus admirabile, Ov. M. 6, 14: Boeotiam atque Euboeam aspicere jussi, Liv. 42, 37: in Boeotiā aspiciendae res, id. 42, 67 fin. : Ap. Claudium legatum ad eas res aspiciendas componendasque senatus misit, id. 42, 5; 26, 51; 32, 5 al.—
II Trop.
A In gen.: sic in oratione Crassi divitias atque ornamenta ejus ingenii per quaedam involucra perspexi; sed ea cum contemplari cuperem, vix aspiciendi potestas fuit, Cic. de Or. 1, 35, 161: sic evolavit oratio, ut ejus vim atque incitationem aspexerim, vestigia ingressumque vix viderim, observed , noticed , id. ib. 1, 35, 161: in auctorem fidei, Vulg. Heb. 12, 2: in remunerationem, ib. ib. 11, 26.—So esp., to examine , reflect upon , to consider , weigh , ponder (most freq. in the imperat. : aspice, see , ponder , consider , etc.).
a With acc.: Postea [tu] aspicito meum, quando ego tuum inspectavero, Plaut. Rud. 3, 4, 50: neque tanta (est) in rebus obscuritas, ut eas non penitus vir ingenio cernat, si modo (eas) aspexerit, attends to them , Cic. de Or. 3, 31, 124: aspice, ait, Perseu, nostrae primordia gentis, Ov. M. 5, 190.—
b With a finite clause.
α In the subj.: qui semel aspexit, quantum dimissa petitis Praestent, etc., has weighed , considered , Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 96: aspiciebant, quomodo turba jactaret aes etc., Vulg. Marc. 12, 41: aspiciebant, ubi (Jesus) poneretur, ib. ib. 15, 47: Quin tu illam aspice, ut placide adcubat, Plaut. Most. 3, 2, 168: quin aspice, quantum Aggrediare nefas, Ov. M. 7, 70: Aspice, venturo laetentur ut omnia saeclo! Verg. E. 4, 52: Aspice, Plautus Quo pacto partes tutetur amantis ephebi, ut patris attenti ... Quantus sit dossennus, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 170 sqq.: Aspice, num mage sit nostrum penetrabile telum, Verg. A. 10, 481: aspice, si quid loquamur, Hor. Ep. 1, 17, 4 sq.: Aspice, qui coeant populi, Verg. A. 8, 385: Qualem commendes, etiam atque etiam aspice, Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 76: aspice, Quanto cum fastu, quanto molimine circumspectemus etc., id. ib. 2, 2, 92.—
β In the indic. (rare): Aspice, ut antrum Silvestris raris sparsit labrusca racemis, Verg. E. 5, 6: Aspice, ut insignis spoliis Marcellus opimis Ingreditur, id. A. 6, 855: quantas ostentant, aspice, vires, id. ib. 6, 771: Aspice, quem gloria extulerat, id. Cat. 12, 1: aspicite, quae fecit nobiscum, Vulg. Tob. 13, 6.—Also, to take into consideration , to have in view : si genus aspicitur, Saturnum prima parentem Feci, Ov. F. 6, 29.—
B Esp.
1 To look upon with respect , admiration : erat in classe Chabrias privatus, sed eum magis milites quam qui praeerant, aspiciebant, Nep. Chabr. 4, 1.—
2 Aliquem, to look one boldly in the face , to meet his glance : Lacedaemonii, quos nemo Boeotiorum ausus fuit aspicere in acie, Nep. Epam. 8, 3 (cf. supra, I., the passage from Suet. Aug. 16). —
3 Lumen aspicere, to see the light for to live : odi celebritatem, fugio homines, lucem aspicere vix possum, Cic. Att. 3, 7; id. Brut. 3, 12; cf. the foll. number fin. —
4 Ad inchoative (as in addubito, addormio, aduro, etc.), to get a sight of , to see , perceive , descry : perii, si me aspexerit, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 164: forte unam aspicio adulescentulam, Ter. And. 118; id. Ad. 373: respexit et equum alacrem laetus aspexit, Cic. Div. 1, 33, 73; so id. Har. Resp. 1, 2: tum vero Phaëthon cunctis e partibus orbem Aspicit accensum, Ov. M. 2, 228; 7, 651: aspicit hanc visamque vocat, id. ib. 2, 443; 2, 714; 3, 69; 3, 356; 3, 486; 7, 384; 7, 791 et saep.: Quem simul aspexit scabrum intonsumque, Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 90.—Hence trop.: lumen aspicere, to see the light for to be born : ut propter quos hanc suavissimam lucem aspexerit, eos indignissime luce privārit, Cic. Rosc. Am. 22 fin. ; cf. supra, II. B. 3.