per-sĕquor, cūtus and quūtus, 3, v. dep. a. and n. (act. collat. form of the imperat. persece for perseque, Poët. ap. Cic. Att. 13, 23 fin.).
I Act. , to follow perseveringly , to follow after , continue to follow , pursue.
A Lit.
1 In gen.: ille servolum Jubet illum persequi, Plaut. Cist. 1, 3, 35; 4, 2, 30: si vis persequi vestigiis, id. Men. 4, 1, 9: certum est persequi, Ter. Phorm. 551: me in Asiam persequens, id. And. 935: (persequens dicit perseverationem sequentis ostendens. Persequitur enim qui non desinit sequi, Don. ad h. l.): aliquem, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 35, § 91: exercitum, id. Phil. 3, 3, 7: cursim, Petr. 6: Hortensium ipsius vestigiis, Cic. Brut. 90, 307: quā, aut terrā aut mari, persequar eum, qui, etc., id. Att. 7, 22, 2: vestigia alicujus, id. de Or. 1, 23, 105; Verg. A. 9, 218: hanc persecuta mater orare incipit, Phaedr. 1, 28, 5.—With inf. (poet.): atqui non ego te tigris ut aspera ... frangere persequor, Hor. C. 1, 23, 10.—
2 In partic.
a To follow after , press upon , chase , pursue : fugientes usque ad flumen persequuntur, Caes. B. G. 7, 67: bello, id. ib. 1, 14: deterrere hostes a persequendo, Sall. J. 50, 6: feras, Ov. H. 9, 34: beluas, Curt. 8, 14, 26.—
b To go through a place in pursuit of any thing, to search through : omnes solitudines, Cic. Pis. 22, 53. —
B Transf., to follow up , come up with , overtake : quo ego te ne persequi quidem possem triginta diebus, Cic. Fam. 3, 6, 3; id. Div. 2, 72, 149: mors et fugacem persequitur virum, Hor. C. 3, 2, 14.—
C Trop.
1 In gen., to follow perseveringly , to pursue any thing: omnes vias persequar, Cic. Fam. 4, 13, 6: viam, Ter. Hec. 454: eas artes, Cic. Fin. 1, 21, 72.—
2 In partic.
a With the accessory notion of striving after, to pursue , hunt after , seek to obtain , strive after , = appetere, affectare: quis est, qui utilia non studiosissime persequatur? Cic. Off. 3, 28, 101: ego mihi alios deos penates persequar, Plaut. Merc. 5, 1, 7: Pl. Tene priusquam hinc abeo savium. Ph. Si quidem mi hercle regnum detur, numquam id potius persequar, id. Curc. 1, 3, 55: hereditates, Ter. And. 815: hereditates aut syngraphas, Cic. Leg. 3, 8, 18: cujusquemodi voluptates, id. Fin. 2, 7, 22: ego meum jus persequar, I will pursue or assert my right , Ter. Ad. 163; Cic. Caecin. 3, 8: persequendi juris sui potestas, id. Div. in Caecil. 6, 21: bona tua repetere ac persequi lite atque judicio, id. Verr. 2, 3, 13, § 32: possumus rem nostram persequi, id. Quint. 13, 45 fin. : cum tribunus plebis poenas a seditioso cive per bonos viros judicio persequi vellet, sought to obtain , id. Fam. 1, 9, 15.—
β With inf., to hasten , be eager (rare): nec scimus quam in partem ingredi persequamur, Plaut. Rud. 3, 3, 4.—
b To follow , be a follower of; to imitate , copy after a person or thing as a guide or pattern: si vero Academiam veterem persequamur, Cic. Ac. 1, 2, 7: sectam et instituta alicujus, id. Verr. 2, 5, 71, § 183: ego neglectā barbarorum inscitiā te persequar, id. Fam. 9, 3, 2; id. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 23, 74: ut, quae maxime excellant in eo, quem imitabitur, ea diligentissime persequatur, id. de Or. 2, 22, 90.—
c To pursue , proceed against , prosecute; to revenge , avenge , take vengeance upon a person or thing: aliquem bello, Caes. B. G. 5, 1: aliquem judicio, Cic. Fl. 20, 47: alicujus injurias ulcisci ac persequi, id. Verr. 2, 2, 3, § 9; so, injuriam, id. Mur. 21, 44; Sall. J. 14, 23; cf. Kritz ad Sall. C. 9, 5: mortem alicujus, Cic. Fam. 9, 3, 2: de persequendis inimicitiis, Caes. B. C. 3, 83 fin. : Trebonii mortem, Cic. Phil. 13, 18, 39; Caes. B. G. 7, 38; Liv. 40, 11 fin. : adulterium, Sen. Contr. 3, 20.—
d To persecute for religious belief or practice (eccl. Lat.), Tert. ad Scap. 5; Vulg. Johan. 15, 20; id. Act. 7, 52; id. Rom. 12, 14 et saep.—
e To follow in writing, to take down , minute down : celeritate scribendi, quae dicerentur persequi, Cic. Sull. 14, 42: multa diserte dixit, quae notarius persequi non potuit, Sen. Apoc. 9, 2.—
f To follow up with action, to follow out , perform , execute , bring about , do , accomplish , etc.: hoc, ut dico, factis persequar, Plaut. Merc. 3, 2, 11: erus quod imperavit persequi, id. Am. 2, 1, 40: imperium patris, id. Stich. 1, 2, 84 sq.: ex usu quod est, id persequar, Ter. Hec. 616: mandata, Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 14, 3: si idem extrema persequitur qui inchoavit, id. Prov. Cons. 8, 19: vitam inopem et vagam, to lead , id. Phil. 12, 7, 15.— Absol. : sed tamen ibo et persequar, will go and obey , Plaut. Cist. 2, 1, 64. —
β In partic., to follow out in speech or writing, to set forth , treat of , relate , recount , describe , explain , etc.: aliquid voce, Cic. Planc. 23, 56: dum rationes Persequor, set forth , treat of , discuss the reasons , Lucr. 5, 56: quae versibus persecutus est Ennius, Cic. Sen. 6, 16: philosophiam Latinis litteris, id. Ac. 1, 3, 12: aliquid scripturā, id. Fam. 15, 21, 4: obscenas voluptates, id. N. D. 1, 40, 111: res Hannibalis, id. Div. 1, 24, 49: has res in eo libro, id. Off. 2, 24, 87: quae persequerer, si commemorare possem sine dolore, id. Fam. 5, 13, 3: da te in sermonem et persece Et confice, etc., Poët. ap. Cic. Att. 13, 23, 3.—*
II Neutr. , to follow or come after : exacta vindemia gramine persecuto, when the grass has grown again , Pall. 3, 26, 5.☞ In a pass. signif. (post-class.): illa se in mare praecipitavit, ne persequeretur, Hyg. Fab. 198 dub.
XX —Hence, persĕquens , entis, P. a., used as subst. *
A A pursuer , practiser : flagitii, Plaut. Cas. 2, 1, 13.— *
B A revenger , avenger : inimicitiarum persequentissimus, Auct. Her. 2, 19, 29.