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].
I 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. 75: si hic non insanit satis suā sponte, instiga, id. And. 692: 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.—
β 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.—
γ 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.—
δ 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.—
B 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.—
2 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. —
β Absol. : ut numeri sponte fluxisse videantur, Quint. 9, 4, 147.—
II spontis , only in the phrase suae spontis (esse).
A To be one's own master , at one's own disposal (very rare and mostly post-Aug.; not in Cic. or Caes.): 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.—
B 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.