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[*] 790. The infinitive with τό may stand as a subject, especially of ἐστίν. E.g. Τὸ γνῶναι ἐπιστήμην που λαβεῖν ἐστιν, “to learn is to acquire knowledge.” PLAT. Theaet. 209 E. Τὸ δίκην διδόναι πότερον πάσχειν τί ἐστιν ἢ ποιεῖν; Gorg. 476 D. (In the last two examples the subject infinitive has the article to emphasise it, while the predicate infinitive stands alone.) Τὸ δὲ παθεῖν εὖ πρῶτον ἀέθλων. PIND. Py. i. 99. Οὔτοι ἡδύ ἐστι τὸ ἔχειν χρήματα οὕτως ὡς ἀνιαρὸν τὸ ἀποβάλλειν. XEN. Cyr. viii. 3, 42. Πολλάκις δοκεῖ τὸ φυλάξαι τἀγαθὰ τοῦ κτήσασθαι χαλεπώτερον εἶναι, “to keep advantages often seems to be harder than gaining them.” DEM. i. 23 (cf. ii. 26, quoted in 745, for both construction and sense). Τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ἀδικεῖν, τὸ πλέον τῶν ἄλλων ζητεῖν ἔχειν. PLAT. Gorg. 483 C. Ἀλλ᾽ οἶμαι, νῦν μὲν ἐπισκοτεῖ τούτοις τὸ κατορθοῦν. DEM. ii. 20. Τὸ γὰρ θάνατον δεδιέναι οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἐστὶν ἢ δοκεῖν σοφὸν εἶναι μὴ ὄντα: δοκεῖν γὰρ εἰδέναι ἐστὶν ἃ οὐκ οἶδεν. PLAT. Ap. 29 A. See also 29 C. It will be seen by comparison that most of these examples would admit the construction without the article by making the infinitive less prominent as a subject nominative. Compare οὔτε κλαίειν οὔτ᾽ ὀδύρεσθαι πρέπει, AESCH Sept. 656, with τοῖς δ᾽ ὀλβίοις γε καὶ τὸ νικᾶσθαι πρέπει, Ag. 941.
Macmillan. London, Melbourne, Toronto. 1889. reprint edition:. St. Martin's Press. New York. 1965.
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