[*] 144. When the aorist participle is used with any form of λανθάνω, to escape the notice of, τυγχάνω, to happen, and φθάνω, to anticipate, except the present and imperfect, it does not denote time past with reference to the verb, but coincides with it in time. Thus ἔλαθον ἀπελθόντες means they went away secretly (= ἀπῆλθον λάθρα); οὐκ ἔφθησαν ἀπελθόντες, no sooner were they gone (= οὐ πρότερον ἀπῆλθον); ἔτυχον εἰσελθόντες, they came in by chance, or they happened to come in (= εἰσῆλθον τύχῃ). E.g.
- “Τοὺς δ᾽ ἔλαθ᾽ εἰσελθὼν Πρίαμος,” “and Priam entered unnoticed by them.” Il. xxiv. 477 ; so xvii. 2 and 89.
- “Ἔλαθεν ( αὐτὴν ) ἁφθέντα πάντα καὶ καταφλεχθέντα,” “everything took fire and was consumed before she knew it.” THUC. iv. 133.
- “Λανθάνει ῾ηιστοριξ πρεσεντ̓ στήλην παίσας” SOPH. El. 744.
- “Ἔφθη ὀρεξάμενος,” “he aimed a blow first.” Il. xvi. 322.
- “Αὐτοὶ φθήσονται αὐτὸ δράσαντες,” “they will do it first themselves.” PLAT. Rep. 375 C .
- “Οὐ γὰρ ἔφθη μοι συμβᾶσα ἡ ἀτυχία, καὶ εὐθὺς ἐπεχείρησαν, κ.τ.λ.” “for no sooner did this misfortune come upon me, than they undertook, etc.” DEM. lvii. 65 .
- “Στρατιὰ οὐ πολλὴ ἔτυχε μέχρι Ἰσθμοῦ παρελθοῦσα,” “an army of no great size had by chance marched as far as the Isthmus.” THUC. vi. 61.
- “Ἔτυχε δὲ κατὰ τοῦτο τοῦ καιροῦ ἐλθών,” “and he happened to come just at that moment.” Id. vii. 2.
- “Ὀλίγα πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα τυχεῖν πράξαντες” (sc. ἡγοῦνται), “they think that it was their fortune to accomplish only a little in comparison with their expectations.” Id. i. 70. So “τοῦτ᾽ ἔτυχον λαβών,” “I happened to take this,” AR. Eccl. 375.
- “Ὁππότερός κε φθῇσιν ὀρεξάμενος χρόα καλόν” “whichever shall first hit, etc.” Il. xxiii. 805.
- “Βουλοίμην ἂν λαθεῖν αὐτὸν ἀπελθών,” “I should like to get away without his knowing it.” XEN. An. i. 3, 17.
- “Τοὺς ἀνθρώπους λήσομεν ἐπιπεσόντες” Ib. vii. 3. 43
- “Εὐλαβεῖσθαι παρεκελεύεσθε ἀλλήλοις, ὅπως μὴ πέρα τοῦ δέοντος σοφώτεροι γενόμενοι λήσετε διαφθαρέντες,” “you exhorted one another to take care not to become wise overmuch and so get corrupted unawares.” PLAT. Gorg. 487D . (Here γενόμενοι is an ordinary aorist, past with reference to the future phrase λήσετε διαφθαρέντες.)