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[*] 1930. Empiric Aorist.—With adverbs signifying often, always, sometimes, already, not yet, never, etc., the aorist expressly denotes a fact of experience (ἐμπειρία_). ““πολλοὶ πολλάκις μειζόνων ἐπιθυ_μοῦντες τὰ παρόντ᾽ ἀπώλεσαν” many men often lose what they have from a desire for greater possessions” D. 23.113, ““ἀθυ_μοῦντες ἄνδρες οὔπω τροπαῖον ἔστησαν” faint heart never yet raised a trophy” P. Criti. 108c. So with πολύς: ““ἡ γλῶσσα πολλοὺς εἰς ὄλεθρον ἤγαγεν” the tongue brings many a man to his ruin” Men. Sent. 205. From this use proceeds 1931. a. The empiric aorist is commonly to be translated by the present or perfect. The statement in the aorist is often based upon a concrete historical fact set forth in the context, and the reader is left to infer that the thought holds good for all time.
American Book Company, 1920.
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