Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges

EXAMPLES OF COMPARATIVE CLAUSES

[*] 2475. Indicative: in assertions and statements of fact: ““ἔρξον ὅπως ἐθέλεις” do as thou wilt” Δ 37, ““ὡς δὲ πρὸς τὴν οὐσία_ν ἥρμοττεν, οὕτως ἑκάστοις προσέταττον” but as was suitable to their property, so they gave directions to each” I. 7.44, ““ἔστιν γὰρ οὕτως ὥσπερ οὗτος ἐννέπει” for it is so even as he says” S. Tr. 475, ““ὅσον αἱ κατὰ τὸ σῶμα ἡδοναὶ ἀπομαραίνονται, τοσοῦτον αὔξονται αἱ περὶ τοὺς λόγους ἐπιθυ_μίαι” in proportion as the pleasures of the body wane the appetite for philosophical conversation increases” P. R. 328d, ““ἧκεν ἄγων στρατιὰ_ν ὅσην πλείστην ἐδύνατο” he came with an army as large as possible” T. 7.21 (cp. 1087).

a. With ἄν and the potential or unreal indicative: εἰσπηδήσαντες . . . θᾶττον ἢ ὡς τις ἂν ᾤετο jumping in quicker than (as) one could think X. A. 1.5.8, ὥσπερ οὖν, εἰ ἀληθῆ ἦν ταῦτα ἅ μου κατηγόρησαν, ἐμοὶ ἂν ὠργίζεσθε . . ., οὕτως ἀξιῶ κτλ. for just as you would be angry with me if their accusations against me were true, so I beg, etc. And. 1.24.

[*] 2476. Subjunctive with ἄν.—a. Of future time, as ἀλλ᾽ ἄγεθ᾽, ὡς ἂν ἐγὼ εἴπω, πειθώμεθα but come, as I shall direct, let us obey B 139, ““ὅπως γὰρ ἂν τοὺς ἄλλους πρὸς σαυτὸν διαθῇς, οὕτω καὶ σὺ πρὸς ἐκείνους ἕξεις” for as you dispose others towards yourself, so you too will feel towards them” I. 2.23, ““τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐνεχέσθω καθάπερ ἂν τὸν᾽ Αθηναῖον ἀποκτείνῃ” let him be subject to the same penalties just as if he kills the Athenian” D. 23.41, ἐν τοῖς ἀργυρείοις ὅσῳπερ ἂν πλείους ἐργάζωνται, τόσῳ πλείονα τἀ_γαθὰ εὑρήσουσι in silver mines the larger the number who coöperate, so much the more abundant will be the riches they find X. Vect. 4.32, οὐκοῦν ὅσῳ ἄν τις μείζω ἀγαθὰ παθὼν μὴ ἀποδιδῷ χάριν, τοσούτῳ ἀδικώτερος ἂν εἴη; then will he be the more unjust in proportion to the greatness of the benefits he has received and for which he does not return proper gratitude? X. M. 2.2.3 (cp. 2326 d).

b. Of present time, as in general conditions: ““τὸ μὲν γὰρ πέρας, ὡς ἂν ὁ δαίμων βουληθῇ, πάντων γίγνεται” for the end of all events happens as God wills” D. 18.92, τοσούτῳ χαλεπώτερον ἀκούειν τῶν λεγομένων, ὅσῳ περ ἂν αὐτῶν τις ἀκριβέστερον ἐξετάζῃ τὰ_ς ἁμαρτία_ς it is the more difficult for them to pay heed to what is said in proportion to the precision with which their errors are scrutinized I. 11.3.

[*] 2477. Optative.—a. With ἄν (potential): ““ἔστι μείζω τἀ_κείνων ἔργα ἢ ὡς τῷ λόγῳ τις ἂν εἴποι” their deeds are too great for any one to tell in words” D. 6.11, ““ὥσπερ αὐτοὶ οὐκ ἂν ἀξιώσαιτε κακῶς ἀκούειν ὑπὸ τῶν ὑ_μετέρων παίδων, οὕτω μηδὲ τούτῳ ἐπίτρεπε περὶ τοῦ πατρὸς βλασφημεῖν” just as you yourselves would not think it right to be ill spoken of by your children, even so do not permit him either to utter slanders about his father” D. 40.45.

b. With ἄν, as in less vivid future conditions: ὅσῳ δὲ πρεσβύτερος γίγνοιτο, μᾶλλον ἀεὶ ἀσπάζοιτο ἂν (χρήματα) the older he grows, the more he would always respect wealth P. R. 549b.

c. The optative without ἄν in indirect discourse may represent ἄν with the subjunctive of direct discourse; as νομίζων, ὅσῳ μὲν θᾶττον ἔλθοι, τοσούτῳ ἀπαρασκευαστοτέρῳ βασιλεῖ μαχεῖσθαι, ὅσῳ δὲ σχολαιότερον, τοσούτῳ πλέον συναγείρεσθαι βασιλεῖ στράτευμα in the belief that, the more quickly he advanced, the more unprepared for battle would the king be, while the slower he advanced, the greater would be the army that was collecting for the king X. A. 1.5.9 (direct = ὅσῳ ἂν θᾶττον ἔλθω . . . μαχοῦμαι, ὅσῳ ἂν σχολ. ἔλθω τοσούτῳ πλέον συναγείρεται).

d. Without ἄν, of past time, as in general conditions. Thus, ξυνετίθεσαν ὡς ἕκαστόν τι ξυμβαίνοι they put the stones together as each happened to fit T. 4.4.— Also after a present tense: εἰκῆ κράτιστον ζῆν, ὅπως δύναιτό τις 'tis best to live at hazard, as one may S. O. T. 979 (cp. 2573).

[*] 2478. ὥσπερ εἰ (ὡσπερεί), ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ (ὡσπερανεί) just as if ( = just as would be the case, if) form a combination of a comparison and a condition, and are used with the indicative imperfect (of past time) or aorist or with the optative (commonly when τὶς is the subject). ὥσπερ (ἄν) here represents the suppressed apodosis to the condition with εἰ. In some cases the ellipsis may easily be supplied, but it was usually unconscious.

a. When ὥσπερ ἄν has its own verb it is used like for instance, as ὥσπερ ἄν (1766 a), εἴ τίς με ἔροιτο . . ., εἴποιμ᾽ ἄν for instance, if any one were to ask me, I should say P. G. 451a.

b. With ὥσπερ εἰ, ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ cp. καθάπερ εἰ, καθάπερ ἂν εἰ.

[*] 2479. ὥσπερ εἰ: θαυμάζω δέ σε . . . ἀλλόθρουν πόλιν κυρεῖν λέγουσαν, ὥσπερ εἰ παρεστάτεις but I marvel that of a city speaking another tongue thou dost as truly tell as (thou wouldst tell) if thou hadst always been dwelling therein A. Ag. 1201.

[*] 2480. ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ is more common than ὥσπερ εἰ. Thus, πρὸς μόνους τοὺς προγόνους τοὺς ἡμετέρους συμβαλόντες ὁμοίως διεφθάρησαν, ὥσπερ ἂν (διεφθάρησαν) εἰ πρὸς ἅπαντας ἀνθρώπους ἐπολέμησαν in contending against our ancestors alone they were destroyed as completely as if they had waged war against all mankind I. 4.69, ὅμοια γάρ μοι δοκοῦσι πάσχειν ὥσπερ (ἄν τις πάσχοι) ““εἴ τις πολλὰ ἐσθίων μηδέποτε ἐμπίπλαιτο” for they seem to me to be in the same condition as if any one for all his eating were never to be filled” X. S. 4. 37, ἠσπάζετο αὐτὸν ὥσπερ ἂν (ἀσπάζοιτο) ““εἴ τις . . . πάλαι φιλῶν ἀσπάζοιτο” he greeted him as one would do who had long loved him” X. C. 1.3.2.

a. With a participle ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ is sometimes used with much the same force as ὥσπερ, the εἰ being added by a confusion of constructions. Thus, ““ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ καὶ κατακλυσμὸν γεγενῆσθαι τῶν πρα_γμάτων ἡγούμενοι” as if you believed that there had been also a revolution in politics” D. 18.214: lit. as (you would think) if you believed (for ὥσπερ ἂν ἡγούμενοι or ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ ἡγεῖσθε). Cp. 1766 a. Similarly ὥσπερ εἰ has virtually the force of ὥσπερ alone (2087).