Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges

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ACCUMULATION OF NEGATIVES

[*] 2760. If in the same clause a simple negative (οὐ or μή) with a verb follows a negative, each of the two negatives keeps its own force if they belong to different words or expressions. If they belong to the same word or expression, they make an affirmative.

οὐ διὰ τὸ μὴ ἀκοντίζειν οὐκ ἔβαλον αὐτόν it was not because they did not throw that they did not hit him Ant. 3. δ. 6, ““οὔ τοι μὰ τὴν Δήμητρα δύναμαι μὴ γελᾶν” by Demeter I am not able to help laughing” Ar. Ran. 42, οὐδεὶς οὐκ ἔπασχέ τι no one was not suffering something (i.e. everybody suffered) X. S. 1. 9 (οὐδεὶς ὅστις οὐ = everybody is commonly used for οὐδεὶς οὐ), οὐδὲ τὸν Φορμίων᾽ ἐκεῖνος οὐχ ὁρᾷ nor does he not see Phormio (i.e. he sees him very well) D. 36.46, οὐδ᾽ εἴ τις ἄλλος σοφός (ἐστιν) ““οὐ φιλοσοφεῖ” nor if there is any other man who is wise, does he love wisdom” P. S. 204a, ““οὐδέ γε ὁ ἰδίᾳ πονηρὸς οὐκ ἂν γένοιτο δημοσίᾳ χρηστός” nor can the man who is base in private prove himself noble in a public capacity” Aes. 3.78.

[*] 2761. If in the same clause one or more compound negatives follow a negative with the same verb, the compound negative simply confirms the first negative.

““οὐδεὶς οὐδὲν πενίᾳ δρά_σει” no one will do anything because of want” Ar. Eccl. 605, ““μὴ θορυβήσῃ μηδείς” let no one raise an uproar” D. 5.15, ““καὶ οὔτε ἐπέθετο οὐδεὶς οὐδαμόθεν οὔτε πρὸς τὴν γέφυ_ραν οὐδεὶς ἦλθε” and neither did any one make an attack from any quarter nor did any one come to the bridge” X. A. 2.4.23, τούτους φοβούμενοι μήποτε ἀσεβὲς μηδὲν μηδὲ ἀνόσιον μήτε ποιήσητε μήτε βουλεύσητε holding them (the gods) in fear never do or intend anything either impious or unholy X. C. 8.7.22. So οὐ . . . οὐδέ non . . . ne . . quidem, οὐ μὴν οὐδέ (2768). οὐδὲ πολλοῦ δεῖ, after a negative, means far from it. Cp. “no sonne, were he never so old of years, might not marry” (Ascham's Scholemaster), “We may not, nor will we not suffer this” (Marlowe).

a. In οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδέ the first negative belongs to the whole sentence, while the second limits a particular part. Thus, ““οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἐψεύσατο” for he did not deceive me even in this” X. C. 7.2.20 (cp. neque enim . . . ne . . quidem). Cp. E 22, θ 32. So οὐδὲ μὲν οὐδέ B 703, κ 551.

[*] 2762. The negative of one clause is often repeated in the same or in another clause either for emphasis or because of lax structure.

δ̀ς οὐκ, ἐπειδὴ τῷδε ἐβούλευσας μόρον, δρᾶσαι τόδ᾽ ἔργον οὐκ ἔτλης who did not, after you had planned his death, dare to do this deed A. Ag. 1634. The repetition is rhetorical when the negative is repeated directly, as ““οὐ σμι_κρός, οὔχ, ἁ_γὼν ὅδε” not trifling, is this struggle, no in truth” S. O. C. 587.