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2186. Assimilation to the Optative.—When an optative of the principal clause refers to future time (potential optative and optative of wish), the subordinate clause takes the optative by assimilation in the following cases.

a. Conditional relative clauses (regularly): πῶς γὰρ ἄν (1832) τις, γε μὴ ἐπίσταιτο, ταῦτα σοφὸς εἴη; for how could any one be wise in that which he does not know? X. M. 4.6.7, τίς μι_σεῖν δύναιτ᾽ ἄν ὑφ᾽ οὗ εἰδείη καλός τε καὶ ἀγαθὸς νομιζόμενος; who could hate one by whom he knew that he was regarded as both beautiful and good? X. S. 8. 17, ““ἔρδοι τις ἣν ἕκαστος εἰδείη τέχνηνwould that every man would practise the craft that he understoodAr. Vesp. 1431, τίς ἂν . . . μόλοι (1832), ““ὅστις διαγγείλειε τἀ_μ᾽ εἴσω κακάwould that some one would come to report within my tale of woeE. Hel. 435.

N. 1.—If the relative has a definite antecedent, assimilation does not take place; but not all relative clauses with an indefinite antecedent are assimilated. Cp. ““ὥσπερ ἂν ὑ_μῶν ἕκαστος αἰσχυνθείη τὴν τάξιν λιπεῖν ἣν ἂν ταχθῇ ἐν τῷ πολέμῳas each one of you would be ashamed to leave the post to which he may be appointed in warAes. 3.7.

N. 2.—A relative clause depending on an infinitive rarely takes the optative: ““ἀλλὰ τοῦ μὲν αὐτὸν λέγειν μὴ σαφῶς εἰδείη εἵργεσθαι δεῖone should abstain from saying oneself what one does not know for certainX. C. 1.6.19. (See 2573.)

b. Temporal clauses (regularly): τεθναίην, ὅτε μοι μηκέτι ταῦτα μέλοι may I die when these things no longer delight me Mimnermus 1. 2, ““ μὲν ἑκὼν πεινῶν φάγοι ἂν ὁπότε βούλοιτοhe who starves of his own free will can eat whenever he wishesX. M. 2.1.18, εἰ δὲ πάνυ σπουδάζοι φαγεῖν, εἴποιμ᾽ ἂν ὅτι παρὰ ταῖς γυναιξίν ἐστιν, ἕως παρατείναιμι τοῦτον κτλ. but if he was very desirous of eating, I would tell him thathe was with the womenuntil I had tortured him, etc. X. C. 1.3.11, ““ὄλοιο μήπω, πρὶν μάθοιμιperish not yet . . . until I learnS. Ph. 961. But ““οὐκ ἂν ἀπέλθοιμι πρὶν ἂν παντάπα_σιν ἀγορὰ_ λυθῇI shall not be leaving until the gathering in the market-place is quite dispersedX. O. 12.1.

c. Final and object clauses (rarely in prose, but occasionally after an optative of wish in poetry): πειρῴμην (ἂν) μὴ πρόσω ὑ_μῶν εἶναι, ἵνα, εἴ που καιρὸς εἴη, ἐπιφανείην I will try to keep not far away from you, in order that, if there should be any occasion, I may show myself X. C. 2.4.17 (and five other cases in Xen.); ““ἔλθοι ὅπως γένοιτο τῶνδ᾽ ἐμοὶ λυτήριοςmay she come to prove my liberator from this afflictionA. Eum. 297. Ordinarily the subjunctive or future indicative is retained, as ““ὀκνοίην ἂν εἰς τὰ πλοῖα ἐμβαίνειν Κῦρος ἡμῖν δοίη μὴ ἡμᾶς . . . καταδύ_σῃI should hesitate to embark on the vessels which Cyrus might give us lest he sink usX. A. 1.3.17, ““τεθναίην, δίκην ἐπιθεὶς τῷ ἀδικοῦντι, ἵνα μὴ ἐνθάδε μένω καταγέλαστοςlet me die, when I have punished him who has done me wrong, that I may not remain here a laughing-stockP. A. 28d.

d. Indirect questions, when the direct question was a deliberative subjunctive: ““οὐκ ἂν ἔχοις ἐξελθὼν τι χρῷο σαυτῷif you should escape, you would not know what to do with yourselfP. Cr. 45b ( = τί χρῶμαι;). But when a direct question or a direct quotation stood in the indicative, that mood is retained, as ““εἰ ἀποδειχθείη τίνας χρὴ ἡγεῖσθαι τοῦ πλαισίουif it should be settled who must lead the squareX. A. 3.2.36.

e. Very rarely in relative clauses of purpose (P. R. 578e possibly); after ὥστε (X. C. 5.5.30), and in dependent statements with ὅτι or ὡς (X. C. 3.1.28).

f. Assimilation and non-assimilation may occur in the same sentence (E. Bacch. 1384 ff.)

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