I have little doubt that τάδ᾽, ἕωσπερ, not τάδ᾽, ὥσπερ, is the true reading here. The synizesis of ἕως was familiar through Homer: Od. 2.148 “τὼ δ᾽ ἕως μέν ῤ̔ ἐπέτοντο μετὰ πνοιῇς ἀνέμοιο”: Il. 17.727 “ἕως μὲν γάρ τε θέουσι διαρραῖσαι μεμαῶτες”. In Ph. 1330 “ὡς ἂν αὑτὸς ἥλιος”, Scaliger rightly changed “ὡς” to “ἕως” (first adopted by Wunder); Brunck, with less probability, to “ἔστ̓”. In Ai. 1117 “ὡς ἂν ᾖς ὀ̂ός περ εἶ, ὡς” is more easily defended; but there also (I now think) “ἕως” was rightly conjectured by Scaliger. ἕωσπερ here could not be trisyllabic, since the anapaest in the first place must be contained in one word, the only exception being the prep. and its case, as “ἐπὶ τῷδε δ᾽ ἠγόρευε Διομήδης ἄναξ”, Eur. Or. 898. (In fr. 355 “ταχὺ δ᾽ αὐτὸ δείξει τοὔργον, ὡς ἐγὼ σαφῶς”, from the “Λήμνιαι”, the explanation may be that the drama was satyric, and borrowed a license from Comedy. Meineke would read “τάχ᾽ αὐτὸ”.) With ὥσπερ the sense is, “"however I may live,"”—i.e. whether my remaining life be less, or even more, wretched than now. Clearly, however, the sense wanted is not this, but, “"as long as I live."” φονέως (predicative), a strong word, as O. T. 534 “῾οεδ. το ξρεον̓ φονεὺς ὢν τοῦδε τἀνδρὸς ἐμφανῶς.” μεμνημένος, nom., by attraction to “ἕωσπερ ἂν ζῶ”, instead of a dat. agreeing with “ἐμοί”: cp.
.
