εὐοδοίη, in contrast with his own “ὁδός”. The conjecture εὖ διδοίη (Burges), accepted by some of the best edd., effaces a natural and pathetic touch. The MS. σφῷν, if right, might be compared with the dat. after words of showing favour (“εὐμενής” etc.): perhaps also with the dat. after “ἡγεῖσθαι” and “ὁδοποιεῖν”. But in 1407, where σφώ is certain, the MSS. have σφῷν: and the acc. with “εὐοδοῦν” is slightly recommended by the analogy of “ὁδοῦν, ὁδηγεῖν”. Suidas, too, has “εὐοδῶ: αἰτιατικῇ”: though this might be explained by the post-classical constr. of “εὐοδοῦν”, which, as in the Septuagint, was with acc. In Her. 6.73 “ὡς Κλεομένεϊ εὐωδώθη τὸ...πρῆγμα”, Stein reads “ὡδώθη”: in any case, the dat. there (“"for Cleomenes"”) has no bearing on the question of dat. or acc. here.—In
, the noun has its literal sense (referring to the return of Aeschylus to earth): and so prob. in Aesch. fr. 34. τάδ᾽ εἰ θανόντι μοι ι τελεῖτ᾽. The MSS. have τελεῖτε … θανόντ̓. With Lobeck, I hold the simple transposition to be the true remedy. The ι of the dative could be elided in Homeric Greek; but among the alleged instances in Attic drama there is not one which bears examination. See Appendix. ἐπεὶ οὐ = u-, a frequent synizesis, which Soph. has again Ph. 446, 948, 1037, fr. 479. 3: so “ἐγὼ οὔτ̓” O. T. 332 etc. ἕξετον, sc. “τελεῖν τι”. The sense is:—“"if ye will perform these things (i.e. the last rites, 1410) for me in my death,—as ye will no more be able (to do aught) for me in life."” Since “τελεῖν” was specially appropriate to ritual (see 503), there is a certain awkwardness in the transition to its general sense (630 etc.) as merely=“ὑπουργεῖν”. But the harshness is at least much less than that of such zeugmas as Greek idiom permitted (cp. 1357), and does not seem to warrant the view that the verse is spurious. The conjecture οὔ με ζῶντά γ̓ is improbable.—It has been said that the thought is repeated in “οὐ γάρ μ᾽ ἔτι ι βλέποντ᾽ ἐσόψεσθ᾽ αὖθις”: but the latter is a different statement, and a climax—“"Ye will be able to serve me no more while I live—nay, ye will no more see me alive."”
