πείσειν δυνησόμεσθα. The fut. inf. is probably sound. It is made easier by the fact that “δύναμαι” is used in the fut. tense; not because the fut. indic. can be regarded as attracting the inf. into the same tense; but because, ‘we shall not be able to persuade,’ implies, ‘we cannot hope to persuade.’ Cp. Thuc. 3. 28“γνόντες δὲ οἱ ἐν τοῖς πράγμασιν οὔτ᾽ ἀποκωλύσειν δυνατοὶ ὄντες, εἴ τ᾽ ἀπομονωθήσονται τῆς ξυμβάσεως, κινδυνεύσοντες κ.τ.λ.” (where the MSS. agree in “ἀποκωλύσειν”, and “ἀποκωλύειν” is merely a conjecture). If πείσειν were to be altered, πεῖσαι would be more probable than πείθειν. See Appendix. δυνησόμεσθα … λέγω: cp. 1221.
This text is part of:
Sophocles: The Plays and Fragments, with critical notes, commentary, and translation in English prose. Part IV: The Philoctetes. Sir Richard C. Jebb. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. 1932.
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