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[485] περιδώμεθα, vulg. “περιδώμεθον”. The only other instances in classical Greek of the 1st pers. dual in -“θον” are Soph. El. 950 “μόνα λελείμμεθον”, Soph. Phil. 1079 “νὼ μὲν οὖν ὁρμώμεθον” (where see Jebb), in both cases with MS. authority for -“μεθα”, which can be substituted without damage to the metre; Elmsley first pronounced in favour of the change, and is followed by Nauck. Though in Skt. the 1st dual is distinct from the 2nd, the two coalesce in Greek, and the form in -“θον” has no etymological support; it can only be explained as due to analogy of the 2nd pers., -“μεθον”: -“μεθα”:: -“σθον”: -“σθε”. The usual desire to avoid the hiatus will have been the motive here for introducing a form which looks like a figment of the grammarians. Moreover we ought perhaps to read “περιδωόμεθ᾽” with van L. For “περιδόσθαι” = to wager cf. Od. 23.78 “ἐγὼν ἐμέθεν περιδώσομαι αὐτῆς”, I will wager my life. Several instances from Aristophanes will be found in Lexx. The use is evidently conn. with that of “ἐπιδόσθαι” 22.254, but the origin of it is obscure. For the gen. see H. G. § 153. The shortened νυν recurs in H. only in 10.105: “νυ” Brandreth.

The Iliad, edited, with apparatus criticus, prolegomena, notes, and appendices. Walter Leaf. London. Macmillan. 1900.

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