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637.Indicative with πρίν, in unfulfilled conditions.) When the clause introduced by πρίν, until, refers to a result not attained in past time in consequence of the non-fulfilment of some condition, it takes a past tense of the indicative like the corresponding clause with ἕως (613, 2). We find examples only of the aorist indicative after negative sentences:—

Ἐχρῆν τοὺς ἄλλους μὴ πρότερον περὶ τῶν ὁμολογουμένων συμβουλεύειν, πρὶν περὶ τῶν ἀμφισβητουμένων ἡμᾶς ἐδίδαξαν, they ought not to have given advice about undisputed matters, until they had instructed us about what is in dispute. ISOC. iv. 19. Χρῆν τοίνυν Λεπτίνην μὴ πρότερον τιθέναι τὸν ἑαυτοῦ νόμον, πρὶν τοῦτον ἔλυσε, “before he had repealed this one.” DEM. xx. 96. Οὐκ ἂν ἐπεσκεψάμεθα πρότερον εἴτε διδακτὸν εἴτε οὐ διδακτὸν ἀρετὴ, πρὶν τι ἔστι πρῶτον ἐζητήσαμεν αὐτό, we should not have inquired whether virtue was teachable or not, until we had first asked what it is in itself. PLAT. Men. 86 D; so 84 C, and Theaet. 165D.

Besides these five cases in prose, we have the same construction with πρίν γ᾽ ὅτε δή in Od. iv. 178: οὐδέ κεν ἡμέας ἄλλο διέκρινεν, πρίν γ᾽ ὅτε δὴ θανάτοιο μέλαν νέφος ἀμφεκάλυψεν, nor would aught else have separated us until the black cloud of death had covered us.

For the same construction with πρότερον in HDT. viii. 93, see 653.

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