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478. In alternatives, εἰ δὲ μή, otherwise, regularly introduces the latter clause, even when the former clause is negative. Εἰ δὲ μή is much more common here than ἐὰν δὲ μή, even when ἐὰν μέν with the subjunctive precedes. The formula εἰ δὲ μή was fixed in the sense of otherwise, in the other case, and no definite form of the verb was in mind.

Πρὸς ταῦτα μὴ τύπτ᾽: εἰ δὲ μὴ, σαυτόν ποτ᾽ αἰτιάσει,” “therefore do not beat me; but if you do, you will have yourself to blame for it.” AR. Nub. 1433. Εἰ μὴ θανοῦμαί γ᾽: εἰ δὲ μὴ, οὐ λείψω ποτέ, if I do not die (I will leave the place); otherwise (if I die) I shall never leave it. And. 254.See SOPH. Tr. 587. Πόλεμον οὐκ εἴων ποιεῖν: εἰ δὲ μὴ, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀναγκασθήσεσθαι ἔφασαν φίλους ποιεῖσθαι οὓς οὐ βούλονται, they said that otherwise (εἰ δὲ μή) they should be obliged, etc. THUC. i. 28. Εἶπον (Παυσανίᾳ) τοῦ κήρυκος μὴ λείπεσθαι: εἰ δὲ μὴ, πόλεμον αὐτῷ Σπαρτιάτας προαγορεύειν, they ordered him not to be left behind by the herald: and if he should be (εἰ δὲ μή), (they told him) that the Spartans declared war against him. Id. i. 131. Μὴ ποιήσῃς ταῦτα: εἰ δὲ μὴ, αἰτίαν ἕξεις. XEN. An. vii. 1, 8. Ἐὰν μέν τι ὑμῖν δοκῶ ἀληθὲς λέγειν, ξυνομολογήσατε: εἰ δὲ μὴ, παντὶ λόγῳ ἀντιτείνετε. PLAT. Phaed. 91 C. So ἐὰν μὲν πείσητε, . . . εἰ δὲ μὴ, κ.τ.λ., DEM. ix. 71.

Εἰ δέ alone is sometimes used for εἰ δὲ μή; as in Symp. 212C, εἰ μὲν βούλει, . . . εἰ δέ. So εἰ δ᾽ οὖν (sc. μή), SOPH. Ant. 722, EUR. Hipp. 508.

The potential optative and indicative with ἄν, so far as they are apodoses, might be classed here; but these have higher claims to be treated as independent sentences. See Chapter IV., Section I.

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