[*] 189. The aorist infinitive in indirect discourse is a past tense in itself, and is therefore secondary. E.g. Φησὶ γνῶναι τί τοῦτο εἴη, he says that he learned what this was. Ἔφη γνῶναι τί τοῦτο εἴη, he said that he had learned what this was. “Φησὶ γὰρ ὁμολογῆσαί με τοῦ κλήρου τῷ παιδὶ τὸ ἡμικλήριον μεταδώσειν εἰ νικήσαιμι τοὺς ἔχοντας αὐτόν ῾ηε σαψς ι προμισεδ, μεταδώσω ἐὰν νικήσω᾿.” ISAE. xi. 24. “Θαλῆν Θρᾷττά τις θεραπαινὶς ἀποσκῶψαι λέγεται, ὡς τὰ μὲν ἐν οὐρανῷ προθυμοῖτο εἰδέναι, τὰ δ᾽ ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ λανθάνοι αὐτόν.” PLAT. Theaet. 174 A “Ἆρά σοι δοκῶ οὐ μαντικῶς ἃ νῦν δὴ ἔλεγον εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Ἀγάθων θαυμαστῶς ἐροῖ ἐγὼ δ᾽ ἀπορήσοιμι;” Symp. 198A. In all these cases the optative depends on the aorist infinitive as a past tense.
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