William Watson Goodwin, Syntax of the Moods and Tenses of the Greek Verb

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[*] 419. I. When these expressions are used alone, the denial of the action of the infinitive is always implied. E.g. Τούσδε γὰρ μὴ ζῆν ἔδει, for these ought not to be living (as they are). SOPH. Ph. 418. Ἔδει μὲν τοὺς λέγοντας ἅπαντας μήτε πρὸς ἔχθραν ποιεῖσθαι λόγον μηδένα μήτε πρὸς χάριν, i.e. the speakers ought not to say a word out of regard either to enmity or to favour (and yet they do so). DEM. viii. 1. Σιγήσας ἡνίκ᾽ ἔδει λέγειν, “keeping silence when he ought to speak.” Id. xviii. 189: cf. xviii. 191.

Χρῆν γάρ σε μήτ᾽ αὐτόν ποτ᾽ εἰς Τροίαν μολεῖν, ἡμᾶς τ᾽ ἀπείργειν, for you ought yourself never to have gone to Troy, and you ought (now) to keep me away from it. SOPH. Ph. 1363.See AESCH. Ag. 879, AESCH. Cho. 930; SOPH. El. 1505. Θανεῖν, θανεῖν σε, πρέσβυ, χρῆν πάρος τέκνων. And. 1208. Τί ἐχρῆν με ποιεῖν; μὴ προσάγειν γράψαι (τοὺς πρέσβεις）; what ought I to have done (which I did not do）? Ought I not to have proposed (as I did) to invite the ambassadors? DEM. xviii. 28. Ἐχρῆν μὲν οὖν καὶ δίκαιον ἦν τοὺς τὸν στέφανον οἰομένους δεῖν λαβεῖν αὑτοὺς ἀξίους ἐπιδεικνύναι τούτου, μὴ ἐμὲ κακῶς λέγειν: ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοῦτο παρέντες ἐκεῖνο ποιοῦσιν, κ.τ.λ., i.e. those who think they ought to receive the crown ought to show that they deserve it themselves, and not be abusing me; but since now they have neglected the former and do the latter, etc. lId. i. 3.

“Σφῷν δ᾽, ὦ τέκν᾽, οὓς μὲν εἰκὸς ἦν πονεῖν τάδε,” “those of you who ought to be bearing these labours.” SOPH. O.C. 342. Πρὸς τούτους τὸν ἀγῶνα καταστῆναι, οὓς εἰκὸς ἦν τῷ μὲν τεθνεῶτι τιμωροὺς γενέσθαι τῷ δ᾽ ἐπεξιόντι βοηθούς, “who properly should have come forward to avenge the dead and to help the prosecutor.” ANT. i. 2. Εἰ ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων μὲν ἐσώθημεν, οὓς εἰκὸς ἦν διακωλύειν μὴ σῴζεσθαι, i.e. who would naturally have tried to prevent us from being saved. LYS. xx. 36. See DEM. xl. 30. Καὶ μάλιστα εἰκὸς ἦν ὑμᾶς προορᾶσθαι αὐτὰ καὶ μὴ μαλακῶς, ὥσπερ νῦν, ξυμμαχεῖν. THUC. vi. 78. (The orator adds, ἀλλ οὔθ᾽ ὑμεῖς νῦν γέ πω οὔθ᾽ οἱ ἄλλοι ἐπὶ ταῦτα ὥρμησθε.) Μένειν γὰρ ἐξῆν τῷ κατηγοροῦντι τῶν ἄλλων, he might have stood his ground (but really he ran away). DEM. iii. 17: cf. xviii. 14, DEM. xxvii. 58; LYS. xii. 31.

Τὴν διαθήκην ἠφάνικατε, ἐξ ἧς ἦν εἶδέναι περὶ πάντων τὴν ἀλήθειαν, you have concealed the will, from which we (now) might know the truth about the whole matter. DEM. xxviii. 10. Τῆς ἡμετέρας ἔχθρας ἡμᾶς ἐφ᾽ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν δίκαιον ἦν τὸν ἐξετασμὸν ποιεῖσθαι, i.e. we should justly settle up our quarrel by ourselves. Id. xviii. 16: cf. 13, where δίκαιον ἦν is understood with χρῆσθαι, he would justly have used them. Πράττων πολὺ βέλτιον ἢ σὲ προσῆκον ἦν (sc. πράττειν), being much better off than you deserve to be. xlId. v. 69. Καὶ μὴν ἄξιόν γ᾽ ἦν ἀκοῦσαι, indeed, it was worth your while to hear them (ἀξίως ἂν ἠκούσατε). PLAT. Euthyd. 304D. The person addressed had just said οὐκ οἷός τ᾽ ἦ κατακούειν.

Ἄλλῳ ἔπρεπεν λέγειν ἃ λέγεις, another would have becomingly said what you say (ἄλλος ἂν ἔλεγε πρεπόντως). PLAT. Rep. 474D. Τὸ δυσχερέστατον τῶν ὀνομάτων, ὃ τῶν φθονούντων ἔργον ἦν λέγειν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ τῶν προεστώτων τῆς τοιαύτης παιδεύσεως, the most disagreeable of names (Sophist), which the envious ought to use rather than those who stand at the head of the business in question. ISOC. xiii. 19.