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485.Ὡς εἰ, and ὥσπερ εἰ.) There is an unconscious suppression of the verb of the apodosis when ὡς εἰ, ὡς εἴ τε, and ὥσπερ εἰ are used in similes and comparisons. E.g. Λαοὶ ἕπονθ̓, ὡς εἴ τε μετὰ κτίλον ἕσπετο μῆλα, “the hosts followed as if sheep followed a ram.” Il. xiii. 492. (No definite verb is understood here, either with ὡς in Greek or with as in English, but the origin of the expression is the same in both.) Φιάλαν ὡς εἴ τις δωρήσεται. PIND. Ol. vii. 1. Καί με φίλησ᾽ ὡς εἴ τε πατὴρ ὃν παῖδα φιλήσῃ. Il. ix. 481. Οἱ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἴσαν ὡς εἴ τε πυρὶ χθὼν πᾶσα νέμοιτο, i.e. their march was as if the whole land should flame with fire (originally as it would be if, etc.) Il. ii. 780. Βῆ δ᾽ ἴμεν, πάντοσε χεῖρ᾽ ὀρέγων ὡς εἰ πτωχὸς πάλαι εἴη, holding out his hand as if he had long been a beggar (438). Od. xvii. 366.For other optatives with ὡς εἰ, see Il. xi. 467, Il. xxii. 410; Od. ix. 314, Od. x. 416, Od. 420.

Ὥσπερ εἰ παρεστάτεις, “as if you had dwelt near by.” AESCH. Ag. 1201. Ὅμοια ὥσπερ εἴ τις πολλὰ ἐσθίων μηδέποτε ἐμπίπλαιτο, “just as if one should eat much and never be filled.” XEN. Symp. iv. 37.

There is the same suppression of the apodosis in the examples in 475, where the protasis also is wanting with ὡς εἰ and similar expressions.

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