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[*] 690. The dependent verbs of a quotation may be changed to the optative in indirect discourse, even when the leading verb retains the indicative; and sometimes (though rarely) a dependent verb retains the subjunctive or indicative, when the leading verb is changed to the optative. This may give rise to a great variety of constructions in the same sentence. E.g. Δηλώσας ὅτι ἕτοιμοί εἰσι μάχεσθαι εἴ τις ἐξέρχοιτο. XEN. Cyr. iv. 1, 1. (Ἕτοιμοί εἰσιν ἐάν τις ἐξέρχηται.) Λύσανδρος εἶπε ὅτι παρασπόνδους ὑμᾶς ἔχοι, καὶ ὅτι οὐ περὶ πολιτείας ὑμῖν ἔσται ἀλλὰ περὶ σωτηρίας, εἰ μὴ ποιήσαιθ᾽ ἃ Θηραμένης κελεύοι. LYS. xii. 74. (Ἔχω, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ἐὰν μὴ ποιήσηθ᾽ ἃ Θ. κελεύει. There is no need of the emendations ποιήσετ̓ and κελεύει.) Ἐδόκει δῆλον εἶναι ὅτι αἱρήσονται αὐτὸν εἴ τις ἐπιψηφίζοι. XEN. An. vi. 1, 25. Οὐκ ἠγνόει Εὐβουλίδης ὅτι, εἰ λόγος ἀποδοθήσοιτο καὶ παραγένοιντό μοι πάντες οἱ δημόται καὶ ἡ ψῆφος δικαίως δοθείη, οὐδαμοῦ γενήσονται οἱ μετὰ τούτου συνεστηκότες. DEM. lvii. 16. (Εἰ ἀποδοθήσεται καὶ ἐὰν παραγένωνται καὶ ψῆφος δοθῇ, οὐδαμοῦ γενήσονται.) Ἀγησίλαος γνοὺς ὅτι, εἰ μὲν μηδετέρῳ συλλήψοιτο, μισθὸν οὐδέτερος λύσει τοῖς Ἕλλησιν, ἀγορὰν δὲ οὐδέτερος παρέξει, ὁπότερος τ᾽ ἂν κρατήσῃ, οὗτος ἐχθρὸς ἔσται: εἰ δὲ τῷ ἑτέρῳ συλλήψοιτο, οὗτός γε φίλος ἔσοιτο, κ.τ.λ. Ag. ii. 31. Ἔλεγον ὅτι εἰκότα δοκοῖεν λέγειν βασιλεῖ, καὶ ἥκοιεν ἡγημόνας ἔχοντες, οἳ αὐτοὺς, ἐὰν σπονδαὶ γένωνται, ἄξουσιν ἔνθεν ἕξουσι τὰ ἐπιτήδεια. An. ii. 3, An. 6. Ἐπηρώτα, ποῖα εἰη τῶν ὀρέων ὁπόθεν οἱ Χαλδαῖοι καταθέοντες ληίζονται. Cyr. iii. 2, Cyr. 1. Ἔλεξας ὅτι μέγιστον εἴη μαθεῖν ὅπως δεῖ ἐξεργάζεσθαι ἕκαστα: εἰ δὲ μὴ, οὐδὲ τῆς ἐπιμελείας ἔφησθα ὄφελος οὐδὲν γίγνεσθαι, εἰ μή τις ἐπίσταιτο ἃ δεῖ καὶ ὡς δεῖ ποιεῖν. Id. Oec. xv. 2. In DEM. xviii. 148, we have both constructions of 689, DEM. 2 in the same sentence: εἰ μὲν τοῦτο τῶν ἐκείνου συμμάχων εἰσηγοῖτό τις, ὑπόψεσθαι τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐνόμιζε πάντας: ἂν δ᾽ Ἀθηναῖος ᾖ ὁ τοῦτο ποιῶν, εὐπόρως λήσειν. Here εἰ εἰσηγοῖτο represents ἂν (=ἐὰν) εἰσηγῆται, corresponding to ἂν ᾖ. By keeping the subjunctive in the latter case, the expression is made more vivid by contrast. In PLAT. Rep. 337 A we have τούτοις προὔλεγον, ὅτι εἰρωνεύσοιο καὶ πάντα μᾶλλον ποιήσοις ἢ ἀποκρινοῖο, εἴ τίς τί σε ἐρωτᾷ, which must mean I warned them that you would dissemble and would do anything rather than answer if any one should ask you anything. The direct discourse must be εἰρωνεύσεται καὶ πάντα μᾶλλον ποιήσει ἢ ἀποκρινεῖται ἐάν τίς τι αὐτὸν ἐρωτᾷ (subj.). Ἐὰν ἐρωτᾷ must have been retained or changed to εἰ with the optative; and ἐρωτᾷ in the text is probably a copyist's mistake for ἐρωτῷ, a form of the optative frequently found in the Cod. A Parisin. of Plato. See in the Republic 516 A (καθορῷ), 518 A (γελῷ), 559 A (μελετῷ), 598 C (ἐξαπατῷ). There is, however, a various reading ἐροιτο in a few Mss. in 337 A.
Macmillan. London, Melbourne, Toronto. 1889. reprint edition:. St. Martin's Press. New York. 1965.
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