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191. Present participle combined with copula.

The Greek has no special form for the progressive present of English, nor for the progressive tenses generally. In the periphrasis with the present participle, the participle is generally equivalent to a characteristic adjective or substantive, with which it is often coupled. Notice must also be taken of the position of the copula, which readily resumes its emphasis.1

δεόμενά ἐστι” = “οἷά ἐστι δεῖσθαι”, comp. XEN. Oec. 7.21. “προσῆκόν ἐστι”, It is becoming;προσήκει”, It becomes.αἰσθανόμενος”, PLATO, Theaet. 160A = “αἰσθητής”, Ibid. 160 D.

LYCURG.36:ὁμολογούμενόν ἐστιν”.

DEM.19.312:τίς γάρ ἐστιν . . . οὕτω σκαιὸς καὶ . . . σφόδρα μισῶν τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἡμετέραν”; 20.152: “ἔστι δὲ καὶ μάλ᾽ ἔχων νόμος ὑμῖν καλῶς”. Ibid.. 153: “παλαιός ἐσθ᾽ νόμος καὶ καλῶς ἔχων”. 157: “αἰσχρὸς . . . καὶ κακῶς ἔχων νόμος”.

ISAE. 7.14: “προσῆκον ἦν”. Ibid. 19: “κἁὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀγνοούμενόν ἐστιν οὐδὲ παρ᾽ αὐτοῖς τούτοις”.

LYS. 13.91:ἦν ὑπάρχοντα” .

PLATO, Euthyph. 10B:οὐκ ἄρα διότι ὁρώμενόν ἐστι, διὰ τοῦτο ὁρᾶται, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον διότι ὁρᾶται, διὰ τοῦτο ὁρώμενον”. (Here the difference between predication and action is insisted on.) Legg. 811 B:κίνδυνόν φημι εἶναι φέρουσαν τοῖς παισὶ τὴν πολυμαθίαν”, I maintain that multifarious learning is a dangerous thing for children—is endangering to children. Phileb. 11 A:ὅρα δὴ . . . πρὸς τίνα” (sc. “λόγον”) “τὸν παρ᾽ ἡμῖν ἀμφισβητεῖν” (sc. “μέλλεις”), “ἐὰν μή σοι κατὰ νοῦν λεγόμενος”. Theaet. 160 A-D (see above).

XEN. Oec. 7.21: “ τῶν στεγνῶν ἔργα δεὀμενά ἐστι. στεγνῶν δὲ δεῖται . . . τῶν νεογνῶν τέκνων παιδοτροφία. δεόμενα” = quae egentia sunt = quae egeant.δεῖται” = eget. [R. A.] 2.3: “ὁπόσαι δ᾽ ἐν τῇ ἠπείρῳ εἰσὶ πόλεις ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἀρχόμεναι” (= “ὑπήκοοι”), “αἱ μὲν μεγάλαι διὰ δέος ἄρχονται, αἱ δὲ μικραὶ πάνυ διὰ χρείαν”.

THUC.4.109.2:ἔστι δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως διορύγματος ἔσω προὔχουσα”.

HDT.1.57:ἦσαν οἱ Πελασγοὶ βάρβαρον γλῶσσαν ἱέντες” (= “βαρβαρόφωνοι”). 2.61: “ὅσοι δὲ Καρῶν εἰσι ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ οἰκέοντες” (“οἰκέουσι”, live;οἰκέοντές εἰσι”, are resident). 3.133: “ὅσα ἐς αἰσχύνην ἐστὶ φέροντα”. 4.11: “ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἄλλος λόγος ἔχων ὧδε” (= “τοιόσδε”).

AR. Thesm. 77: “εἴτ᾽ ἔστ᾽ ἔτι ζῶν εἴτ᾽ ἀπόλωλ̓ Εὐριπίδης”. Ran. 35-37: “κατάβα, πανοῦργε. καὶ γὰρ ἐγγὺς τῆς θύρας” | “ἤδη βαδίζων εἰμὶ τῆσδ᾽, οἷ πρῶτά με” | “ἔδει τραπέσθαι”. Well explained by Kock: Auf meinem Marsche bin ich in die Nähe gekommen. Eccl. 1093-4: “οἴμοι κακοδαίμων, ἐγγὺς ἤδη τῆς θύρας” | “ἑλκόμενός εἰμ”(“ι”).

SOPH. O. R. 1045:ζῶν” as adj.; also in Phil. 412.

ARCHIL.1:εἰμὶ δ᾽ ἐγὼ θεράπων μὲν Ἐνυαλίοιο ἄνακτος”, | “καὶ Μουσέων ἐρατὸν δῶρον ἐπιστάμενος”.

1 See W. Alexander J. in A. J. P. iv (1883), 291-308, and B. L. G. in J. H. U. Circ. 1882-3, p. 67.

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