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495. du/o with a plural substantive.

From HOMER on “δύο” (“δύω”) is found with plural substantives as well as with dual substantives, and the plural is the rule for “δύο” (nominative and accusative) in Attic Prose. Uncommon is the use of “δυοῖν” with a plural,1 and the use of “δύο” (indeclinable) with a substantive in the genitive or the dative plural is rare in the ATTIC ORATORS and in PLATO.2

δύο μὲν υἱεῖς, δύο δὲ θυγατέρες”, ISAE. 2.3. “δύο πλοῖα,LYS. 13.25.δύο ... τράπεζαι37.δύω νύκτας δύο τ᾽ ἤματα,HOM. Od. 9.74.οἱ δὲ δύω σκόπελοι, 12.73. δύο ... γενεαί”, Il. 1.250. “δύω κήρυκας”, 3.116.

προσελθόντων δ᾽ αὐτῷ δυοῖν ἀνδρῶν”, LYCURG.86.πλεονεκτημάτων δυοῖν”, DEM.5.23.

οὐσῶν δ᾽ αὐτῷ δύο θυγατέρων”, DEM.41.3.τῶν δὲ δύο μερῶν”, PLATO, Legg. 848A. “δύω ποταμῶν”, HOM. Od. 10.515. “δύω κανόνεσς”(“ι”), Il. 13.407.

1 See Keck, Ueber den Dual bei den griechischen Rednern, Würzburg, 1882, p. 47, and Roeper, De dualis usu Platonico, Gedani, 1878, p. 25 sq. For a list of examples, see Ernst Hasse, Der Dualis im Attischen, Hannover und Leipzig, 1893, p. 6.

2 According to Keck, l.c., p. 39, only twice in the ORATORS: DEM.41.3 and [42]DEM., 23; according to Roeper, l.c., p. 20, only twice in PLATO : Legg. 848 A and 908 B (Tim. Locr. 96 A, 97 C, and Epin. 984 E are excluded as non Platonic); according to Zander apud Keck, l.c., the form “δύο” is found with the genitive plural 7 times in THUCYDIDES and 6 times in XENOPHON, with the dative plural 5 times in THUCYDIDES and once in XENOPHON.

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