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134. Attraction of the superlative predicate.

The superlative predicate may agree in gender with the subject rather than with the genitive.

δὲ ἥλιος τὸν πάντα χρόνον πάντων λαμπρότατος ὢν διαμένει,XEN. Mem. 4.7.7 ; The sun abideth forever the most brilliant of all things (thing in the world).

PLATO, Gorg. 487E:πάντων δὲ καλλίστη ἐστὶν σκέψις . . . περὶ τούτων ὧν κτἑ”. Tim. 29 A: μὲν γὰρ” (sc. “ κόσμος”) “κάλλιστος τῶν γεγονότων, δ᾽” (sc. “ δημιουργός”) “ἄριστος τῶν αἰτίων”.

HDT.4.85:πελαγέων γὰρ ἁπάντων πέφυκε θωυμασιώτατος” (sc. “ Πόντος”). Cf. 6.37: “πίτυς μούνη πάντων δενδρέων ἐκκοπεῖσα βλαστὸν οὐδένα μετίει”, Of all trees the pine is the only one that after being cut lets out no aftershoot.

COM. 4.231: “νόσων χαλεπώτατος” | “φθόνος”, Of (all) diseases hardest to bear is envy.

HOM. Cf. Od. 13.86-7: “οὐδέ κεν ἴρηξ” | “κίρκος ὁμαρτήσειεν, ἐλαφρότατος πετεηνῶν”.

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