OBJECT CLAUSES WITH VERBS OF FEARING
[*] 2221. Object clauses after verbs of fear and caution are introduced by
μή that,
lest (Lat.
ne),
μὴ οὐ that . . . not,
lest . . . not (Lat.
ut = ne non).
a. μή clauses denote a fear that something
may or
might happen;
μὴ οὐ clauses denote a fear that something
may not or
might not happen. Observe that the verb is negatived by
οὐ and not by
μή, which expresses an apprehension that the result will take place.
μή is sometimes, for convenience, translated by
whether; but it is not an indirect interrogative in such cases.
[*] 2222. The construction of
μή after verbs of fearing has been developed from an earlier coördinate construction in which
μή was not a conjunction (
that,
lest) but a prohibitive particle. Thus,
δείδω μή τι πάθῃσιν (
Λ 470)
I fear lest he may suffer aught was developed from
I fear + may he not suffer aught (
1802);
φυλακὴ δέ τις . . . ἔστω, μὴ λόχος εἰσέλθῃσι πόλιν (
Θ 521)
but let there be a guard,
lest an ambush enter the city, where the clause
μὴ—εἰσέλθῃσι meant originally
may an ambush not enter. Here
μή expresses the desire to avert something (negative desire).
a. When
μή had become a pure conjunction of subordination, it was used even with the indicative and with the optative with
ἄν. Some scholars regard
μή with the indicative as standing for
ἆρα μή (hence an indirect interrogative). Observe that the character of
μή after verbs of fearing is different from that in final clauses, though the construction is the same in both cases.
[*] 2223. For the use of the subjunctive, without a verb of fearing, with
μή, see
1801,
1802; with
μὴ οὐ see
1801, with
οὐ μή see
1804.
[*] 2224. Verbs and expressions of
fear are:
φοβοῦμαι, δέδοικα or
δέδια, ταρβῶ, τρῶ and
πέφρι_κα (mostly poetical);
δεινός εἰμι, δεινόν ἐστι, δέος ἐστί, φοβερός εἰμι, φοβερόν ἐστι, etc.
a. Sometimes it is not actual
fear that is expressed but only
apprehension,
anxiety,
suspicion, etc. These are the verbs and expressions of
caution: ὀκνῶ, ἀθυ_μῶ, ἀπιστῶ, ἀπιστία_ν ἔχω (
παρέχω),
ὑποπτεύω, ἐνθυ_μοῦμαι, αἰσχύ_νομαι (rare),
κίνδυ_νός ἐστι, προσδοκία_ ἐστί. Here belong also, by analogy,
ὁρῶ, σκοπῶ, ἐννοῶ, εὐλαβοῦμαι, φροντίζω, φυλάττω (
-ομαι), which admit also the construction of verbs of effort (2210 b).
I. FEAR RELATING TO THE FUTURE
[*] 2225. Object clauses after verbs of fear and caution take the subjunctive after primary tenses, the optative (or subjunctive,
2226) after secondary tenses.
φοβοῦμαι μὴ γένηται I fear it may happen.
φοβοῦμαι μὴ οὐ γένηται I fear it may not happen.
ἐφοβούμην μὴ γένξιτο (or
γένηται)
I feared it might happen.
ἐφοβούμην μὴ οὐ γένοιτο (regularly
γένηται)
I feared it might not happen.
““
δέδοικα μὴ . . . ἐπιλαθώμεθα τῆς οἴκαδε ὁδοῦ”
I am afraid lest we may forget the way home”
X. A. 3.2.25, ““
φοβεῖται μὴ . . . τὰ ἔσχατα πάθῃ”
he is afraid lest he suffer the severest punishment”
X. C. 3.1.22,
φροντίζω μὴ κράτιστον ᾖ μοι σι_γᾶν I am thinking that it may prove (
2228)
best for me to be silent X. M. 4.2.39, ““
ἔδεισαν οἱ ῞ Ελληνες μὴ προσάγοιεν πρὸς τὸ κέρας καὶ . . . αὐτοὺς κατακόψειαν”
the Greeks were seized with fear lest they might advance against their flank and cut them down”
X. A. 1.10.9, ““
δέδιμεν μὴ οὐ βέβαιοι ἦτε”
we fear you are not to be depended on”
T. 3.57,
οὐ τοῦτο δέδοικα, μὴ οὐκ ἔχω ὅ τι δῶ ἑκάστῳ τῶν φίλων . . . ἀλλὰ μὴ οὐκ ἔχω ἱκανοὺς οἷς δῶ I am afraid not that I may not have enough (lit.
anything)
to give to each of my friends, but that I may not have enough friends on whom to bestow my gifts X. A. 1.7.7.
a. The aorist is very common after
μή. After secondary tenses Hom. usually has the optative.
b. μὴ οὐ with the optative is rare and suspicious (
X. A. 3.5.3).
[*] 2226. After secondary tenses, the subjunctive presents the fear vividly, i.e. as it was conceived by the subject. Cp.
2197.
ἐφοβοῦντο μή τι πάθῃ they feared lest she might (
may)
meet with some accident X. S. 2. 11,
ἐφοβήθησαν μὴ καὶ ἐπὶ σφῖς ὁ στρατὸς χωρήσῃ they became fearful that the army might (
may)
advance against themselves too T. 2.101. So when the fear extends up to the present time: ““
ἐφοβήθην . . . καὶ νῦν τεθορύβημαι μή τινες ὑ_μῶν ἀγνοήσωσί με”
I was struck with fear and even now I am in a state of agitation lest some of you may disregard me”
Aes. 2.4. The vivid use of subjunctive is common in the historians, especially Thucydides.
[*] 2227. The optative after a primary tense is rare and suspected (I 245,
Hdt. 7.103,
S. Aj. 279).
[*] 2228. The subjunctive and optative after
μή (or
ὅπως μή) may denote what
may prove to be an object of fear (future ascertainment).
““
δέδοικα μὴ ἄριστον ᾖ”
I am afraid lest it prove to be best”
S. Ant. 1114,
ἔδεισαν μὴ λύττα τις . . . ἡμῖν ἐμπεπτώκοι they feared lest some madness might prove to have fallen upon us X. A. 5.7.26. The aorist subjunctive refers to the past in
δείδοικα . . . μή σε παρείπῃ I fear it may prove that she beguiled thee A 555; cp. K 99,
ν 216,
ω 491 (after
ὁρῶ).
[*] 2229. The future is rare with verbs of fearing after
μή.
φοβοῦμαι δὲ μή τινας ἡδονὰ_ς ἡδοναῖς εὑρήσομεν ἐναντία_ς and I apprehend that we shall find some pleasures opposite to other
pleasures P. Phil. 13a. So with verbs of caution: ““
ὅρα_ μὴ πολλῶν ἑκάστῳ ἡμῶν χειρῶν δεήσει”
see to it lest each one of us may have need of many hands”
X. C. 4.1.18.
a. The future optative seems not to occur except in
X. H. 6.4.27,
X. M. 1.2.7,
P. Euth. 15d.
[*] 2230.
ὅπως μή with the subjunctive or optative is sometimes used instead of
μή after verbs of fear and caution to imply fear that something will happen.
οὐ φοβεῖ . . . ὅπως μὴ ἀνόσιον πρᾶγμα τυγχάνῃς πρά_ττων;
are you not afraid that you may chance to be doing an unholy deed? P. Euth. 4e,
ἡδέως γ᾽ ἄν (
θρέψαιμι τὸν ἄνδρα), ““
εἰ μὴ φοβοίμην ὅπως μὴ ἐπ᾽ αὐτόν με τράποιτο”
I should gladly keep the man if I did not fear lest he might turn against me”
X. M. 2.9.3; see also 2220 b.
[*] 2231.
ὅπως μή with the future indicative (as after verbs of
effort) is sometimes used instead of
μή with the subjunctive.
δέδοικα ὅπως μὴ . . . ἀνάγκη γενήσεται (
v. l. γένηται)
I fear lest a necessity may arise D. 9.75. The future optative occurs once (
I. 17.22). On
μή or
ὅπως μή with verbs of caution, see 2220 a.
[*] 2232. The potential optative with
ἄν is rarely used after
μή.
δεδιότες μὴ καταλυθείη ἂν (Mss.
καταλυθείησαν) ““
ὁ δῆμος”
fearful lest the people should be put down”
L. 13.51. The potential use is most evident when an optative occurs in the protasis:
εἰ δέ τινες φοβοῦνται μὴ ματαία_ ἂν γένοιτο αὕτη ἡ κατασκευή, εἰ πόλεμος ἐγερθείη, ἐννοησάτω ὅτι κτλ.
if some are afraid that this condition of things may prove vain, if war should arise, let them (
him)
consider that, etc.
X. Vect. 4.41.
II. FEAR RELATING TO THE PRESENT OR PAST
[*] 2233. Fear that something actually
is or
was is expressed by
μή with the indicative (negative
μὴ οὐ).
““
δέδοικα . . . μὴ πληγῶν δέει”
I fear that you need a beating”
Ar. Nub. 493, ““
ἀλλ᾽ ὅρα_ μὴ παίζων ἔλεγεν”
but have a care that he was not speaking in jest”
P. Th. 145b, ““
φοβούμεθα μὴ ἀμφοτέρων ἅμα ἡμαρτήκαμεν”
we are afraid that we have failed of both objects at once”
T. 3.53, ““
ὁρᾶτε μὴ οὐκ ἐμοὶ . . . προσήκει λόγον δοῦναι”
have a care lest it does not rest with me to give an account”
And. 1.103.
a. Contrast
φοβοῦμαι μὴ ἀληθές ἐστιν I fear that it is true with
φοβοῦμαι μὴ ἀληθὲς ᾖ I fear it may prove true (
2228).
b. The aorist occurs in Homer: ““
δείδω μὴ δὴ πάντα θεὰ_ νημερτέα εἶπεν”
I fear that all the goddess said was true”
ε 300.
OTHER CONSTRUCTIONS WITH VERBS OF FEARING
[*] 2234.
In Indirect Questions.—Here the ideas of fear and doubt are joined. Thus,
φόβος εἰ πείσω δέσποιναν ἐμήν (direct
πείσω;
1916)
I have my doubts whether I shall (
can)
persuade my mistress E. Med. 184,
τὴν θεὸν δ᾽ ὅπως λάθω δέδοικα (direct
πῶς λάθω;
1805)
I am fearful how I shall escape the notice of the goddess E. I. T. 995, ““
δέδοικα ὅ τι ἀποκρινοῦμαι”
I am afraid what to answer”
P. Th. 195c.
[*] 2235.
In Indirect Discourse with
ὡς (rarely
ὅπως)
that.—Verbs of fearing may have the construction of verbs of thinking and be followed by a dependent statement. This occurs regularly only when the expression of fear is negatived. Thus, ““
ἀνδρὸς δὲ τῇ θυγατρὶ μὴ φοβοῦ ὡς ἀπορήσεις”
do not fear that you will be at a loss for a husband for your daughter”
X. C. 5.2.12. Here
μή or
ὅπως μή would be regular. With
ὡς the idea is
fear,
thinking that.
[*] 2236.
With ὅτι (ὡς) Causal.—““
ἐφοβεῖτο ὅτι ἀπὸ Διὸς . . . τὸ ὄναρ ἐδόκει αὐτῷ εἶναι”
he was afraid because the dream seemed to him to be from Zeus”
X. A. 3.1.12.
[*] 2237.
With a Causal Participle.—
οὔτε τὴν ἀκρόπολιν . . . προδιδοὺς ἐφοβήθη nor was he terrified at having betrayed the Acropolis Lyc. 17.
[*] 2238.
With the Infinitive.—Verbs of fearing often take an object infinitive (present, future or aorist) with or without the article; and with or without
μή (
2741). Thus, ““
φοβήσεται ἀδικεῖν”
he will be afraid to injure”
X. C. 8.7.15, ““
οὐ φοβούμεθα ἐλασσώσεσθαι”
we are not afraid that we shall be beaten”
T. 5.105 (the future infinitive is less common than
μή with the subjunctive),
φυλαττόμενος τὸ λυ_πῆσαί τινα ( =
μὴ λυ_πήσω)
taking care to offend no one D. 18.258,
ἐφυλάξατο μὴ ἄπιστος γενέσθαι he took precautions not to become an object of distrust X. Ag. 8. 5.
a. With the articular infinitive,
φοβοῦμαι, etc. means simply
I fear; with the infinitive without the article,
φοβοῦμαι commonly has the force of
hesitate,
feel repugnance, etc. Cp.
φοβοῦμαι ἀδικεῖν and
φοβοῦμαι μὴ ἀδικεῖν;
I fear to do wrong (and do not do it);
φοβοῦμαι τὸ ἀδικεῖν I fear wrong-doing (in general, by myself or by another), like
φοβοῦμαι τὴν ἀδικία_ν.
[*] 2239.
With ὥστε of Result (after a verb of
caution).—
ἢν οὖν ἔλθωμεν ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς πρὶν φυλάξασθαι ὥστε μὴ ληφθῆναι if then we move against them before they take precautions (
so as)
not to be caught X. A. 7.3.35.
Part I: Letters, Sounds, Syllables, Accent
Part IV: Syntax
