ἆρ᾽ ἴστε, “ὡς, εἰ χρείη λέγειν ἀοιδὰς καὶ γόους πρὸ τοῦ θανεῖν, οὐδ᾽ εἶς ἂν παύσαιτο (λέγων);” The constr. would have been clearer with “λέγων” instead of λέγειν, but the latter has naturally been conformed to “χρείη”. The conject. “παύσειεν” is admissible (cp. O. C. 1751 “παύετε θρῆνον, παῖδες”), but unnecessary, and scarcely probable. Prof. Postgate's suggestion, that ἀοιδὰς καὶ γόους are objects to ἴστε, is tenable; but against it is the fact that in such cases the object of the principal verb is almost invariably the anticipated subject of the dependent clause (as O. C. 1197 “γνώσει κακοῦ ι θυμοῦ τελευτὴν ὡς κακὴ προσγίγνεται”); as if here we had, “ἆρ᾽ ἴστ᾽ ἀοιδὰς ὡς μακραί εἰσι”; An object is very rarely so anticipated, as in Isae. or. 10 § 18, “ἴσως οὖν ἄν τις...τὸν χρόνον ὑμῶν θαυμάσειε, πῶς ποτε πολὺν οὕτως εἰάσαμεν.” οὐδ᾽ ἂν εἷς, more emphatic than “οὐδεὶς ἄν”: O. T. 281 n.
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