τοσοῦτόν γ᾽ ἐξεπίστασθαι: cp. O. T. 1455“καίτοι τοσοῦτόν γ᾽ οἶδα” (and El. 332). Her. 7. 152“ἐπίσταμαι δὲ τοσοῦτο, ὅτι κ.τ.λ.” Here the omission of “ὅτι” adds vigour to εἰ ζῶν κ.τ.λ. εἰ … κρίνειν ἔμελλε, ‘if he had been going to award,’ ‘if it had devolved upon him to award.’ The imperfect (here referring to an unreal condition in past, not in present, time) is rightly used, because it expresses the constraint of a supposed situation. But in the apodosis, the aor., οὐκ ἄν τις ἔμαρψεν, is used, because the taking of the prize is an act done at a given moment. ὅπλων τῶν ὧν πέρι, i.e. in a case where they were the prize. Sophocles has “ὅς”, suus, (epic “ἑός”,) in O. T. 1248（“οἷσιν”), O. C. 1639 and Tr. 266（“ὧν”), ib. 525 (“ὅν”). Here it is emphatic: ‘his own arms,’—of which he could dispose with the best right. κρίνειν … κράτος ἀριστείας, to award the first place for prowess; cp. Pind. I. 7. 5“ἀέθλων..κράτος”, victory in them. For the pres. inf. “κρίνειν” with “ἔμελλε”, cp. Soph. O. C. 1774 n. ἔμαρψεν, praeripuisset; the prize due to Ajax was snatched from him. ἀντ᾽ ἐμοῦ: so Aesch. P. V. 467“οὔτις ἄλλος ἀντ᾽ ἐμοῦ”.
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Sophocles: The Plays and Fragments, with critical notes, commentary, and translation in English prose. Part VII: The Ajax. Sir Richard C. Jebb. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. 1907.
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