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542. In Homer the conditional relative (like εἰ) sometimes takes κέ or ἄν with the optative, the particle apparently not affecting the sense. E.g. δέ κ᾽ ἔπειτα γήμαιθ᾽ ὅς κεν πλεῖστα πόροι καὶ μόρσιμος ἔλθοι, and she then would marry whoever might give the most gifts, etc. Od. xxi. 161. Ὥς κε . . . δοίη κ᾽ ἐθέλοι, “that he might give her to whomsoever he pleased.” Od. ii. 54.In these two cases ὃς πόροι and ἐθέλοι would be the common expressions. In Od. iv. 600, however, δῶρον δ᾽ ὅττι κέ μοι δοίης, κειμήλιον ἔστω, whatever gift you might choose to give me, etc., may be potential. Νῦν γάρ χ᾽ Ἕκτορ᾽ ἕλοις, ἐπεὶ ἂν μάλα τοι σχέδον ἔλθοι. Il. ix. 304. Ὃς τὸ καταβρόξειεν ἐπὴν κρητῆρι μιγείη, οὔ κεν ἐφημέριός γε βάλοι κατὰ δάκρυ παρειῶν, whoever should drink this when it was mingled in the bowl, would let no tear fall down his cheeks on that day. Od. iv. 222.So ἐπὴν . . . εἵην, Il. xxiv. 227.

One case occurs of ὅτε κε with the optative in a general relative sentence of past time: ἐπευθόμεθα . . . ὅτε κέν τιν᾽ ἐπιζάφελος χόλος ἵκοι, Il. ix. 525.

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