A grammar of the Homeric dialect - Wilbourhall.org

280.] PROHIBITION SUBORDINATE CLAUSES. 255
probable, however, that in such cases the Clause with p,T|
has acquired a subordinate
character, serving as Object to the Verb (thing feared) see 281.
;
On the other hand, the Clauses now in question are often explained by
supposing an ellipse of a Verb of fearing
:
^ pcri for 8t8o> /) /5effl.
This is open
to the objection that it separates Clauses which are essentially similar. For
A") P*V I witt n t have ^m ao (hence I fear he may do} is identical in form with
A"7 P*v s I wul n(>t have you do. In this case, then, we have the simple Sentence
fjtr)
into which it entered.
Thus in II.
per), as well as the Compound SeiSca pr) pegy,
Similar questions may arise regarding Final Clauses with JATJ.
i.
586-7 TfrXaOi, prjrep /j.rj,
. .
fj.rj ffe . . idcupai we may translate endure, mother ;
let me not see you &c., or (bringing the two Clauses more closely together) endure,
lest I see you &c. So in II. 8. 522, Od. 13. 208. No clear line can be drawn
between independent and subordinate Clauses : for the complex Sentence has
been formed gradually, by the agglutination of the simple Clauses.
The combination ^ ou prohibition of a negative
is extremely
rare in Homer. In II. 5. 2$3 jur) ro> juez; SeiVavre /xarr;-
(rerov ovb' eOtXrjrov, and II. 1 6. 128 JUIT/ 8r) vrjas e/Vcoo-t KOI OVKTL
VKTCL 7T\u>vTai, the Particles are in distinct Clauses. It occurs
in a Final Clause, II. i. 28 ^r\ vv rot ov xpa^M?? KT\., II. 24. 569 :
and after SetSw in II. 10. 39 8et8o> ov
jut^ rts rot KT\.
The Subj. in this use does not take KGV or $.v,
the prohibition
being always regarded as unconditional.
It is well known that the Present Subj. is not used as an Imperative
of Prohibition (with p]).
The rule is absolute in
Homer for the Second Person.
The Third Person is occasionally
used when fear (not command) is expressed ;
the instances are,
Od. 5. 356 (quoted above); 15. 19 jtxrj
v6 n . .
(/xfp^rat 16. ; 87 ^
IJLIV KeprojueWtzj. The restriction does not apply to the First
Person Plur., as II. 13. 292 jury/cert ravra Aeya>/xe0a. We shall
see that a corresponding rule forbids or restricts the use of ^
with the Aorist Imperative ( 327).
279.] Homeric and Attic uses. In Attic the use of the
Subj. in independent Clauses is either Hortatory, or Deliberative,
or Prohibitive. Thus the use with av ( 275, #), the use in Affirmation
( 275, and 1), the Negative uses (276) do not survive.
The Subjunctive in Subordinate Clauses.
280.] Clauses with T|e ife. Doubt or deliberation between
alternative courses of action is expressed by Clauses of the form
rje (TJ) rfe (rj)
with the Subj., dependent on a Verb such as
(Jbjuai, fjLp^j]pif(ti, &c., or an equivalent phrase
: e. g.
II. 4' 14- fl^eis Se (j)pa(&jJL0' OTTCOS eorat rae f/oya,
97 /5' CLVTIS 7roAejuoi> re K.OLK.OV Kal fyvXoinv alvrjv
opcro^v, r) (piXoTrjTa /xer' d/x,