The Imperfect and the Aorist in Greek 9781463221867

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T h e Imperfect and the Aorist in Greek

A n a l e c t a Gorgiana

348 Series Editor George Anton Kiraz

Analecta Gorgiana is a collection of long essays and

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The Imperfect and the Aorist in Greek

C. W. E. Miller

w

1 gorgias press 2009

Gorgias Press LLC, 180 Centennial Ave., Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA www.gorgiaspress.com Copyright © 2009 by Gorgias Press LLC Originally published in All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise without the prior written permission of Gorgias Press LLC. 2009

1

ISBN 978-1-60724-602-2

ISSN 1935-6854

Extract from The A^merican Journal of Philology 16 (1895)

Printed in the LTnited States of America

THE

IMPERFECT

AND

THE

AORIST

IN

GREEK,

185

Conclusion. At the close of this report of the facts of Polybian usage, the writer of this article would state that he has discussed in foot-notes only some of the many points that seemed to require a word of comment. He regrets very much that lack of space and time alike precluded any attempt at doing more. But, after all, the main object of this paper has been accomplished. Hultsch's elaborate treatise has received a portion at least of the attention it justly deserves. It is true, Hultsch has not been very successful in the treatment of the theoretical side of his subject. W e find him dallying with theories and formulae that ought to be dead and buried, and when he does embrace more modern formulae, we are horrified to see that they are—ambiguous. But the subject is a very evasive one. Some of the best scholars have been deluded by its snares and will continue to be deluded, unless methods of investigation different from those in common vogue shall be pursued. W h a t is needed in the first place is a broader study of the possibilities of Greek tense-usage by comparison with other languages, particularly the mother-tongue, and by that we mean more than simply defining a tense on the basis of a possible translation, or concluding that two tenses are practical equivalents if the same translation happens to make good sense in either case. Too much of this has been done heretofore, to the neglect of the larger study of the principles upon which the tense-usage of any particular language rests, and hence the study of the tenses has often remained but a comparatively fruitless attempt. The next step to take is to engage in a most minute and exhaustive study of the facts of the use of the tenses in Greek. It is in this respect that Hultsch's work has been of inestimable service. Though not absolutely exhaustive on all points, it has nevertheless been conducted on a vastly more generous scale than more pretentious treatises, and though his theoretical reasonings and the inferences he draws from his statistics are in a large measure unsound, nevertheless the valuable addition made by Hultsch to our knowledge of the facts of the language will more than compensate for his shortcomings in other directions. C. W . E . MILLER.

AMERICAN

JOURNAL OF V O L . X V I , 2.

I.—THE

IMPERFECT

PHILOLOGY WHOLE

AND

THE AORIST

IN

NO. 62.

GREEK.

A l l students of Greek syntax are familiar, or should be familiar, with the great activity that has recently been displayed in the investigation of the use of the G r e e k tenses. O f the various publications on this subject that have appeared from time to time, there came to hand in 1892 a portion of a work b y Fr. Hultsch 1 which, from the v e r y start, by its scope and method o f treatment, attracted a great deal of attention, and the completion of which was awaited with eager expectation. N o w that the work has been completed and sufficient time has elapsed to dispel the first enthusiasm and to make room for calm and sober j u d g m e n t , there seems to be the need of a somewhat elaborate review comprising a thorough criticism of the theoretical portions of the work and a summary of the most important details of Polybian tense-usage. T h e following paper is in the main an attempt to supply this want, at least partially; but it is only fair to state that it also partakes of the nature of an independent contribution b y furnishing a certain amount of material derived from the writer's own investigations and observations. In addition to a few prefatory remarks, Hultsch's work comprises 32 chapters, which m a y be divided into seven parts as follows: Part I (chapter I) contains the author's theory of the narrative tenses. Part II (chaps. I I - I V ) gives a conspectus of 1 Die erzählenden Zeitformen bei Polybios. Ein Beitrag zur Syntax der gemeingriechischen Sprache von Friedrich Hultsch. Abhandl. d. K . S. Gesellsch. d. Wissensch., Band X I I I , No. I, S. I-2IO, u. I V , S. 347-468 ; Band X I V , No. I, S. i-xoo. Leipzig, 1891-93.

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the general use of the imperfect in Polybios. Part I I I (chaps. V - X X V I I ) treats of the imperfect and aorist with reference to certain classes of verbs. A chapter on the use of the imperfect and aorist in combination with adverbs of haste is inserted supplementary to the consideration of verbs signifying to make haste, and chaps. X V - X X V I I are reserved for the discussion of such verbs as are especially important from the point of view of textual criticism. Part I V (chap. X X V I I I ) is devoted to the aorist exclusively. Part V (chaps. X X I X - X X X ) treats of the change from the imperfect to the aorist, or vice versa, wilhin the compass of a single period or in closely connected sentences. Part V I (chap. X X X I ) disposes of the historical present, and Part V I I concludes the entire work with a chapter ( X X X I I ) on the pluperfect. A s for the introductory remarks, it was somewhat of a disappointment to find on p. 4 the statement that the investigation was not exhaustive, but was based on a collection of only between six and seven thousand examples. T o be sure, Hultsch tells us that he has tried to omit no forms that seemed to be of any importance, that he has been unwilling to decide matters upon the basis of mere numbers, and that any considerable increase in the material would only have increased the difficulty of getting a comprehensive view of the whole ; still, when one reflects that in the first five books of Polybios alone there are nearly 6000 examples of only 1 imperfect and aorist indicative; that what may appear uninteresting at one stage of an investigation may appear quite important at another; that while numbers may not be sufficient of themselves to determine a principle, they yet form a most important and sometimes absolutely indispensable element of investigation— when all this is borne in mind, one cannot always dispel an ominous foreboding that an exhaustive exhibit might possibly reveal essentially different results, and a contradiction like that mentioned below, p. 164, is certainly not calculated to allay one's distrust. Nevertheless, it is due our author to say that in more than one case he has really taken the pains (o collect all the examples of a given usage, and that in many other instances the irresistible impression is made that absolute completeness, though not distinctly claimed, has for all that been aimed at. T h e first chapter, as has been stated, treats of the general theory of the narrative tenses. Hultsch is to be congratulated ' H u l t s c h ' s collections are not confined to i m p e r f e c t a n d aorist ind.

THE

IMPERFECT

AND

THE

AORIST

IN

GREEK.

141

upon having quietly accorded to all the tenses used in the narration of past events, the right of bearing the name of narrative. Such a procedure does away with the perplexing question as to which tense is the narrative tense par excellence, and it is to be hoped that the statement in Kühner, Gr. Gr.2, p. 135 (cf. Krüg., §53, 6), will be suitably modified in the forthcoming edition. But if we are doomed to face the problem anew, it would be well to bear in mind that possibly the imperfect possesses greater claims to that distinction than the aorist. Delbrück (Synt. Forsch. IV, p. 103) puts in a mild plea for the claims of the imperfect as "Tempus der Erzählung," but as it may be objected that he takes too narrow a view of the matter, and as the limitation he would impose upon the meaning of the word Erzählung certainly does not apply to our English word narrative, the question plainly resolves itself into one of numbers. Now, Koch has lately shown the overwhelming preponderance of the imperfect over the aorist in the first four books of Xenophon's Anabasis, and though he is inclined to overrate the value of Xenophon as evidence, and though his field of observation is dangerously small and the inferences drawn by him are not entirely correct,1 it nevertheless remains a fact that the Greek is not at all shy of the use of the imperfect, and, for classic Greek, to judge from the figures given below, it would seem that the imperfect tense forms a larger constituent of historical narrative than does the aorist. These figures will also serve to correct any erroneous impression as to the universal preponderance of the imperfect that the reading of Koch's article may have produced, and though the figures speak for themselves, it might be worth while to point out specially that while Xenophon is so fond of the imperfect in the Anabasis, he is perfectly capable of indulging in an excess of aorist, as will appear from the fact that in the first book of the Hellenica the proportion of imperfects and aorists of the Anabasis is almost exactly reversed. ' Cf. Gildersleeve, A. J. P. X I V , p. 104 ff.

TABLE1 SHOWING

FREQUENCY

OF I M P E R F E C T A N D

INDICATIVE IN HISTORICAL

Herodotos, Book V I I , " " ( o m i t t i n g yv), Book V I I I , " " ( o m i t t i n g yv), T h u c y d i d e s , Book V I I , " " ( o m i t t i n g yv), " "

"

Kyr., Book I, " " (om. èé/f),

" "

" " " "

"

"

"

"

(om. yv a n d eV OIKCTWV ovöiva KareXiTTtv aW airavra ireiTpaKt, but it also serves as a substitute for the perfect (cf. Gildersleeve, A . J . P. IV 429) ; and more than this, even the perfect approaches the aorist when the perfect is dated. But it is high time to pass from these purely theoretical discussions to the consideration of the most important facts of Polybian usage. For the sake of brevity and clearness, the substance of Hultsch's statements will be presented at the top of the page, and such occasional remarks as the writer may feel called upon to make will be placed in notes at the bottom of the page. Chaps. I I - I V . The three great uses of the Imperfect.—Chap. II. T h e imperfect of duration {Dauer) is common in Polybios, though there is no mistaking the fact that wherever practicable 1

F o r a f u l l e r discussion of P o l y b i o s ' u s a g e see p. 180 f.

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PHILOLOGY.

the action is viewed as preparatory or developing;, and so there are many more examples of the imperfect of evolution (.Entwickelung) than of the imperfect of duration, and even some of the instances of the latter might very well be classed under the former. T h e notion of duration undoubtedly prevails in such passages as ¿iroXepovv iv tois ¿£rjs xP°vols tovs aoTvyttTovas Polyb. i, 6, 3. Cf. 1, 6, 4. 7. 7, 10. 20, 5. etc. Also in imperfects like evboKinei I, 52, I ; SirjnicTTovv 4, 71, 6 and others. Next are to be noted the durative forms oiSeie fYoA/ia 3, 6, 10. 14, 9, and fWpaTo 3, 14, 10, ¿-KtipaTo elsewhere being an imperfect of evolution. T h e notion of duration is especially prominent when the imperfect occurs side by side with the pluperfect, as e. g. in rrd7rXios irapa to'is 'Pa>fj.aiots ydoget Kat bie^Xifro

I, 52, 2.

Cf. 2, i 8 , I. 10, 15, 3. 27, 12.

Quite in conformity with the real nature of the imperfect, it designates the duration of minor actions that parallel a principal action. This use of the imperfect of duration is especially conspicuous in clauses introduced by yap. Cf. 4, 67, 1-3. 86, 8-87, 2 and 87, 5. Here belongs also the use of the imperfect in explanatory relative clauses and the use of the imperfect in temporal clauses, though this latter construction is rather less common. Examples of the imperfect in temporal clauses are 29, 19, 7 f. 22, 5, 10. 5, 68, 1. 3, 116, 10. Not uncommon is the use of the Greek imperfect in explanatory dependent sentences where the English would use the progressive form of the past perfect, but if the completion is specially to be emphasized, the pluperfect is used in such clauses also. The imperfect of duration is used of actions that are viewed with special reference to other contemporaneous actions, or, in other words, where there is a synchronism. It is the rule with verbs signifying to expect, await, endure (npoo-tKapTepm, err,pa, eVfnJpef, 7rpoa(S6K(ov, eKapaSoxei, aiieicapaSoKei,

av-, Tipotr-, npoaave-

Se^eTo), and it is especially frequent with ¡icva and its compounds, though here the aorist is not infrequently used where the imperfect might be expected. 1 Closely connected with the idea of a past duration is the idea of a past repetition. T h e repetition is often specially indicated by the use of adverbs. T h e imperfect is the rule, though in exceptional cases a repeated action may be viewed as consummated (abgeschlossen), and then the aorist will be used. Cf. 1, 1

S e e b e l o w , p . 1 7 5 f.

THE IMPERFECT

AND

THE AORIST

IN GREEK.

153

2, 2 ¿trams (To\prj(rav virepfirjvat rovt rrji 'Ktrias opovs, ov fxovov vwip Trje apx^js aXXa xal vept a(pa>i' iKivhvvevaav. T h e imperfect of duration also embraces many imperfects of such verbs as aytiv, exeiv a n d iaravai, which will receive separate treatment hereafter, 1 and lastly it is to be noted that many an imperfect of evolution may also be viewed as an imperfect of duration. Chap. III. T h e imperfect is often used by Polybios to express the evolution of an action, or to describe an event. For in the words of Polybios (5, 21, 6), fiovkoptda navret 01/% OVTCOS TO yeyovos u>5 to v a t ¿yevero yivuarKew. T h e mere occurrence of an action is expressed by the aorist, but the how of the action, the circumstances under which it takes place, the peculiar way in which it was executed, are expressed by the imperfect. T h e action that is in the process of evolution may sometimes be expressly designated as in its first stages. S o in rjpx^T0 rrjs iroXiopKtas 10, 31, 7 2 and in five other similar passages, or when ras fiep apxas, Kara p,tv ras apxas, TO /xec TTpoirop and similar expressions are used to introduce the clause containing the imperfect. T h e principal events of a war are narrated in the aorist, but the imperfect is the tense used to indicate the temper and the circumstances under which the opposing parties enter the war.—/¿e'XXm in the sense o f ' t o be on the point of, be minded' is used only in the durative forms, no matter what the tense of the dependent infinitive, and Hultsch expressly states that he does not remember coming across a single aorist of ¡xiKKeiv in the above signification/ ' C f , chaps. X , X I I , X V , X V I and X X I V . It might be w e l l to note that the action that is represented as b e i n g in its first stages is contained in the g e n i t i v e in five of the six instances cited by Hultsch, and in the infinitive in the r e m a i n i n g instance. T h e mere fact that apxeoBai means begin does not account for the tense of ypxero. In Polybios, e. g., w e read RIJR EIRL TO "KTLOV ijpgavTO IRPOKOTRR/R r, 12, 7 ; iy\^I(tuv ypgavro 2, 2

71, 7; f/ps-avro avfitppoveiv 4, 1, 6; ijp^aro ?.oidopelv 5, 49, 3; r;p$cno npoadyciv 5, 99, 10, and so the aorist in ten other passages, cited by H . I V , p. 451. I n T h u c y d i d e s there are only two imperfects of apxsadai as compared with sixteen aorists indicative. I n D e m o s t h e n e s only one imperfect indicative is used over against seven aorists indicative. Further to be noted in this connection is the fact that the regular tense of the infinitive d e p e n d e n t upon ap%sv and 8icT0 14, 4, 7 - 1 0 ; an-c^mpou!! 3, 67, 2 f.; (ttouito rr/p aTToxaprjcriv and ¿7re)(a>/)ovv 4, 69, I—7. N o t e w o r t h y are the imperfects of bia^deipeiv, cmoWvpu, cmodvya-Ka and the like.

Specially interesting is the imperfect Siicfidelpovro of 3, 84, 8 as compared with the aorist Siecpdaprjo-av of §10. T h e aorist in this case briefly states the final issue; the imperfect expresses precisely the same fact, but there is connected with it the subjective coloring to which the name of description (.Schilderung) has here been applied. T h e imperfect is the favorite tense in the description of battles, sieges and other similar military operations. Cf. 1, 2 3 , 3 - 1 0 ; 1,50, 8 - 5 1 , 1 2 ; 2 , 2 9 , 5 - 3 1 , 2 ; 3 , 7 2 - 7 4 ; 4 , 7 1 , 8 - 1 1 ; 9,3, 1 - 4 ; 10,12-15. T h e reXof iytKivavTes (ijivyov at the close of the description of the naval battle off Mylae 1, 23, 3-10 and the re'W rpairevres Ufavyov in the narrative of the capture of Psophis 4, 71, 8 - 1 1 furnish the means for a very instructive comparison. In the former case the aorist e$vyov represents the decisive event, in the latter the imperfect efavyov2 forms one of the elements of description, and the decisive event is narrated with the help of the aorists eVe/3?-¡aav and rjvayicaaav. the largest portion of these forms is used in the sense indicated above. Of aorists there are only seven. O n e of these aorists is used in the sense of tarry and is a participle ; two aorist participles and three aorists indicative are used as substitutes for the pluperfect, and one is used parallel with an aorist in the

sentence £v /levroi ru —o/.twj oiidev kti—pETTEGTepov vtzo y/uuv ovre siradere ovre e/isAlyaaTs T h u c . 3, 55, 2. A closer search might possibly reveal an instance or two of the aorist even in Polybios. JCf.

p. 147 of this paper. T h e case of ifevyov is hardly fairly stated. lsvyov means, as a rule, ' t h e y took to their heels, started to run,' without stating w h e t h e r their efforts were successful, this being implied by the aorist. So in this case the esvyov merely tells us that those in the city started for the acropolis (vi jiiv in rys tvo'Asus 2

THE

IMPERFECT

AND

THE

AORIST

IN

GREEK.

155

Chaps. V - X X V I I . A s indicated a b o v e , p. 140, chapters V X X V I I treat of the imperfect and the aorist of certain classes o f verbs, chaps. X V - X X V I I b e i n g reserved for such verbs as are specially important from the point of view of textual criticism. E v e r y w h e r e P o l y b i o s ' fondness for the imperfect of evolution and the imperfect of description is plainly seen. T h e use of the aorist is treated a l o n g with that of the imperfect. T h e discussion leads o f f with chap. V . Verbs of Endeavor (exclusive of ¿mfiaWfo-dai). T h e so-called imperfect of e n d e a v o r (conatus) is closely related to the use of the imperfects ripxaptiv,1 epiXXov and the like, discussed a b o v e in chap. I I I . S18ovai a n d Treiddv, as elsewhere, so in P o l y b ios, furnish striking e x a m p l e s of this use. B u t as a general rule, w h e n the mere attempt of an action is to be recorded, P o l y b i o s uses an e x p r e s s verb of endeavor, usually Keipac-dai, with the infinitive. In narrative, the tense most frequently used is the imperfect, 2 and the dependent infinitive is likewise durative. H u l t s c h cites 30 e x a m p l e s of this durative combination, but has noted but a single e x a m p l e ( 1 1 , 17, 4) to show the exceptional use of the aorist infinitive with the durative forms of Treipaadai. O n l y four e x a m p l e s of the aorist of nfipaa-dai h a v e been noted, a n d in each case the dependent infinitive is likewise in the aorist. A n e x a m p l e each o f the aorist and o f the imperfect of the active neipav without the infinitive are r e c o r d e d . O f dn-cmeipao-Oai with the genitive and Karaneipa&iv with the genitive or without an object, the durative forms seem to be the rule, and none other are cited, eyxeipeiv and iVi^iipc« in P o l y b i o s t a k e either the dative (one e x a m p l e of npos with the acc. is cited) or the infinitive. Ten e x a m p l e s of the imperfect of these verbs and about 20 instances of the aorist are noted. 3 A s to the tense of the d e p e n d e n t infinitive, there is no rule as there is in the case of iruparrBai (see a b o v e ) a n d o f trvupaivew and a-vyKvpeiv (see below, chap. X I X ) . Tpa-evret; i£vyov iravreQ 7-pog rt/v anpo^oAiv), and they are left in their flight (ol ¡ilv OVV iroxpidioi ¡ISTO, TEKviov aal yvvaiKCjv it~::x''>i>lin'iv rVv Q-tipav, liiia TOVTOL£ ol Ttept rov JZvpiTridav, u n t i l in § 1 3 i n f o r m a t i o n is g i v e n of tlieir safe arrival ONO'IGJR T]E NAI

TO

AOLTTOV

77/'i](H>c

TUV

¿uiGu^ophtJv).

koinyov then, in the

above

p a s s a g e , c a n h a r d l y b e c o u n t e d as a p u r e l y s u b j e c t i v e i m p e r f e c t of d e s c r i p t i o n , a n d the s a m e , b y the w a y , m a y also be said of m o r e than o n e o f the i m p e r f e c t s a b o v e c i t e d b y H u l t s c h as m o d e l i n s t a n c e s of such a use. 1

B u t see our note o n f/pxero, p. 153.

2

T h u c , also p r e f e r s the i m p e r f e c t of ireipaadai, no aorist i n d i c a t i v e o c c u r r i n g .

3

B o t h i m p e r f e c t a n d aorist i n d i c a t i v e of sirixEipsTv are u s e d in T h u c y d i d e s

also, b u t the aorist i n d i c a t i v e is m o r e c o m m o n t h a n t h e i m p e r f e c t .

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T h e imperfects of ¿y^upttv and eVixeipeiy are found not only with the present infinitive, but also with the aorist, whilst fvexttprjcra is used but once with the aorist infinitive, the present being elsewhere used. Similar variations in the tense of the dependent infinitive are found also in the case of ¿Tn^a\\ea8ai and of verbs signifying to ' m a k e haste.' All these variations are not the result of chance, but are designed by the author. Chap. V I . Expressions of Doubt and Perplexity,—The predominant use of the imperfect in the case of numerous verbs and expressions of doubt and perplexity is the natural consequence of the meaning of such expressions. Besides ¿nopeiv and its compounds may be mentioned 7Tupe'xeiv nvi anopiav, bvs, ra^v, Kara ra^oi, Ti)v Ta^i'arr/i', and One Or two Others. There are four points of view that may determine the choice of the tenses—two for the aorist and two for the imperfect. On the one hand, any sudden, immediate action may convey to the narrator the notion of 'entrance into reality' (Eintritt in die Wirklichkeit) or that of a sudden, abrupt conclusion (kurz abgeschlossen), and this will call for the aorist. On the other hand, the startling character of a sudden, unexpected action may have the tendency to attract general attention, or that which is done rapidly and hastily may suggest the idea of something imperfect, something in the state of evolution, and so we should expect the imperfect—in the one case that of description, in the other that of evolution. T h e above-mentioned adverbs are so frequently used with verbs of sending that an exhibit of this use is here given independently of the later special treatment of verbs of sending: Out of 57 instances noted, the aorist occurs 24 times, the imperfect 33 times; the use of the imperfect with evdems, tidis, napavrUa is more than three times as common as that of the aorist; with irapaxprj/j-a, however, there is a decided preponderance of the aorist; in the case of other adverbs of this class, the imperfect and the aorist are found with about the same degree of frequency. The great frequency of the imperfect of ayeic and compounds with adverbs meaning 'forthwith' is also to be noted. Following is a summary of all the instances recorded of the use of the imperfect and aorist indicative with the above class of adverbs. The first of the two figures accompanying each adverb or adverbial phrase designates the number of the imperfects, the second the number

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of the aorists. irpocrTaTTeiv — , 4 ; trvvTCLTTCiv

indess n i c h t in der w i r k l i c h g e s c h e h e n e n A u s f ü h r u n g das W e s e n des A o r i s t s l i e g t , z e i g e n die S t e l l e n [ P s . - D e m . 50] 53 und 50." s o m e t h i n g w h o l l y different from keaevelv.

B u t , a f t e r all, -npocTarTEiv is

ttpogtclttelv

a n d e s p e c i a l l y Eirtrdrreiv

are the w o r d s used of a p e r e m p t o r y c o m m a n d , w h i l e ke\eveiv m a y be a m e r e incitare, and e v e n in its strongest sense seems not to h a v e b e e n as harsh to the l i b e r t y - l o v i n g G r e e k as the other t w o words.

T h i s difference, among other

things, s e e m s to be r e f l e c t e d in the use of the w o r d s in ordinary A t t i c prose. F o r , if T h u c y d i d e s a n d D e m o s t h e n e s m a y be r e g a r d e d as r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s of o r d i n a r y prose and if the writer's m e m o r y serves him c o r r e c t l y , mirärTEiv is less c o m m o n than TrpoaraT-Eiv, and keTlevsiv is very m u c h more c o m m o n

than

e i t h e r , * a n d , in the m a t t e r o f tenses, the aorist is the narrative tense of iixiTaTteiv a n d Trpoar&TTEiv, w h i l s t the i m p e r f e c t is the favorite narrative tense o f ne?tevo>. T h i s s t a t e m e n t is partially b a s e d on the i n d e x e s .

P o s s i b l y in P l a t o

also, to j u d g e b y the a m o u n t of space g i v e n to the words, Trpoa-aTTeiv is used more f r e q u e n t l y than sirlt6.ttelv, e i t h e r of the two.

though keAeveiv s e e m s to be less f r e q u e n t than

I t m i g h t be w e l l , for purposes of comparison, to note the

f o l l o w i n g statistics

for the

i m p e r f e c t and

aorist ind. act. r e s p e c t i v e l y

of

EmraTTEiv, irpoaraTTEiv a n d keIeveiv :

1

Impf.

Aor.

Thuc.

-

2

Dem.

I

3

npouraTTeLV.

Impf.

Aor.

5

27

3

W h e n H u l t s c h , p. 103, 1. 7 f., says " d o c h sind als solche deren I m p e r f e c t

n i c h t m i n d e r häufig als der A o r i s t g e b r a u c h t w i r d , zu v e r z e i c h n e n svirdTTeiv u n d keKeveiv"

it is a source o f a s t o n i s h m e n t to find in the a b o v e t a b l e , w h i c h

shows (see 1. c., p. 109) " w i e

I m p e r f e c t und A o r i s t in der H ä u f i g k e i t

des

V o r k o m m e n s sich zu e i n a n d e r v e r h a l t e n , " as m a n y as 21 i m p e r f e c t s of ne/sveiv to o n l y 12 aorists, but one is s i m p l y a m a z e d to find o n l y 5 i m p e r f e c t s to 10 aorists of imraTTEiv.

W h i c h of these two s t a t e m e n t s is to be b e l i e v e d , that

on p. 103 or that on p. 109?

O r is neither to be t r u s t e d ?

If exhaustiveness

h a d b e e n a i m e d at, one w o u l d h a v e s u p p o s e d , from a c o m p a r i s o n w i t h the statistics of T h u c y d i d e s a n d D e m o s t h e n e s , that the figures in the table w e r e about correct a n d that the s t a t e m e n t on p. 103 w a s s i m p l y an o v e r s i g h t on H u l t s c h ' s part. * Hence correct the statement of Cobet, N . L . , p. 47: " evnacraeiv T r a g i c o m m est, Comici irpoo-raTTeif dicebant.' 1 There seems to be absolutely no foundation for this statement. 7rpo