- Cf. for instance, F. Sommer, Vergleichende Syntax der Schulsprachen, Leipzig, 1921, pp. 60/61, who first says ‘Ohne weiteres klar ist das praesens historicum’ and then speaks of ‘die aufgeregte Form’ of this present, which must be used only in ‘dramatisch-gespannter Darstellung.’ I quote here intentionally a more popular book, destined to be used in schools, but written by a scholar of high rank well versed in syntactical problems, especially of the classical languages.
- Caesar, Bellum Civile, I, 6, 8.
- J. M. Stahl, Kritisch-historische Syntax des griechischen Verbums der klassischen Zeit, Heidelberg, 1907, pp. 90 ff.
- Jacob Wackernagel, Vorlesungen über Syntax mit besonderer Berücksichtigung von Griechisch, Latein und Deutsch, Basel, 1920, Vol. I, pp. 162 ff.
- Op. cit., p. 171.
- I have adopted this term, which is used by Delbrück in his Vergleichende Syntax der indogermanischen Sprachen, in order to avoid the special connotations which have attached themselves in one way or another to most of the other terms that have been used to designate the same Aktionsart.
- Cf., for instance, F. Sommer, op. cit., p. 61: “Der ruhige Fluss der epischen Erzählung verrāt hier eine…. starke Abneigung gegen die aufgeregte Form des praesens historicum.” As will be shown later, this explanation errs also inasmuch as the ‘historical present’ in Greek, in contrast to Latin, is anything but ‘aufgeregt.’
- Herodotus I, 8 ff., especially I, 10, 2.
- Herodotus, I, 43.
- Herodotus III, 41, 2.
- Xenophon, Anabasis I, 1,3/4: ἐπεì δὲ ἐτελεύτησε Δαεϊoς καì κατέστη εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν ’Aρτα-ξέρξης, T.ισσαφέρνης διαβάλλει τòν Kῡρoν πρòς τòν ἀδελφòν ὡς ἐπιβoυλεύoι αὐτῷ. ὁ δὲ πείθεται καì συλλ-αμάνει Kῡρoν ὡς ảπoκτενѼν. ἡ δὲ μήτηρ ἑξαιτησαμένη αὐτòν ἀπoπέμπει πάλιν ἐπì τὴν ἀρχήν. ὁ δ’ ὡς ἀπῆλθε κινδυνεύσας καì ἀτιμασθείς, βoυλεύεται ὄπως μήπoτε ἔτι ἔσται ἐπì τῷ ἀδελφῷ, ἀλλά, ἣν δύνηται, βασιλεύσει ἀντ’ ἐκείνoυ.
- Cf., for instance, Anabasis, II, 5,31–34: ’Eπεì δὲ ἤσαν ἐπì θύραις ταĩς Tισσαφέρνoυς, oì μὲν στρατηγoì παρεκλήθσαν εἴσω, IIρóξενoς Boιώτιoς, Mένων Θετταλóς, ’Aγίας ’Aρκάς, Kλέαρχoς Λάκων, Σωκράτης ’Aχαιóς. oì δὲ λoχαoì ἐπì ταĩς θύραις ἔμενoν. oi πoλλῷ δὲ ὔστερoν ἀπò τo αὐτoῡ σημείoυ oἴ τ’ἔνδoν ξυνελαμβάνoντo καì oἱ ἔξω κατκòπησαν. μετὰ δὲ ταῡτα τѼν βαρβάρων τινές ἰππέων διὰ τoῡ πεδίoυ ἐλαύνoντες ᾢτινι ἐντυγχάνoιεν Ἕλληνι ἣ δoύλῳ ἣ ἐλευθέρῳ πάντας ἔκτεινoν. oἱ δὲ Ἕλληνες τήν τε ἰππασίαν ἐθαύμαζoν ἐκ τo στρατoπέδoυ ὁρѼντες καì ὄ τι ἐπoίoυν ἠμφεγνóoυν, πρìν Nίκαρχoς ’Aρκὰς ἤκε φεύγων τετωμένoς εἰς τὴν γαστέρα καì τὰ ἔντερα ἐν ταῑς χερσìν ἔχων, καì εἴπεπάντα τὰ γεγενημένα. ἐκ τoύτoυ δὴ oἱ Ἕλληνες ἔθεoν ἐπì τὰ ὄπλα πάντες ἐκπεπληγμένoι καì νoμίζoντες αὐτίκα ἤξειν αὐτoὺς ἐπì τò στρατóπεδoν.
- Published most conveniently in H. Diels, Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker, Vol. II, no. 71, B 1/2.
- Diog. Laert. I, 11, 119.
- Grenfell-Hunt, Greek Papyr. Ser. II, no. 11 p. 23.
- See supra, p. 187.
- Aeschylus, Persae, 181 ff.
- Cf., for instance, Plato, Symposion 217 C, 7: πρoκαλoῡμαι δὴ αὐτóν… an example to which my attention was drawn by my colleague, E. Kapp.
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