LESSON XVIII
Reading edition
Participles
The Greek participle has a large range of idiomatic and significant usages, which can only be learned by reading. For a start, however, it may be enough to say that the participle follows the leading verb of the sentence in many cases where both Latin and English use the infinitive, and that when joined with the definite article the participle performs the function of a relative clause in a less formal style; as if in English, instead of the man who used such language is not a gentleman, we should say the man the having used, which no doubt sounds very clumsy, because we require an auxiliary verb to express the past participle, but in Greek ὁ ταῦτα λέξας is manifestly neater and more succinct than ὃς ταῦτα ἔλεξε.
οὐκ ἀνέχομαι οὕτω διαβαλλόμενος, I cannot stand to be slandered in this way.
ἀμέλει· ἀμέλει· οἶδα τὸ ἀνθρωπάριον· χαίρει ἀεὶ βλασφημῶν κατὰ τῶν κρεισσόνων, never mind; never mind; I know the creature; it is his delight always to be speaking ill of men better than himself.
ποία τις ἦν ἡ βλασφημία; what was he slandering about?
ἐτύγχανον ἐγὼ ἐπαινῶν τινὰ τῶν δυνατῶν, ἄνδρα πλούσιον καὶ εὔφρονα καὶ σώφρονα ἐν Μαγκεστρίῳ· ὁ δὲ εὐθὺς ἤρξατο διαβάλλων ὁλοσχερῶς ἅπᾱσαν τήν τε ἀριστοκρατίαν καὶ πλουτοκρατίαν τὴν ἐν τῇ πόλει, I happened to be praising a gentleman of the influential classes in Manchester, rich and good and sensible, and forthwith he began to denounce in a sweeping style all the plutocracy and the aristocracy of the country.
φαίνεται διάβολος ὤν, καὶ ὡς ἀληθῶς συγγενὴς τοῦ Κακοδαίμονος, τοῦ Διαβόλου, he appears to be a calumniator, and a cousin-german of the evil Spirit, the Devil.
καὶ διετέλει ἐπηρεάζων, ὡς ἐμοῦ παρασίτου ὄντος καὶ ἀκολούθου τῆς βδελυκτῆς τῶν ὀλιγαρχῶν αἱρέσεως· πρὸς δὲ τούτοις τὰ τοιαῦτα λοιδορήματα ἐποίησε τυπωθῆναι ἐν ταῖς ἐφημερίσι, and he went on to use insolent language, saying (or implying) that I was a parasite and a flunkey of the detestable faction of the oligarchs; and in addition to all this he got this insulting language printed in the newspapers.
τοὺς τοιούτους ἀνθρώπους ἐχρῆν μαστίξαι· ὅμως, τὸ πρότερον λεχθέν, ἀμέλει. δηλός ἐστι νικήσας τὴν ὀργὴν ὁ λέγων ἀμέλει, such ill-tongued rascals should have been flogged; but, as I said before, never mind. It is plain that the man who says ἀμέλει has conquered his passion.
δυνατὰ λέγεις· ὅμως σύνοιδα ἐμαυτῷ τὴν τῶν Κυαικέρων ἀπάθειαν οὐκ ἐπαγγελλόμενος, possibly; but I am conscious that I do not profess the apathy of the Quaker.
ἀμέλει· ἀμέλει· τρὶς νῑκηφόρος ὁ νῑκήσας τὴν ὀργήν. βραχεῖα μανία ἡ ὀργή, never mind; never mind; he is three times conqueror who has conquered his passion. Anger is a brief madness.
English Affinities
Devil. Blasphemy. Dynamics. Dynasty. Plutocracy. Aristocracy. Cacodemon. Parasite. Heresy. Oligarchy. Type. Ephemeral. Apathy. Maniac.