[*] 96. A present or aorist infinitive (without ἄν) not in indirect discourse is still a verbal noun so far that it expresses no time except such as is implied in the context. Thus, when it depends on a verb of wishing or commanding or any other verb whose natural object is a future action, or when it expresses purpose, it is future without regard to its tense; as, in βούλομαι νικᾶν (or νικῆσαι), I wish to be victorious (or to gain victory), the infinitive expresses time only so far as the noun νίκην would in βούλομαι νίκην. Likewise, when the present or aorist infinitive (without ἄν) has the article, except in the rare cases in which it stands in indirect discourse (794), it has no reference to time in itself; as in τὸ γνῶναι ἐπιστήμην λαβεῖν ἐστιν, to learn is to obtain knowledge, where γνῶναι expresses time only as the noun γνῶσις would in its place. E.g.
- Ἔξεστι μένειν, it is possible to remain.
- Ἐξέσται τοῦτο ποιεῖν, it will be possible to do this.
- Δέομαι ὑμῶν μένειν, I beg you to remain.
- “Τί τὸ κωλῦον ἔτ᾽ αὐτὸν ἔσται βαδίζειν ὅποι βούλεται,” “what will there be to prevent him from going whither he pleases?” DEM. i. 12.
- Ἐκέλευσα αὐτὸν τοῦτο ποιεῖν, I commanded him to do this.
- Ἐβούλετο σοφὸς εἶναι, he wished to be wise.
- Δεινός ἐστι λέγειν, he is skilled in speaking.
- Ὥρα βαδίζειν, it is time to be going.
- “Πᾶν ποιοῦσιν ὥστε δίκην μὴ διδόναι,” “they do everything so as to avoid being punished.” PLAT. Gorg. 479 C .
- “Τὸ μὲν οὖν ἐπιτιμᾶν ἴσως φήσαι τις ἂν ῥᾴδιον εἶναι, τὸ δ᾽ ὅ τι δεῖ πράττειν ἀποφαίνεσθαι, τοῦτ᾽ εἶναι συμβούλου,” “some one may say that finding fault is easy, but that showing what ought to be done is the duty of an adviser.” DEM. i. 16. (Ἐπιτιμᾶν, ἀποφαίνεσθαι, and πράττειν belong here; but εἶναι in both cases is in indirect discourse, 117.)
- “Οὐ πλεονεξίας ἕνεκεν ταῦτ᾽ ἔπραξεν, ἀλλὰ τῷ δικαιότερα τοὺς Θηβαίους ἢ ὑμᾶς ἀξιοῦν,” “he did this not from love of gain, but because of the Thebans making juster demands than you.” Id. vi. 13.
- “Ἐτειχίσθη δὲ Ἀταλάντη νῆσος, τοῦ μὴ λῃστὰς κακουργεῖν τὴν Εὔβοιαν,” “in order to prevent pirates from ravaging Euboea.” THUC. ii. 32.
- “Πόλεώς ἐστι θάνατος ἀνάστατον γενέσθαι,” “it is death for a city to be laid waste.” LYCURG. 61.
- “Ὥσπερ τῶν ἀνδρῶν τοῖς καλοῖς κἀγαθοῖς αἱρετώτερόν ἐστι καλῶς ἀποθανεῖν ἢ ζῆν αἰσχρῶς, οὕτω καὶ τῶν πόλεων ταῖς ὑπερεχούσαις λυσιτελεῖν （ ἡγοῦντο ）ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀφανισθῆναι μᾶλλον ἢ δούλαις ὀφθῆναι γενομέναις,” “as it is preferable for honourable men to die (aorist) nobly rather than to continue living (present) in disgrace, so also they thought that it was better (present) for the pre-eminent among states to be (at once) made to disappear (aorist) from among men, than to be (once) seen (aorist) to fall into slavery.” ISOC. iv. 95.
- “Πέμπουσιν ἐς τὴν Κέρκυραν πρέσβεις, δεόμενοι μὴ σφᾶς περιορᾶν φθειρομένους, ἀλλὰ τούς τε φεύγοντας ξυναλλάξαι σφίσι καὶ τὸν τῶν βαρβάρων πόλεμον καταλῦσαι,” “asking them not to allow them to be destroyed, but to bring their exiles to terms with them, and to put an end to the barbarians' war.” THUC. i. 24.
- “Τὸ γὰρ γνῶναι ἐπιστήμην που λαβεῖν ἐστιν,” “to learn is to obtain knowledge.” PLAT. Theaet. 209 E
- “Πάντες τὸ καταλιπεῖν αὐτὰ πάντων μάλιστα φεύγομεν,” “we all try most of all to avoid leaving them behind.” XEN. Mem. ii. 2, 3.
- “Οὐ γὰρ τὸ μὴ λαβεῖν τἀγαθὰ οὕτω γε χαλεπὸν ὥσπερ τὸ λαβόντα στερηθῆναι λυπηρόν” Id. Cyr. vii. 5, 82.
- “Τοῦ πιεῖν ἐπιθυμία,” “the desire of obtaining drink.” THUC. vii. 84.
- Κελεύει αὐτὸν ἐλθεῖν, he commands him to go.
- Ἐκέλευσεν αὐτὸν ἐλθεῖν, he commanded him to go.
- Κελεύσει αὐτὸν ἐλθεῖν, he will command him to go.
- “Πρὸς τῷ μηδὲν ἐκ τῆς πρεσβείας λαβεῖν, τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους ἐλύσατο,” “besides receiving nothing from the embassy, he ransomed the captives.” DEM. xix. 229.
- “Ει πρὸ τοῦ τοὺς Φωκέας ἀπολέσθαι ψηφίσαισθε βοηθεῖν,” “if before the destruction of the Phocians you should vote to go to their assistance.” Id. xviii. 33.
- “Τὰς αἰτίας προὔγραψα, τοῦ μή τινα ζητῆσαί ποτε ἐξ ὅτου τοσοῦτος πόλεμος κατέστη,” “that no one may ever ask the reason why, etc.” THUC. i. 23.
- “Τὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ γενέσθαι ταῦτ᾽ ἀγῶνα,” “the contest to prevent these from being done.” DEM. xviii. 201.
