Chapter VI
The Participle.
[*] 821.
As the infinitive is a verbal noun, so the participle is a
verbal adjective; both retaining all the attributes of a verb which are
consistent with their nature.
[*] 822.
The participle has three uses:—first, it may express
an
attribute, qualifying a noun like an
ordinary adjective (
824-831); secondly, it may define the
circumstances under which the action of the sentence takes
place (
832-876);
thirdly, it may be joined to a verb to
supplement its meaning, often having a force resembling that of
the infinitive (
877-919).
[*] 823.
The distinction between the second and third of these classes
is less clearly marked than that between the first and the two others:
thus in
ἥδεται τιμώμενος,
he delights in being honoured, the
participle is generally classed as supplementary
(881), although it expresses cause
(838). Even an
attributive participle may also be circumstantial; as
ὁ μὴ δαρεὶς ἄνθρωπος,
the unflogged man
(824), involves a
condition. The three classes are, nevertheless, sufficiently distinct
for convenience, though the lines (like many others in syntax) must not
be drawn so strictly as to defeat their object.
Attributive Participle.
[*] 824.
The participle may qualify a noun, like an attributive
adjective. Here it may often be translated by a finite verb and a
relative, especially when it is preceded by the article. E.g.
- Πόλις
κάλλει διαφέρουσα, a city
excelling in beauty.
- Ἀνὴρ
καλῶς πεπαιδευμένος, a man
(who has been) well educated.
- Οἱ
πρέσβεις οἱ παρὰ Φιλίππου πεμφθέντες, the ambassadors (who had been) sent from
Philip.
- Ἄνδρες
οἱ τοῦτο ποιήσοντες, men
who will do this.
-
“Ἐν τῇ Μεσσηνίᾳ
ποτὲ οὔσῃ γῇ,”
“in the land which was once Messenia.”
THUC. iv.
3.
-
“Στρατεύουσιν ἐπὶ
τὰς Αἰόλου νήσους καλουμένας,”
“they sail against the so-called
Aeolian islands, lit. the islands called those of
Aeolus.”
Id. iii.
88.
-
“Αἱ ἄρισται δοκοῦσαι
εἶναι φύσεις,”
“the natures which seem to be best.”
XEN.
Mem. iv. 1, 3.
-
“Αἱ πρὸ τοῦ στόματος
νῆες ναυμαχοῦσαι”
THUC. vii.
23.
-
“Ἐπεπείσμην μέγαν
εἶναι τὸν κατειληφότα κίνδυνον τὴν πόλιν,”
“the danger which had overtaken the
city.”
DEM.
xviii. 220.
-
“Ὁ μὴ δαρεὶς
ἄνθρωπος οὐ παιδεύεται”
MEN.
Mon. 422.
[*] 825.
The participle with the article may be used
substantively, like any adjective. Here it may
generally be translated by a finite verb and a relative, the verb
expressing the tense of the participle. E.g.
Οἱ κρατοῦντες,
the
conquerors.
Οἱ πεπεισμένοι,
those who have been convinced.
Οὗτός ἐστι ὁ τοῦτο
ποιήσας,
this is the one who did it.
Οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ ὑμᾶς πάντας
ἀδικήσοντες,
these are the men who
will wrong you all.
Πάντες οἱ παρόντες τοῦτο
ἑώρων,
all who were present saw
this.
Τὸ κρατοῦν τῆς πόλεως,
the ruling part of the state.
Ὁ μὴ λαβὼν καὶ
διαφθαρεὶς νενίκηκε τὸν ὠνούμενον,
he who did not take (
the bribe)
and become corrupt has
defeated the one who would buy him.
DEM. xviii.
247 (see 841).
Τῶν
ἐργασομένων ἐνόντων,
there being
in the country those who would cultivate it (i.e.
men to cultivate it).
XEN. An. ii. 4,
22. (
See
826 and 840.)
Παρὰ τοῖς
ἀρίστοις δοκοῦσιν εἶναι,
“among those who seem to be best.”
Id. Mem. iv.
2,
Id. Mem. 6.
Ἦν δὲ ὁ μὲν τὴν γνώμην
ταύτην εἰπὼν Πείσανδρος,
“and Peisander was the one who gave this opinion.”
THUC. viii. 68.
Τοῖς Ἀρκάδων σφετέροις οὖσι
ξυμμάχοις προεῖπον,
“they proclaimed to those of the Arcadians who
were their allies.”
Id. v. 64.
Ἀφεκτέον ἐγώ φημι εἶναι τῷ
σωφρονεῖν δυνησομένῳ, i.e.
one who
is to be able to be discreet.
XEN. Symp. iv.
26.
[*] 826.
When the participle, in either of these constructions, refers
to a purpose, intention, or expectation, it is generally future, though
sometimes present. E.g.
Νόμον
δημοσίᾳ τὸν ταῦτα κωλύσοντα τέθεινται τουτονί,
they have publicly enacted this law,
which is to prevent these things.
DEM. xxi.
49.See
XEN. An. ii. 4, 22 in 825.
Ὁ ἡγησόμενος οὐδεὶς ἔσται,
“there will be nobody who will lead us.”
Ib. ii. 4,
Ib. 5.
Πολλοὺς ἕξομεν τοὺς ἑτοίμως
συναγωνιζομένους ἡμῖν.
ISOC. viii. 139.
See the more common use of the circumstantial future
participle to express a purpose, in 840.
[*] 827.
（
a) Participles, like adjectives,
are occasionally used substantively even without the article, in an
indefinite sense; generally in the plural. E.g.
Ἔπλει δώδεκα τριήρεις ἔχων ἐπὶ πολλὰς
ναῦς κεκτημένους,
“he sailed with twelve triremes against men who
had many ships.”
XEN. Hell. v. 1,
19.
Ὅταν πολεμούντων πόλις ἁλῷ,
“whenever a city of belligerents is taken.”
Id. Cyr. vii.
5,
Id. Cyr.
73.
Μετὰ ταῦτα ἀφικνοῦνταί μοι
ἀπαγγέλλοντες ὅτι ὁ πατὴρ ἀφεῖται,
there come messengers announcing, etc.
ISOC. xvii. 11.
Δύναιτ᾽ ἂν οὐδ᾽ ἂν ἰσχύων
φυγεῖν,
“not even a strong man could escape.”
SOPH. El. 697.
“
Οὐκ ἔστι φιλοῦντα ῾α
λοϝεῤ μὴ ἀντιφιλεῖσθαι;”
Lys.
212
（
b) This use in the singular
appears especially in
θνητὸν
ὄντα,
one who is a mortal. This
indefinite expression, though masculine, may refer to both sexes. E.g.
Ἐν ποικίλοις δὲ θνητὸν
ὄντα κάλλεσιν βαίνειν ἐμοὶ μὲν οὐδαμῶς ἄνευ
φόβου, i.e.
for a mortal (
like myself)
to walk on
these rich embroideries, etc.
AESCH. Ag. 923.
Κούφως φέρειν χρὴ θνητὸν ὄντα
συμφοράς, (
one who is)
a mortal (
like
yourself)
must bear calamities
lightly (addressed to Medea).
EUR. Med. 1018.So in
SOPH. Ant. 455
θνητὸν ὄνθ̓ means
a mortal (
like
myself), and refers to Antigone, not to Creon ; she means that
Creon 's proclamations could not justify her in violating the edicts of
the Gods.
[*] 828.
In the poets, the participle with the article sometimes
becomes so completely a substantive, that it takes an adnominal genitive
rather than the case which its verbal force would require. A few
expressions like
οἱ
προσήκοντες,
relatives,
τὸ συμφέρον or
τὰ συμφέροντα,
gain,
advantage,
τὰ ὑπάρχοντα,
resources, are thus used even in prose. E.g.
Ὁ ἐκείνου τεκών,
his father (for
ὁ ἐκεῖνον τεκών).
EUR. El. 335.
Τὰ μικρὰ συμφέροντα τῆς
πόλεως,
“the small advantages of the state.”
DEM. xviii. 28.
Βασιλέως προσήκοντές τινες,
“certain relatives of the king.”
THUC. i.
128.
[*] 829.
（
a) The neuter singular of the
present participle with the article is sometimes used as an abstract
noun, where we should expect the infinitive with the article. This
occurs chiefly in Thucydides and in the poets. E.g.
Ἐν τῷ μὴ μελετῶντι ἀξυνετώτεροι ἔσονται,
“in the want of practice they will be less
skilful.”
THUC. i. 142.
(Here we should expect
ἐν τῷ μὴ
μελετᾶν.)
Γνώτω τὸ
μὲν δεδιὸς αὐτοῦ τοὺς ἐναντίους μᾶλλον φοβῆσον, τὸ δὲ
θαρσοῦν ἀδεέστερον ἐσόμενον.
Id. i. 36. (Here
τὸ δεδιός,
fear, is used like
τὸ δεδιέναι, and
τὸ θαρσοῦν,
courage, like
τὸ
θαρσεῖν or
τὸ
θάρσος.)
Μετὰ τοῦ
δρωμένου,
with action (like
μετὰ τοῦ δρᾶσθαι).
Id. v. 102.
Τοῦ ὑπαπιέναι πλέον ἢ τοῦ
μένοντος τὴν διάνοιαν ἔχουσιν (infin. and partic.
combined).
Id. v. 9.
Καὶ σέ γ᾽ εἰσάξω: τὸ γὰρ
νοσοῦν ποθεῖ σε ξυμπαραστάτην λαβεῖν.
SOPH. Ph. 674
(
τὸ νοσοῦν =
ἡ νόσος).
Τὸ γὰρ ποθοῦν ἕκαστος ἐκμαθεῖν θέλων οὐκ
ἂν μεθεῖτο, πρὶν καθ᾽ ἡδονὴν κλύειν.
Id. Tr. 196.
This is really the same use of the neuter singular of an
adjective for the corresponding abstract noun, which is common in
ordinary adjectives; as
τὸ
καλόν,
beauty, for
τὸ κάλλος; τὸ δίκαιον and
τὸ ἄδικον for
ἡ δικαιοσύνη and
ἡ ἀδικία.
（
b) A similar construction
sometimes occurs when a participle and a noun are used like an articular
infinitive with its subject, where in English we generally use a finite
verb. E.g.
Μετὰ δὲ Σόλωνα
οἰχόμενον ἔλαβε νέμεσις μεγάλη Κροῖσον, i.e.
after Solon was gone (like
μετὰ τὸ Σόλωνα οἴχεσθαι).
HDT. i. 34.
Ἐπὶ τούτου τυραννεύοντος,
“in his reign.”
Id. i. 15: so
viii. 44.
Ἔτει πέμπτῳ μετὰ
Συρακούσας οἰκισθείσας,
“in the fifth year after the foundation of
Syracuse.”
THUC. vi. 3.
Compare
post urbem
conditam in Latin.
Μετὰ
καλὸν οὕτω καὶ παντοδαπὸν λόγον ῥηθέντα (like
μετὰ τὸ . . . ῥηθῆναι).
Symp. 198B.
