Thucydides 1.80 dative with comparative adjectives & adverbs

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hlawson38
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Thucydides 1.80 dative with comparative adjectives & adverbs

Post by hlawson38 »

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/tex ... apter%3D80

The particular phrase:
καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν ἄριστα ἐξήρτυνται
translation: and they are best equipped of all
or: and they are better equipped than all the others

Is it regular for the dative to be used as the complement to comparative-degree, or superlative-degree adjectives and adverbs? I feel somehow that it should be regular, but when the question arose for me, I couldn't find a rule on just this point.
Hugh Lawson

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seneca2008
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Re: Thucydides 1.80 dative with comparative adjectives & adverbs

Post by seneca2008 »

Hi
The verb ἐξαρτύω can take the dative:

ἐξαρτ-ύω [ῡ],
get ready, τἄνδον ἐξάρτυε E. El. 422; equip thoroughly, fit out, ἐπίπλουν Th. 2.17:—more freq. in Med., get ready for oneself, fit out, ναυτικόν Id. 1.13, al.; τὰ ἡμέτερα ib. 82; φόνον γε μητρὸς ἐξαρτύσομαι will set about it, E. El. 647: c. inf., οἷον ἐξαρτύεται γάμον γαμεῖν A. Pr. 908:—Pass., to be got ready, πάντα σφι ἐξήρτυτο ἐς τὴν κάτοδον Hdt. 1.61; πόλεμος ἐξαρτύεται is preparing, E. Heracl. 419: esp. in pf. part. Pass., equipped, harnessed, Id. Hipp. 1186: c. dat. rei, furnished or provided with, ἐξηρτῡμένος νεηνίῃσι καὶ κυσί Hdt. 1.43; ὕδατι καὶ σιτίοισι εὖ ἐ. Id. 2.32; τόξοισιν ἐξηρτυμένοι (ἐξηρτημένοι cod. Med.) A. Pr. 711; ναυτικὰ πλοίοις μακροῖς ἐ. Th. 1.14; τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν ἄριστα ἐ. ib. 80; καὶ ναυσὶ καὶ πεζῷ ἅμα ἐξαρτυθείς Id. 6.31; τὰ πρὸς τὴν χρείαν D.S. 20.4.

You will see that the line is mentioned in the LSJ entry.

So not "than all the others" but as the Loeb puts it "best equipped in all other respects". This sentence comes at the end of a list of the advantages possessed by a distant enemy.
Persuade tibi hoc sic esse, ut scribo: quaedam tempora eripiuntur nobis, quaedam subducuntur, quaedam effluunt. Turpissima tamen est iactura, quae per neglegentiam fit. Et si volueris attendere, maxima pars vitae elabitur male agentibus, magna nihil agentibus, tota vita aliud agentibus.

hlawson38
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Re: Thucydides 1.80 dative with comparative adjectives & adverbs

Post by hlawson38 »

seneca2008 wrote: Sat Feb 11, 2023 12:24 pm Hi
The verb ἐξαρτύω can take the dative:

ἐξαρτ-ύω [ῡ],
get ready, τἄνδον ἐξάρτυε E. El. 422; equip thoroughly, fit out, ἐπίπλουν Th. 2.17:—more freq. in Med., get ready for oneself, fit out, ναυτικόν Id. 1.13, al.; τὰ ἡμέτερα ib. 82; φόνον γε μητρὸς ἐξαρτύσομαι will set about it, E. El. 647: c. inf., οἷον ἐξαρτύεται γάμον γαμεῖν A. Pr. 908:—Pass., to be got ready, πάντα σφι ἐξήρτυτο ἐς τὴν κάτοδον Hdt. 1.61; πόλεμος ἐξαρτύεται is preparing, E. Heracl. 419: esp. in pf. part. Pass., equipped, harnessed, Id. Hipp. 1186: c. dat. rei, furnished or provided with, ἐξηρτῡμένος νεηνίῃσι καὶ κυσί Hdt. 1.43; ὕδατι καὶ σιτίοισι εὖ ἐ. Id. 2.32; τόξοισιν ἐξηρτυμένοι (ἐξηρτημένοι cod. Med.) A. Pr. 711; ναυτικὰ πλοίοις μακροῖς ἐ. Th. 1.14; τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν ἄριστα ἐ. ib. 80; καὶ ναυσὶ καὶ πεζῷ ἅμα ἐξαρτυθείς Id. 6.31; τὰ πρὸς τὴν χρείαν D.S. 20.4.

You will see that the line is mentioned in the LSJ entry.

So not "than all the others" but as the Loeb puts it "best equipped in all other respects". This sentence comes at the end of a list of the advantages possessed by a distant enemy.
Many thanks, seneca, very helpful.
Hugh Lawson

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