M unit 22, Exercise II.3, page 188.
For the last part of the last sentence, the answer key gives: “… he said that he himself mightily loved the common people.”
That is indirect discourse, therefore the subject of φιλειν should be in the accusative, i.e., αυτον. Yet, αυτοσ is nominative. Which means that it is the subject of the main verb εφη- thus “he himself said that he mightily loved the common people”.
A different meaning, even though somewhat related.
Please enlighten me
Thanks to all.
In Greek, when the subject of the indirect discourse is the same as that of the principal, you use the nominative. Normally, it is omitted, but here it used for emphasis.
See Smyth 1973
Τhe subject of the infinitive is also the subject of εφη (the main verb), hence nominative. If it were accusative it would refer to someone else. (It’s different in Latin, as bedwere notes.)
Strictly speaking, αυτος (an adjective) is not the subject of εφη, whose subject is not expressed.
αυτος εφη could mean either “he himself said” or “he said that he himself …” according to context.
