Here is a minor problem I have with chapter 1.11 of the Attic Nights (about the use of musicians to calm or entice soldiers and public speakers). Translation from here.
Morem autem illum ingrediendi ad tibicinum modulos proelii institutum esse a Lacedaemoniis, Aristoteles in libris Problematum scripsit, quo manifestior fieret exploratiorque militum securitas et alacritas: > nam diffidentiae, inquit, et timori cum ingressione huiuscemodi minime convenit > […]
Finally, Aristotle wrote in his volume of Problems that the custom of the Lacedaemonians which I have mentioned, of entering battle to the music of pipers, was adopted in order to make the fearlessness and ardour of the soldiers more evident and indubitable. > “For,” said he, “distrust and fear are not at all consistent with an advance of that kind > […]
Difficult part in bold. diffidentiae and timori are dative and so are not (as in the English) the subject of convenit. So what is the subject? convenire rei and convenire cum re are both possible usages; perhaps this is a slight anacoluthon?
OLD convenio 7b recognizes impersonal convenit, which is what we have here. That entry cites ita sibi convenisse cum Dolabella from Cicero. Gellius’ datives (balancing securitas et alacritas) are certainly more unusual than Cic’s sibi, but I don’t think we can speak of an anacoluthon. Perhaps they reflect Aristotle’s own wording (which is lost, despite the transmitted Problems), though I rather doubt it.
I forgot to thank you for pointing me right! I think I’m at a point now where I need to do a deeper dive in the dictionary whenever something syntactical doesn’t make sense. So much of syntax is just lexicon after all.