I just started Book II again. And almost immediately stumble on the use of the aorist, where I would expect a present tense:
line 25: κέκλυτε δὴ νῦν μευ, Ἰθακήσιοι, ὅττι κεν εἴπω·
What does the use of the aorist convey here, in this direct speech? The speaker is not referring to something he already said, he’s just starting to talk, so it can’t be the ‘constative’ use Rijksbaron talks about in his ‘The syntax and semantics of the Greek verb’ (8.3.1).
Thanks. I know I am very shaky when it comes to the meanings of the moods, aspect and tenses. I will dive into my grammars again to straighten myself out.