It is very strange that opt without αν is used sometimes in indirect questions in primary sequence, like Plato euthidemus 296e ουκ έχω υμίν πως αμφισβητοιην. Also, Gorgias 448e ουδείς έρωτα ποια είη η γοργιου τέχνη, αλλά τις και οντινα δεοι καλειν τον γοργιαν.
Hi, I haven’t had a chance to track through your citations below other than to check them in the Plato OCT (both vol. 3 edited by Burnet): worth checking the main text vs. critical apparatus on both citations. The Euthydemus example has “<ἂν> ἀμφισβητοίην Heindorf” in the apparatus, and the Gorgias example actually has ποία τις (not ποία εἴη) in the main text, with the following in the apparatus: “ἐρωτᾶι B T P : τοῦτ᾽ ἐρωτᾶι F : ἠρώτα Bekker εἴη post ποία τις add. B T : post Γοργίου F : delevi”. (Sorry about the iota adscripts, it’s what I use when typing…)
Actually I also have the revised text of Gorgias by Dodds 1959 on the shelf from the library… let’s see… Dodds reads οὐδεὶς ἠρώτα ποία τις εἴη…, following Bekker it seems (as per the Burnet apparatus), which removes the “sequence” problem…
Without tracking it through I won’t take a position on which is the better reading; I’d just be wary about inferring anything about “sequence of moods” from e.g.s where the text is questioned.
Cheers, Chad