I can’t understand how the infinitive χρῆσθαι functions in the following sentence:
κινδυνεύει τῶν πρὸς τὴν νόησιν ἀγόντων φύσει εἶναι ὧν ζητοῦμεν, χρῆσθαι δ᾽ οὐδεὶς αὐτῷ ὀρθῶς, ἑλκτικῷ ὄντι παντάπασι πρὸς οὐσίαν.
It looks to me as if οὐδεὶς is the subject of the infinitive although all the grammars say that the subject of the infinitive must be in the accusative, so how does this sentence parse? Ungrammatically, I would translate χρῆσθαι δ᾽ οὐδεὶς αὐτῷ ὀρθῶς as"… but no one uses it correctly…"
The matrix verb is κινδυνεύει, from the preceding clause, e.g.: κινδυνεύει . . . χρῆσθαι δ’οὐδεὶς αὐτῷ ὀρθῶς – “no one is likely to use it correctly.”
See LSJ κινδυνεύω 4b:
- c. inf., run the risk of doing or being . ., τὸν στρατὸν κινδυνεύσει ἀποβαλεῖν Hdt. 8.65; κακόν τι λαβεῖν Id. 6.9; ἀπολέσθαι Id. 9.89; διαφθαρῆναι Th. 3.74; ἀποθανεῖν Pl. Ap. 28b, etc.; τοῦ συντριβῆναι LXX Jn. 1.4; then,
b.to express chance, i.e. what may possibly or probably happen: c. pres., pf., or aor. inf., κινδυνεύουσι οἱ ἄνθρωποι οὗτοι γόητες εἶναι they run a risk of being reputed conjurers, Hdt. 4.105; κινδυνεύσομεν βοηθεῖν we shall probably have to assist, Pl. Tht. 164e, cf. 172c; κ. ἡ ἀληθὴς δόξα ἐπιστήμη εἶναι seems likely to be . ., ib. 187b; κινδυνεύσεις ἐπιδεῖξαι χρηστὸς εἶναι you will have the chance of showing your worth, X. Mem. 2.3.17, cf. 3.13.3; κ. ἀναμφιλογώτατον ἀγαθὸν εἶναι ib. 4.2.34, cf. Pl. Ap. 40b; τὰ συσσίτια κινδυνεύει συναγαγεῖν he probably organized the σ., Id. Lg. 625e; κινδυνεύω πεπονθέναι ὅπερ . . Id. Grg. 485e: c. fut. inf., dub. in Th. 4.117; κινδυνεύει impers., it may be, possibly, as an affirmat. answer, Pl. Sph. 256e, Phdr. 262c; out of courtesy, when no real doubt is implied, κινδυνεύεις ἀληθῆ λέγειν you may very likely be right, Id. Smp. 205d.
Thanks!