636 Clauses with Ὡς final, denoting purpose, meaning that,
in order that, are frequent in poetry, but rare in prose,
except in Xenophon. With ὡς in this sense
- a. A subjunctive (often with ἄν) denotes a purpose still to be accomplished:
Δεῖ θεοῖς δοῦναι δίκην, ὡς ἂν διδαχθῇ he must
pay the penalty to the gοds, that he may be taught (in a
way in which he may). A. PB. 10. ὡς δʼ ἂν μάθῃς
ὅτι οὐδʼ ἂν μεῖς δικαίως ἐμοὶ ἀπιστοίητε, ἀντάκουσον
but that you may learn that you also would not justly
distrust me, hear in turn. AN. II. 5, 16.
- b. An optative (without ἄν) denotes a purpose of
the same kind, but more remote from the speaker--e.g., as that of another person, or of a past situation,
or as less likely to be accomplished. The optative is
common after a past tense:
Ἱ̄κόμην τὸ Πῡθικὸν μαντεῖον, ὡς μάθοιμʼ ὅτῳ
τρόπῳ πατρὶ δίκᾱς ἀροίμην I came to the Pythian
oracle, that I might learn in what way I should gain
justice for my father. S. E. 33. προσκαλῶν τοὺς φίλους
ἐσπουδαιολογεῖτο ὡς δηλοίη οὕς τῑμᾷ he used to call
his friends and talk seriously with them, so as to show
whom he honored. AN. I. 9, 28.
- c. A past tense of the indicative (imperfect, aorist,
pluperfect) marks the purpose as unattainable, part
of an imaginary, unreal situation expressed or implied
in the leading clause:
Εἰ γάρ μʼ ὑπὸ γῆν ἧκεν, ὡς μήτε θεὸς μήτε τις ἄλλος
τοῖσδʼ ἐπεγήθει οh that he had sent me under the
earth, that neither gοd nor any other creature might be
rejoicing at this. A. PB. 165. τί μʼ οὐ λαβὼν ἔκτεινας,
ὡς ἔδειξα μήποτε ἐμαυτὸν ἀνθρώποισιν why did
you not take and slay me, that I might never have
shown myself to men. S. OT. 1392.
- d. For ὡς with a participle see
[593 c](file:///x:/Departments/Classics_Texts/schoolgrammarofa00goodrich_porson/HTML%20Files/Chapter-593.html).
For ὡς with an infinitive see [566](file:///x:/Departments/Classics_Texts/schoolgrammarofa00goodrich_porson/HTML%20Files/Chapter-566.html).