attributed to the Greek Verb. 199 realize both a first and second aorist is assuredly not one of their least difficulties. In short, it is the plain truth in point of fact, and it is infinitely more convenient in point of practice, to say that the Greek verb has but one aorist active : that aorist, when regular, following the model eTv/a ; but being sometimes formed less regularly in another manner, like ea- j3ov ; and that now and then, in the variety of dialects and styles, two forms appear in the same verb, as in eirGiaa and (EttlOov: one of these however, as in this instance eTveiaa^ being that in ordinary use; the other rare, anomalous, and nearly obsolete. We ought next to consider the tense called the second future: but really to attempt to demolish this would be merely combating with a man of straw. Where is it, or what is it ? " De non apparentibus, et de non existentibus eadem est ratio.** When a fair specimen of the second future active is produced, it will be time enough to attack it. In the mean time I con- fess that I am totally unacquainted with it, except in the recol- lections of my grammar. It is true indeed, that the form ascribed to this tense is very common, inasmuch as it is the regular and only future of that class of verbs which has a liquid consonant before the final co ; and in some others it is formed by contraction, as eXw for eXacrw, from eXavyoo^ But here, droll to say, our grammarians, as if determined that this unfortunate tense should never be realized, have actually cashiered it of its proper title, and given its form the name of the first future. The simple fact appears to be, that the exist- ence of two active futures in the Greek verb is one of the rarest phenomena in the language. The circumstances of the so called second aorist and second future middle are so similar to those of their namesakes in the active voice, that it would be tedious to dwell on them. The future and aorist middle have undoubtedly two forms, corres- ponding with those of the same tenses in the active voice, from which they are derived. The common and regular forms are such as Xvao/uLQi^ eXvaa/uip^^ and, where these are in use, we ^ rarely find any others : but occasionally we encounter such forms as oXoufxat^ (joXo/urji/^ which then supersede the regular ones. On that modification of the perfect active, which is cam-
