attributed to the Greek Verb. 197 student naturally supposes that all regular verbs are to be inflected. Now in order to decide the question proposed, we must put it upon each of the several tenses distinctly. Let us first take the case of what is called the second aorist active, which is probably the strongest of all for those who would defend the existing system. Here the facts of the case would seem to be briefly these. Two modes of forming the common past or historical tense got early into use in Greece : the one gave that which we call the first, the other that which we call the second aorist. The former from its origin was truly a distinct tense, having a system of terminations alto- gether peculiar to itself; but the latter is little else than a slight modification of the imperfect. Usage early declared itself in favour of the former ; and at the period when Greek literature began, the second form obtained only in a limited number of the more primitive verbs ; while every verb of more recent and derivative formation exhibited the first exclusively. In a very few verbs only are both forms to be found; and even in these the duplicates for the most part belong to dif- ferent dialects, ages, or styles. In hnport these two forms of the aorist never differed; but this it would be superfluous to attempt to prove, because I presume that every competent judge will at once admit it. We may find a satisfactory illustration of this matter in our own language. In English also there are two originally distinct modes of forming the common past tense: the first by adding the syllable ed^ as in / killed : the other, chiefly by certain changes in the vowels, as in / wrote^ I saw^ I knew^ I ran ; and many others. Let the reader call the former and regular form the first aorist, and the latter the second, and he will have a correct idea of the amount of the distinc- tion between those tenses in Greek. The form erv^a in Greek is what / killed is in English, that is, the regular form of the past tense, which obtains in the vast majority of verbs : the form ea/3or, on the other hand, is altogether analogous to / took^ or / saw^ acknowledged by all gram- marians not as a second or distinct preterite, but as an instance of irregular variety of formation obtaining in cer- tain verbs.
