ᾧ φθέγμ᾽ ἂν οὐκ ἂν ηὗρες. Against reading “ἐνηῦρες”, it should be noted that “ἐνευρίσκω” is post-classical, unless Dobree was right in conjecturing “ἐνηύρηκεν” (for “ἀνηύρηκεν”) in Ar. Ach. 1037.On the other hand, the sarcastic force of the doubled ἄν is in place here. The dat. ᾧ is possessive: i.e. instead of the simple “ᾧ οὐκ ἂν ἦν φθέγμα”, we have “ᾧ οὐκ ἂν ηὗρες φθέγμα”, in the sense, ‘you would have found that he had not a word at his command.’ The emendation “ᾧ φθέγμ᾽ ὂν οὐκ ἂν ηὗρες” would make this clearer, but seems needless: it is, indeed, slightly prosaic. ἐν κακῷ χειμῶνος: cp. O. C. 1358“ἐν πόνῳ ι ... κακῶν.” εἴχετ̓: Her. 9. 37“ἐν τούτῳ τῷ κακῷ ἐχόμενος.” ὑφ᾽ εἵματος: Aesch. Ch. 81“δακρύω δ᾽ ὑφ᾽ εἱμάτων”: Eur. Hec. 346“δεξιὰν ὑφ᾽ εἵματος ι κρύπτοντα.” κρυφείς. The form “ἐκρύφην” is not elsewhere found in classical Greek. At a later period “ἐκρύβην” was frequent (see Veitch, Gk. Verbs p. 393).
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Sophocles: The Plays and Fragments, with critical notes, commentary, and translation in English prose. Part VII: The Ajax. Sir Richard C. Jebb. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. 1907.
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