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[*] 513. This apodotic δέ cannot be expressed in English; as our adverbs then, yet, still, etc., necessarily fail to give the force of the Greek δέ, which is always a conjunction. The expression ἀλλὰ νῦν, now at least, is elliptical for εἰ μὴ πρότερον ἀλλὰ νῦν (with apodotic ἀλλά); as ἐὰν τὸ δίκαιον ἀλλὰ νῦν ἐθέλητε δρᾶν, if even now (though not before) you will do what is right, AR. Av. 1598.See DEM. iii. 33.Sometimes ἀλλά alone seems to imply εἰ μή τι ἄλλο; as in AR. Nub. 1364, “ἐκέλευσ᾽ αὐτὸν ἀλλὰ μυρρίνην λαβόντα τῶν Αἰσχύλου λέξαι τί μοι” , I bade him at least (if nothing more) take a myrtle branch and give me a bit of Aeschylus. So 1369. In PLAT. Rep. 509 C, εἰ μή τι ἀλλὰ . . . διεξιών, if for nothing (else), that you may at least describe, etc., ἀλλά introduces an apodosis after εἰ μή τι (sc. ἄλλο). For δέ used in the same way to introduce the sentence upon which a relative clause depends, see 564.
Macmillan. London, Melbourne, Toronto. 1889. reprint edition:. St. Martin's Press. New York. 1965.
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