1. Aristeides had just arrived at the popular assembly when a peasant approached him. 2. If Aristeides had not had a pleasant countenance and musical (belsonan) voice, doubtless the peasant would not have asked his help. 3. Ought Aristeides to have written his own name on the oyster-shell or piece of pottery which was going to be used as a vote against him? 4. Without just (exactly) this help, the peasant could not have voted. 5. Doing him the service requested, Aristeides said, as if (250) he himself were not the man under-discussion (205), "Why do you hate Aristeides? 6. Could you tell me how he has sinned against the city?" 7. The silly-creature (132) replied, "Oh, I know nothing about him, but I am weary [of] always hearing him called the just." 8. Ought such persons as that ignorant peasant have-the-right to vote about important affairs? 9. The ancient law about ostracism was a strange [one]. 10. The name of the person to-be-exiled (199) was usually written upon an oyster-shell, and the meaning of the word signifying the custom comes from that. 11. Through (per) ostracism, any leader could be banished, justly or unjustly, without trial of any kind, or explanation of the reasons.
LESSON LV.
THE IMPERATIVE MOOD.
254. For expressions of command, exhortation, entreaty, etc., there is an imperative mood, as in English. The ending of the imperative mood is -u. Beside the aoristic tense, six compound tenses are formed by combining the participles with the imperative mood estu of the auxiliary verb, but these tenses are seldom used. The conjugation of vidi in the aoristic tense of this mood, together with a synopsis in the compound tenses, is as follows:
| Aoristic Tense. | |||
| mi vidu! | let me see! | ni vidu! | let us see! |
| (vi) vidu! | (you) see! | (vi) vidu! | (you) see! |
| li (ŝi, ĝi) vidu! | let him (her, it) see! | ili vidu! | let them see! |
| Compound Tenses. | |||
| Active. | Passive. | ||
| Present: | mi estu vidanta, | Present: | mi estu vidata, |
| Past: | mi estu vidinta, | Past: | mi estu vidita, |
| Future: | mi estu vidonta. | Future: | mi estu vidota. |
RESOLVE AND EXHORTATION.
255. The first person singular of the imperative mood is used to express the speaker's resolve concerning his own action, or an exhortation to himself concerning such action. The first person plural is used to express resolve or exhortation concerning the joint action of the speaker and the person or persons addressed:
Mi pensu pri tio! Let me think about that!
Mi ne forgesu tion! I must not (do not let me) forget that!
Ni ekzilu lin! Let us exile him!
Ni ne sidiĝu tie! Let us not sit down there!
Ni estu grize vestitaj! Let us be dressed in gray!
This force is usually expressed in English by "let" with an accusative and infinitive construction.