The (Homeric) Hymn to Hermes

Extract

If all or any of our MSS. dated from 800 or 900 B.C., it might be of importance to note θέλεις for the regular epic form ⋯θέλεις and even to print it so in the text, otherwise it is negligible. More worthyof attention is the punctuation after ⋯μo⋯μαι. The presence of ὑπίσχoμαι in the next line is held to justify the stop given above, otherwise the comma, as in Gemoll's edition, would be sufficient or more than sufficient. For in accordance with Homeric usage (cf. A 76, Y 313–5, K 321, etc.) we might read:

πατρòς κεϕαλήν μέγαν ὃρκoν ⋯μo⋯μαι

μή μέν ⋯γώ μητ' αὐτòς—ὑπίσχoμαι—αἴτιoς εἶναι.