NOTES CHAPTER I 1. τοῦ δ ̓ ἐπιγιγνομένου θέρους—the opening words introduced by dé complete the sentence which ends the preceding book, ταῦτα μὲν κατὰ τὸν χειμῶνα τοῦτον ἐγένετο κ.τ.λ. The third and fifth books begin in the same way. Oépovs-' in the summer'; the genitive denotes the time within the limits of which a thing occurs, and is partitive in character (Madvig, § 66). Thucydides divides his history into summers and winters, thus reckoning more accurately, as he points out (v. 20), than by the names of the archons or other officials of the year in different states. ib. Tepi olTov èkẞoλýv-lit. 'putting forth (ears)'. Some time in April is probably denoted: see Arnold's note on Toû σíтоν ȧкμášоνTOS, ii. 19; and Jowett on ii. 1. The latter holds that the terms ἀκμάζειν and ἐν ἀκμῇ εἶναι refer to the time when the corn was in full ear, though not ready for harvest. In Attica this would be about May 10-June 10, harvest beginning about June 15. 2. Tλevoαoat-the order of the sentence shews that this word belongs to Συρακοσίων δέκα νῆες: the Syracusans put to sea, and after being joined by the Locrians went to Messene. 3. Aоkpldes-Locri Epizephyrii, a colony founded by the Locrians of Greece, was in the s.E. of what is now Calabria. It was in alliance with Syracuse (iii. 86). Messene (now Messina) had been forced to join the Athenian confederacy the year before (iii. 90). A summary of its history is given vi. 4. ἴσαι— an equal number: iii. 75, ἴσας πληρώσαντες. 4. KATEλaßov—' occupied', especially used of taking up a military position : cf. καταλαμβάνων, ch. 3, 18 : iii. 31, τῶν πόλεων Kaтaλaßeiv Tivá: so Plato, Gorg. 455 B, speaks of xwρiwv karáAnyis as a subject for military debate. i. αὐτῶν ἐπαγαγομένων— the people themselves having invited them'; the preceding Meoonvny shews to what arŵv refers: cf. i. 136, φεύγει ἐς Κέρκυραν, ὧν αὐτῶν εὐεργέτης. 5. pagav Sé-the verb being placed first, the subject is divided into two parts, οἱ μὲν Συρακόσιοι ... οἱ δὲ Λοκροί, the respective motives of the allies being thus distinguished: cf. line 17. 7. ὁρῶντες προσβολὴν ἔχον—' seeing that the place commanded, or afforded (lit. contained), an approach, or point of landing and attack', i.e. it was the key of Sicily. So the Messenians are said ἐν προσβολῇ εἶναι τῆς Σικελίας, vi. 48; and an Athenian squadron despatched to the straits of Messene is said περὶ τὴν προσβολὴν τῆς Σικελίας ναυλοχεῖν, vii. 4. ἔχω is used in the same way in ch. 8, 40, ȧтóßaσiv ovк exovσav, not admitting of a landing'. From the idea of 'containing in itself' it is often used in the sense of 'bringing with itself', and therefore of involving or implying, the equivalent English depending on the context; e. g. i. 97, ámódeιživ exel, 'affords a proof': ii. 41, ȧyaváктnow exel, 'gives ground of complaint': ii. 61, aïolnow exe, 'causes perception'. ib. Tis Zikellas-objective gen. after pooßoλnv: so ch. 83, 6, ἐπὶ τῇ ἐσβολῇ τῆς Λύγκου, at the pass into Lyncus'. 8. ¿§ avтoû ópμœμevoɩ—‘making it a base of operations' against Syracuse, lit.starting from it': so ch. 3, 22. TOTÉ sooner or later, some day': so ch. 60, 16. If the Athenians had possession of Messene, their command of the sea would enable them to collect forces and supplies there, so as to attack Syracuse at their own time. Rhegium was on the Italian side of the straits of Messene. It was in alliance with the Athenians and Leontines (iii. 86). The Athenian ships under Pythodorus were apparently stationed there at the present time, but made no effort to save Messene. Pythodorus may have been crippled by a defeat he had lately sustained in an attack on a Locrian fortress (iii. 115). 11. ȧμþотéρwlev—by land and sea: so ch. 11, 9: iii. 18. 12. ἐς τὴν Ρηγίνων—se, γῆν: i. 44, τῇ ἀλλήλων βοηθεῖν. 13. Bonowo the subjunctive is more graphic than the optative, which according to rule should follow the pluperfect. 'The historians, especially Thucydides, seem often to have thrown themselves so completely into the past events which they recorded that those events became as present to them, and hence a form of the subjunctive group follows a historic tense. Sometimes indeed forms from both groups occur in a clause dependent on the same historical tense, as iii. 22, öπws dσa‡î Tà σημεῖα τοῖς πολεμίοις ᾖ, καὶ μὴ βοηθοίεν. In such examples the subjunctive form often expresses the more immediate or more certain contingency, and the optative form the more remote or more uncertain contingency' (Clyde's Greek Syntax, § 40, obs. 2). Apart from cases which can be thus explained, the subjunctive is constantly used after a historic tense by the best Attic writers, and in later Greek tends to supplant the optative altogether (Clyde, loc. cit.: Madvig, § 131 b). 14. CUVETTαуóνтOV-joining in promoting the invasion': ch. 84, 6, ξυνεπάγοντες: ch. 79, 11, αἱ πλησιόχωροι πόλεις ξυνεπής γον : so ib. line 7, ἐξήγαγον τὸν στρατόν: i. 107, ἐπῆγον. In such instances the active differs from the middle, the latter meaning 'to invite', i.e. bring in to one's self. The reasons of the Locrian invasion are given in two clauses of different construction, a final clause, 'va μý..., and a genitive absolute introduced by ἅμα δέ. 15. koraolage-' had been for a long while in a state of faction'. The imperfect shews that the state of faction still continued: this corresponds to the well-known use of the present to denote what is still going on, as voσeî máλai, 'he has been long sick'. 16. åsúvaтa 86, el duvarà ein. Shilleto on i. 7. v'it was impossible': so i. 59: ii. 72: iii. Such neuter plurals are very common; see 17. ᾗ καὶ μᾶλλον ἐπετίθεντο— wherefore they attacked them the more', this was a further reason for choosing this time for their attack: cf. i. 11, ᾗ καὶ μᾶλλον οἱ Τρῶες ἀντεῖχον: iii. 13, ᾗ καὶ μᾶλλον χρή. With this may be compared the Homeric τῷ, e.g. Il. i. 418, τῷ σε κακῇ αἴσῃ τέκον. ἐπετίθεντο—lit. set on them': cf. iii. 72, èπɩтíðεvтαι т dhμw, they attack the democracy'. 19. dλai ai λnpouμeva-lit. 'others, viz. those which were being manned'," the definite article implying that such ships were in preparation, and contrasting them with those already afloat. Possibly ai has got into the text from the end οἱ ἄλλαι. 10. ἔμελλον αὐτόσε ἐγκαθορμισάμεναι— were intended to take up their position in the harbour of Messene', etc. autóσe implies the idea of motion to the harbour: so iii. 76, òpμioάμενοι ἐς λιμένα: ch. 8, 26, ἐφορμίσασθαι ἐs. The place meant is 9. KarηveyKe—'drove the ships into Pylos'. The passive is more common; e. g. ch. 26, 26, ȧvéμų kaтapépeσ@aι: i. 137, καταφέρεται χειμώνι: κατά thus used in composition implies an approach to the coast from the sea or from inland; so iii. 49, ETIKAтάYETαι, 'comes into port after', 10, Taxeola-probably mid. : so (aor.) i. 11; iii. 105. i. ἐπὶ τοῦτο γὰρ ξυνέπλευσε— for he had joined the expedition for this purpose', a statement on the part of the historian. T TOUTO is the reading of the best manuscripts, and the accusative is supported by ἐφ ̓ ἃ ἀφιγμένοι, ch. 18, 5: ἐφ' ἐξῆλθον, iii. 111: ἐπὶ τοῦτο, v. 87. ἐπὶ τούτῳ, “ with this object', is however read by many. Most editors adopt the reading ŽUVEкπλevσαι, making the clause a statement by Demosthenes, expressed in oratio obliqua, on or a similar word being supplied from lov: such a construction is common and presents no difficulty; žuvéπλevoσe however has the best manuscript authority, and gives an excellent sense. 11. κal dπéαive- and pointed out (the existence of) good store both of timber and of stone, and (the fact) that the place was strong and uninhabited, as was also a great extent of the district', lit. both itself and (to) a great extent'. ȧropaivw is found in this sense with a participle in vi. 54. éπl Toλú is constructed as if it formed one word, and is followed by the genitive : cf. i. 50, (νεῶν) ἐπὶ πολὺ τῆς θαλάσσης ἐπεχουσῶν, 'covering a great extent of the sea': ii. 76, тоû niкodoμημATOS ÉTÌ μéya KаTÉσeloe, 'it (a military engine) shattered a large portion of the work' : ch. 100, 14, ἐσεσιδήρωτο ἐπὶ μέγα τοῦ ξύλου, 'a great part of the wood was plated with iron'. 14. ἀπέχει γάρ—the ancient territory of Messenia had been subdued by the Lacedaemonians, and the people driven from their country or reduced to serfdom. On the suppression of the final struggle for freedom in 455, the Athenians gave the Messenians a settlement at Naupactus on the Corinthian Gulf (i. 101-3). Demosthenes had acted with the Messenians of Naupactus in his last year's campaign (iii. 94, etc.). He proposed now to employ them in the occupation of some post in Peloponnesus, where their hatred of the Spartans, and knowledge of the country and the dialect might best be turned to account. For such a purpose Pylos seemed especially fit. It was far from Sparta, the district was uninhabited, the position was easy to defend, and it commanded an excellent harbour. The harbour of Pylos is identified with the modern Bay of Navarino; but the description given by Thucydides in ch. 8 of the narrowness of the two entrances is not in accordance with their present state. The southern channel is now some 1400 yards in width, and the northern not less than 150, See Grote, vol. iv, ch. 52, and Arnold: also Jowett on the present passage. 16. Κορυφάσιον—diminutive of κορυφή=a little top or headland, 17. oi de paσav-they said that there were many desert capes in Peloponnesus, if he should wish to waste the city's resources by occupying them. ἢν βούληται represents in oratio obliqua Bouλn, if you (shall) wish'; not ei Boule, which would become εἰ βούλεται or εἰ βούλοιτο: so ch. 2, 18. The generals wished Demosthenes not to insist on occupying Pylos, as he would find plenty of places equally useless. Their object was to reach Corcyra, without being delayed by Demosthenes' schemes, 19. δαπαναν—commonly taken as governing τὴν πόλιν, in the sense to use up, impoverish by expenditure'. In favour of this rendering a passage is quoted from Antiphon, de caede Her. 719, avopa öv édаπávnσ av, whom they had exhausted with torture' (where however eßaσávio av is also read), and the meaning is said to be common in late Greek. On the other hand it is simpler to retain the usual sense of daravav, 'to spend', and to make τὴν πόλιν the subject before the infinitive, κατα laußávov, by a slight irregularity, being taken closely with Bouλntal. The sense will then be, if he wished, by occupying them, that the city should incur expense'. This view is supported by the fact that Thucydides uses damavar in other passages without an accusative following; i. 141, άrò TŴV αὐτῶν δαπανῶντες: iii. 46, πῶς οὐ βλάβη δαπανᾶν; vii. 29, οὐ βουλόμενοι δαπανᾶν: vii. 45, δαπανῶντες ἐς τοιαῦτα. 6 ib. Siάpopóv Ti-a place of importance', lit. 'which made a difference': so i. 68, rà idia diápopa, 'private interests'. The statement is strengthened by the addition of ἑτέρου μᾶλλον, more than (any) other'; so i, 138, diapeρóvтws Ti μâλov ἑτέρου. 21. καὶ τοὺς Μεσσηνίους—while the Messenians (he thought) would, etc.' The construction is slightly altered in the course of the sentence. After the genitive absolute λιμένος τε προσόντος, which gives one reason for the importance of Pylos to Demosthenes, the next reason would be given regularly in a corresponding clause with xaí. Instead of this we have the accusative with the infinitive, dependent on the sense supplied from ¿dóкel avт, as if he considered' or a similar verb had gone before. Το ν. 53, ἐδόκει Επίδαυρον προσλαβεῖν, τῆς τε Κορίνθου ἕνεκα ἡσυχίας, καὶ ἐκ τῆς Αἰγίνης βραχυτέραν ἔσεσθαι τὴν βοήθειαν, it was determined to acquire Epidaurus both in order to keep Corinth quiet, and (because it was thought) that the voyage from Aegina would be shorter'. |