Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides Book 7

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After refitting his four ships, Gylippus leaves Tarentum, and, receiving at the Epizephyrian Locri more favourable news of the situation at Syracuse, proceeds undisturbed by Attic ships through the strait to Himera. From this point he enters into communication with Selinus and Gela and various Sicel localities, and with seven hundred men of his own troops, and over two thousand who joined him from Himera and the allied places, begins his march through the interior towards Syracuse.

1. ἐπεὶ ἐπεσκεύασαν: the completion of the ἐπεσκεύαζεν of vi.104.20.

πυνθανόμενοι σαφέστερον: opp. to vi.104.3, ὡς αὐτοῖς αἱ ἀγγελίαι ἐφοίτων . . . ἐψευσμέναι. The pres. partic. here implies repeated inquiry, corresponding to ὡς ἐφοίτων in the passage quoted.

κατὰ τὰς Ἐπιπολάς: the high triangle-shaped plateau northwest of the city. See on vi.96.3.

λαβόντες: either λαβών or ἔχων is usual with the verb in this connexion, when the destination is remote. See on vi.62.7. The partic. is to be supplied also in 7 with ἐν ἀριστερᾷ.— 7. διακινδυνεύσωσιν, ἔλθωσι: deliberative subjvs., which are often retained even after an historical tense (cf. i.107.25; ii.4.28; iii.112.22), but sometimes change to the opt. (cf. i.25.4; 63. 3; iv.19.6). G. 244; II. 932, 2; Kr. Spr. 54, 7, 1.—ἐσπλεῦσαι: into the great harbour, from which point they would perhaps have been able, united with the Syracusans, to force their way into the gap in the Athenian line of circumvallation (cf. c. 2. 17 ff.). Gylippus preferred, however, the way by land because he wanted first to get allies.

αὐτούς τε ἐκείνους: Schol. τοὺς Ἱμεραίους δηλονότι. Kr. Spr. 58, 4, 1.

στρατιάν, οὕς: rel. in pl. referring to a collective noun. G. 151, N. 2; H. 629. Cf. iii.67.11, ἡλικίαν, ὧν.

12. πυνθανόμενος αὐτοὺς ὅμως ἐν Λοκροῖς εἶναι: the reading of the Vat. Ms., instead of the vulgate ὅμως πυνθανόμενος κτἑ. Nicias had paid little attention to the first report of the approach of Gylippus, καὶ λῃστικώτερον ἔδοξε παρεσκευασμένους πλεῖν (vi.104.22). He recognized, however, that Gylippus was in earnest on learning that the ships had, after all (contrary to his expectation), got so far on their voyage to Sicily (ὅμως ἐν Λοκροῖς εῖναι), and that, therefore, help for Syracuse was really intended. He had immediately, thereupon, sent out the four Attic ships (ἀπέστειλε, aor. in dependent clause); but these came too late to prevent the Peloponnesian ships from passing through the strait.

σχόντες Π̔ηγίῳ: touching at; dat. after σχεῖν, as in iii.29.5; 33. 5, instead of the more usual ἐς with the acc. (c. 26. 7; ii.25.15; 33. 10; iii.34.1; iv.3.4; 25. 40; v.2.5; vi.52.5; 62. 8). κατά with acc. in same const. occurs in i.110.11; iv.129.12; vi.97.3. Kr. Spr. 48, 1, 2; Kühn. 423, 5.

16. τούς τε Ἱμεραίους: Vat. omits τε, but it is better to follow the rest of the Mss., τούς τε Ἱμεραίους, explaining, as St. does: “To these words correspond καὶ τοὺς Σελινουντίους ἐκέλευον in 19, and the correlatives τε καί show that ἐκεῖ ὄντες belongs to both clauses.” See App.

ὅσοι...ὅπλα : see App.

20. τινα οὐ πολλήν: cf. ii.79.16.— 23. τοῦ Ἀρχωνίδου: this Archonidas is doubtless the prince of Herbita, whom Diod. (xii. 8) mentions as ally of the powerful Sicel leader Duce tius. After the latter's death (439 B.C.), his political course toward Syracuse and Agrigentum was doubtless continued by Archonidas, who died at an advaneed age, 415 B.C. See Holm, Geschichte Siciliens, I. p. 260; II. p. 39.

δοκοῦντος προθύμως ἥκειν: (so Vat. instead of προθύμως δοκοῦντος ἥκειν) referring to πολὺ προθυμότερον ἑτοῖμοι ἦσαν in 22. The bold example of Gylippus, report of which spread far and wide (δοκοῦντος), had inspired the Sicels with courage.

καὶ ὁ μὲν Γύλιππος...πάντας : sums up in ἀναλαβών the result of the efforts detailed in 15 ff.

σφετέρων: refers to Gylippus and Pythen. Kr. Spr. 58, 4, 3. Cf. c. 4. 10; 8. 3. —τοὺς ὡπλισμένους: those who had been armed by the help of the Himeraeans (17, 18). Diod. (xiii. 7) gives the force of Gylippus as τοὺς ἅπαντας τρισχιλίους μὲν πεζούς, διακοσίους δ̓ ἱππεῖς.

τοὺς πάντας : in all, added perhaps because the Sicels were of various tribes. Kr. Spr. 50, 11, 13. Cf. viii.21.4.—ἐχώρει: commenced his march towards Syracuse (impf.), the further course of which is related c. 2. 11.