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ἔπεμπον—the imperf. with verbs of ‘going’ and ‘sending,’ presenting the details of an elaborate negociation involving a journey, is common. Cf. c. 85, 2; I. 10, 5, 26, 1, and 3 below. But the aor. is also used. M. T. 57. καὶ —has nothing to do with the τε preceding, which is answered by the τε following. Thus the sentence consists of two members joined by τε .. τε. Cf. I. 69, 1 τό τε πρῶτον ἐάσαντες . . καὶ ὔστερον τὰ μακρὰ στῆσαι τείχη, ἐς τόδε τε αἰεὶ ἀποστεροῦντες. So in 4 below.
ἠγγέλθη εὐθὺς—does not refer to ἔπεμπον ἄγγελον, but to two previous messages mentioned in 3 below. Plataea is something over 30 miles from Athens. καὶ .. ξυνέλαβον— parataxis, presenting the two facts as almost concurrent. The second was prompt and hurried. Cf. I. 61 ἦλθε καὶ τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις εὐθὺς ἠ ἀγγελία ... καὶ πεμπουσιν. ἔπεμψαν ... κελεύοντες—the activity of the sender is continued in the person sent. Cf. c. 85, 1. νεώτερον ποιεῖν—i.e. νεωτερίζειν. Cf. I. 132, 5; IV. 55 μὴ νεώτερόν τι γένηται. πρὶν ἂν—after historic tenses, πρὶν ἂν and subj. is used only in Oratio Obliqua. Cf. c. 84, 1, 102, 5.
ἅμα τῇ ἐσόδῳ γιγνομένῃ—see c. 2, 1. οὕτω δὴ— gives the result of facts just stated, contrast c. 19, 1. οὐκ εἰδότες—sc. ὅτι τεθνήκασιν. ἐπέστελλον—see 1 above.
ἐγκατέλιπον—so ἐγκαθέζομαι III. 1; ἐγκαθίστημι I. 4; ἐγκαθορμίζομαι IV. 1; ἐγκατοικοδομεῖν III. 18; ἐγκατασκήπτειν c. 47. τοὺς ἀχρειοτάτους—sunt ἀχρεῖοι omnes inhabiles militiae,’ Pp. Cf. c. 44. Juv. 15, 126 imbelle et inutile vulgus. For the deeper application of ἀχρεῖος, see c. 40, 2. ἐξεκόμισαν—c. 78, 3.
Commentary on Thucydides Book 2. E.C. Marchant. London. MacMillan & Company. 1891.
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