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Therefore you must not reproach us, but either recall the army, or send out a new one, equally strong and supplied with all that is necessary. And send me a successor, since I am enfeebled by sickness. Whatever you determine to do. however, must be carried out as speedily as possible; for in delay is the greatest danger. 1. ὡς...γεγενημένων : be of this opinion, that with regard to the object of our expedition neither the soldiers nor the generals ought to be blamed by you. For gen. abs. with verb of knowing, see GMT. 113, N. 10 b, c; Kühn. 488, 1 b β. The neg. is μή because the leading verb is imv. Kühn. 515, 3. ἐφ᾽ ἃ ἦλθομεν τὸ πρῶτον, i.e. to war with Syracuse alone. οὕτω: emphasizing the idea of the partic. clause. Kühn. 486, note 5. Cf. i.22.8; 37. 4; vi.24.3.—Σικελία ἅπασα ξυνίσταται: as was predicted vi.37.16, ξυστήσεται γάρ. προσδόκιμος, αὐτοὶ βουλεύσασθε...ἀνταρκούντων : this reading of Vat. is to be preferred to προσδόκιμος αὐτοῖς, βουλεύεσθε of the rest of the Mss. The main stress of the sent. is on αὐτοὶ βουλεύσασθε, and indeed only the aor. imv. is compatible with ἤδη: “do you yourselves make up your minds at once, understanding that the troops which we have here certainly are not a match for even our present enemies.”—τῶν ἐνθάδε, τοῖς παροῦσιν: are both neut., referring to the still remaining force of the Athenians and the already strongly developed power of the Syracusans. ἀνταρκούντων: Schol. ἀντέχειν δυναμένων. μεταπέμπειν : recall, as in c. 8. 7. ἐπιπέμπειν: as in vi.73.10. See on c. 14. 6. The alliteration in μεταπέμπειν and ἐπιπέμπειν was observed by the old rhetoricians. ἐμοί τε: with Vat., instead of ἐμοὶ δέ, acc. to the usage of Thuc., since it is after στρατιά and χρήματα, the third demand. Cf. i.33.6; 67. 6; 69. 3; 76. 12. διάδοχόν τινα: not any successor, but some one (another) as successor.—διὰ νόσον νεφρῖτιν: also mentioned by Plut. Nic. 17. 10. ὑμῶν: dependent on ξυγγνώμης, but, as its position shows, not confined to the force of the possessive: “I expect to receive from you an indulgent judgment.” εὖ ἐποίησα: of politieal services, corresponding to εὐεργέτης in i.136.2; ii.27.9. μέλλετε: sc. πράσσειν. μὴ ἐς ἀναβολάς : = μηδὲν ἀναβαλλόμενοι, without delay. Cf. c. 70. 49, μὴ δἰ ἀνάγκην; Hdt. viii.21.11, οὐκέτι ἐς ἀναβολὰς ἐποιοῦντο τὴν ἀναχώρησιν. For other similar consts., see on v.8.12. ὡς...φθήσονται : Cl. explains: ὡς as causal conj. introduces the rest of the sent.; the partic. clauses end with ὅμως δέ (sc. ποριουμένων with ὅμως δέ as well as with τὰ δ᾽ ἐκ Πελοποννήσου) and the main sent. is ἢν μὴ . . . φθήσονται. But more probably ὡς belongs to the gen. abs. G. 277, N. 2 a; H. 978. With τὰ δ᾽ ἐκ Πελοποννήσου σχολαίτερον μέν sc. ποριουμένων, but after ὅμως δέ there is a change of const. to finite verb, as in c. 13. 9. With λήσουσιν . . . φθήσονται we must supply πορισάμενοι. Kr. Spr. 56, 16 A. ὥσπερ καὶ πρότερον: contains a reproach against the Athenians for not hindering the Peloponnesians from sending ships before (vi. 93. § 2, 3).
Commentary on Thucydides Book 7. Charles F. Smith. 1886. Boston. Ginn and Company.
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