E.C. Marchant, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 6

ἢ μένομεν—‘what, are we waiting?’ So in colloquial Latin quid ago? is more lively than quid agam?

εἶδος—the ‘method’ that is explained in what follows.

ἡμῶν—depends on τοὺς μέν.

ξυμμάχων ἐλπίδι—‘hy the hope of obtaining allies’—i.e. alliance with the Athenians is the temptation offered.

ἐκπολεμοῦν πρὸς ἀλλήλους—cf. c. 91, 6 τὰ ἐνθάδε χρὴ . . ἐκπολεμοῦν ‘stir up to war.’

τοῖς δὲ κτλ—this depends on λέγοντες, being attracted to the dat. by ἑκάστοις. Hence the sentence = τοῖς δὲ ὡς ἑκάστοις . . λέγοντες δύνανται (κακουργεῖν), κακουργεῖν (αὐτούς), ‘and to injure others in any way they can while using smooth words suited to the case.’ Hermocrates detects three designs on the part of the A.: (1) to sow dissension by reviving the differences that had been suppressed in the treaty of Gela 424 B.C.; (2) to invite the cities to join Athens against the Dorian states; (3) most insidious of all, to speak fair and play foul. Two examples of the last had occurred already: (a) the entrance into Catana, e. 51; (b) the false message from Catana to Syracnse, c. 64. For

προσηνές see Index s. v.

καὶοἰόμεθα κτλ—‘and while our countryman at a distance is perishing do we imagine that the danger will not extend to every one of us?’ The distant countryman is Syracuse; the subject of οἰόμεθα still the Siceliots at large (§ 1 ἡμᾶς αὐτούς). προαπολλυμένου is temporal, coincident in time with οἰόμεθα.

οὐ καὶ ἐς αὐτόν τινα—this is the inclusive use of τις often found close to a plur., as in VII. 39 ὅσα τις ἔχει, πάντας ἀναγκάσαι πωλεῖν. For ἥκειν ἐς ‘penetrate to’ cf. II. 48 καὶ ἐς τὴν ἄνω πόλιν ἀφίκετο (ἡ νόσος), and for the opinion, I. 120 κἂν μέχρι σφῶν τὸ δεινὸν προελθεῖν.

πρὸ δὲ αὐτοῦ κτλ—this stands for μᾶλλον δὲ τὸν πρὸ αὐτοῦ πάσχοντα καθ̓ αὑτὸν δ., ‘but rather that he who suffers before one confines the trouble to himself,’ i.e. isolates it, prevents it from spreading. For the order, which is due to the emphasis laid on πρὸ αὐτοῦ, cf. II. 7 ἐξ Ἰταλίας τοῖς ἑλομἐνοις for τοῖς ἐξ Ἰ. ἑ.