Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides Book 7

1. ὑπομένων: remaining behind. Cf. iii.35.7; iv.90.20; v.14.18; vi.98.15.—παρεσκευάζετο: takes a combination of two common consts., the simple noun-obj. (τὸν ἔκπλουν, as in ii.56.3; v.10.1) and the fut. partic. with ὡς (c. 41. 15; ii.7.2; iv.8.16). τὸν ἔκπλουν is to be supplied with ποιησόμενος.

ἐπαγγέλλων : imperans, as in iii.16.16; viii.108.21. Cf. c. 18. 27, σίδηρον περιήγγελλον κατὰ τοὺς ξυμμάχονς; also ii.85.11. ἐπαγγέλλων includes the force also of πέμψας, exactly opp. to ἀπαγγέλλων.

αὐτόθεν : sc. ἐξ Ἀθηνῶν. The Schol. wrongly explains, ἀπὸ τῶν ξυμμάχων.

4. πέμπουσι περὶ τὴν Πελοπόννησον: having learned a lesson from their former negligence (see on c. 15. 16), they send these ships on the usual περίπλους (cf. i.107.13; ii.23.5; 69. 2).

φυλάσσοιεν μηδένα...περαιοῦσθαι : cf. ii.69.3, φυλακὴν εἶχε μήτ᾽ ἐκπλεῖν. The const. of μή with inf. is the same as with κωλύειν. See on c. 6. 19.

7. αὐτοῖς οἱ πρέσβεις ἧκον: ἧκον with the dat. as ἧλθον in c. 75. 5. See on i.13.12. On the reading, see App.

βελτίω: sc. εἶναι. Cf. Eur. Hec. 423, ἄγγελλε πασῶν ἀθλιωτάτην ἐμέ.

οὐκ ἄκαιρον...ποιήσασθαι : = οὐκ ἀκαίρως πρότερον τὰς ναῦς πέμψαι. The const. of νομίσαντες . . . ποιήσασθαι is the same as that of ἡγησάμενοι ἱερῶσθαι in v.1.3. πέμψις is unusual; found in Thuc. only here, in Hdt. viii.54.3. The reference is to the sending out of Gylippus, vi.93.8.

ἐν ὁλκάσι...πέμψοντες : the use of common merchant vessels for the transport of troops is marked as unusual by the position of the word. ὁλκάσι coming first, the contrasted ναῦς (i.e. τριήρεις, in 13) has the same position. The use of the same method of transportation by the Lacedaemonians (τῷ αὐτῷ τρόπῳ) is also emphasized, and certainly more effectually by the new partic. πέμψοντες (after ἀποστελοῦντες), to which v. H. objects without sufficient grounds. ὁπλίτας is obj. of both partics.

14. ὅπως...ἀποπειράσωσι...καὶ κωλύοιεν : the same change of mood as in iii.22.39; vi.96.18, 19. GMT. 44, 2, N. 1; Kühn. 553, 6. The first verb (aor.) refers to the act contemplated, the second (pres.) to its enduring result.

πρὸς τὴν ἐν τῇ Ναυπάκτῳ φυλακήν: against the Athenian squadron, generally 20 triremes, stationed on guard here during the whole war. Cf. ii.69.1; 80. 21.— 16. τὰς ὁλκάδας αὐτῶν: the merchant vessels which were to transport their troops. αὐτῶν instead of σφῶν, although σφετέραν follows. Cf. i.95.8.

πρὸς τὴν σφετέραν ἀντίταξιν τῶν τριήρων: ἀντίταξιν is used in a proleptic sense, i.e. against their triremes whenever they (the Corinthians) should have arrayed themselves with these against them. The connexion is made clearer by the fact that the possessive pron. (σφετέραν, referring to the Corinthians) is placed with the verbal noun and not with τριήρων, to which it really belongs. Kr. Spr. 51, 4, 7.

ποιούμενοι: modifies Ἀθηναῖοι.