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Thereupon the Athenian army sets off into the interior of the island, marching in a double hollow square with the baggage in the middle. They cross the Anapus after putting the Syracusans stationed there to flight, and make on the first day 40, on the second, 20 stades. On the third, however, being hard pressed by the cavalry and light troops of the enemy, they are forced to turn back and pass the night at their former campingplace. With the account of the retreat of the Athenians, compare map, and Holm II. p. 397-401; also the App. to c. 78. 14. 1. ἐπῄει τὸ στράτευμα: “went along the ranks.” Cf. ἐπιπαριών, c. 76. 2, which implies approaching in order to speak to. ἅμα belongs to παρακελευόμενος. καθιστάς : i.e. putting them in line. οὐδὲν ἧσσον: sc. ἐπῄει. τοῖς καθ̓ ἑαυτόν : to the troops under his command. 5. ἐν πλαισίῳ: Schol. (on vi.67.6) ἐν σχήματι τετραγώνῳ. A hollow square called τετράγωνος τάξις in iv.125.16. Cl. is doubtless right in adopting πλαισίῳ from Vat., instead of διπλασίῳ of the other Mss., but his view that the two divisions of the army formed together a hollow square seems not to agree so well with the context, as Kr.'s and St.'s, that each division formed its own πλαίσιον. πρῶτον μὲν ἡγούμενον : these words, found only in Vat., are indispensable to the sense. There is the same redundancy of expression as in πρῶτον ἤρξατο, i.103.17; ii.53.1. τοὺς δὲ σκευοφόρους...ἐντὸς εἶχον : cf. vi.67.9; Xen. An. iii.2.36. 8. [τε]: rightly omitted by Bm. as having no prop. connexion. τῶν Συρακοσίων καὶ ξυμμάχων: part. gens. Cf. c. 26. 14; iv.80.7.— 13. ἐσακοντίζοντες οἱ ψιλοί: part. appos. to οἱ Συρακόσιοι. Cf. c. 71. 1, 4. 14. σταδίους ὡς τεσσαράκοντα: see App. πρῴ: see on c. 19. 1.— 17. ἄπεδον: level, a rare word. Cf. Hdt. ix.102.3, ἄπεδος χῶρος. Schol. ὅμαλον, ὁμόπεδον, ὡς καὶ ἄλοχος ἢ ὁμόλοχος. στάδια : the neut. form in Thuc. only here.—ᾗ ἔμελλον ἰέναι: i.e. westward to the high plateau, which, however, they did not reach. 22. ἀπετείχιζον: were walling off (impf.). Ἀκραῖον λέπας: the situation of this bare cliff, which marks the beginning of the plateau, can still be determined by means of the ravine leading thither, now called Cava di Culatrello. See Holm, II. p. 64 and 399, and Karlsr. Philol. Wochenschr. 1882. 26. αὐτούς: emphatic position, as ὑμᾶς in i.68.1; σφᾶς, v.82.23.—ἑκατέρωθεν: this reading of Vat. for ἑκάτεροι best suits the context. Cf. Valla, utrimque. 29. ἐς τὸ αὐτὸ στρατόπεδον: i.e. in which they had passed the night before.—οὐκέτι ὁμοίως: i.e. as before, when real want had not yet been felt. ἀποχωρεῖν: Schol. ἀποσκίδνασθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ στρατεύματος, i.e. for foraging.—ὑπὸ τῶν ἱππέων: cf. vi.37.18.
Commentary on Thucydides Book 7. Charles F. Smith. 1886. Boston. Ginn and Company.
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