Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 3

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The Thebans have wronged us in many other respects, and now finally by the wanton surprise of our city, for which we have justly punished them. It would not be right that we should now suffer on their account. If you regard justice and your own true interests, you cannot permit this.

ξύνιστε: i.e. of your own knowledge. Cf. i. 73. 13; ii. 35. 10; iv. 68. 24.—

δἰ ὅπερ: Pp.'s conjecture, for δἰ ἅπερ of the Mss., is necessary, since it refers to τὸ τελευταῖον, which, as opp. to πολλὰ καὶ ἄλλα, is clearly not adv., but the obj. of ξύνιστε.

πόλιν γὰρ αὐτοὺς kte(.: cf. ii. 2-6; iii. 65, 66. For the order (πόλιν τὴν ἡμετέραν), see on c. 9. 3; 54. 14. —

καταλαμβάνοντας: pres. partie., of the unsuecessful attempt. Cf. ii. 3. 3; 5. 21.—4.

ἐν σπονδαῖς: temporal, as c. 65. 2; i. 55. 14; ii. 5. 20; vii. 18. 13. Cf. ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ, c. 52. 20; 54. 6; 68. 11.—

ἱερομηνίᾳ: on a holi- day, as in c. 65. 2. This circumstance is not mentioned in the detailed account of the event, ii. 2. ff.—

ὀρθῶς ἐτιμωρησάμεθα: the Plataeans pass lightly over the especial charge concerning their conduct, while the Thebans emphasize just this point most strongly, c. 66. § 2.—5.

τὸν . . . καθεστῶτα: for the order, see on c. 54. 19. For the thought, cf. vii. 68. 3 ff.—

πολέμιον: emphatic pred., as an enemy. Cf. c. 65. 6; 66. 1.— 6.

οὐκ εἰκότως: cf. c. 58. 9 εἰκότως τιμωρήσεσθε, and c. 57. 2 εἰ δὲ περὶ ἡμῶν γνώσεσθε μὴ τὰ εἰκότα.—δἰ αὐτούς: cf. c. 57. 12 διὰ Θηβαίους.

εἰ γὰρ . . . τὸ δίκαιον λήψεσθε: τὸ δίκαιον (see on c. 10. 1; v. 86. 6) λαμβάνειν, measure justice, with which the dat. is connected, as with μετρεῖν, τεκμαίρεσθαί τί τινι. The unworthy motive for such a decision is indicated by the closely connected τῷ αὐτίκα χρησίμῳ ὑμῶν τε καὶ ἐκείνων πολεμίῳ, in which one art. covers both subst. phrases (see on c. 2. 6; i. 6. 1; 120. 10). Cf. Dem. xviii. 31 τὸ . . . ἐν τῇ πρεσβείᾳ πρῶτον κλέμμα μὲν Φιλίππου, δωροδόκημα δὲ τῶν ἀδίκων τούτων ἀνθρώπων. The chiastic arrangement (χρησίμῳ ὑμῶν . . . ἐκείνων πολεμίῳ), by which the close connexion of the prons. with the adjs. is shown, accounts for the unusual position of τε καί. “If you, influenced by your present advantage and their hostility, shall decide the question of right.”—9.

τὸ ξυμφέρον: in the sense of immediate advantage, expediency (cf. ii. 40. 23), as opp. to ὀρθόν, which here and c. 66. 20 (τὰ ὀρθά) is the result at once of right judgment and honest intention. In v. 90. 2 τὸ ξυμφέρον is similarly opp. to τὸ δίκαιον. In l. 25 it means true advantage. For the const. with θεραπεύειν, cf. vi. 79. 1 τὸ δίκαιον . . . θεραπεύσετε, Soph. Phil. 149 τὸ παρὸν θεραπείειν, Polyb. xi. 4. 2 καιρὸν πάντα θεραπεύειν.

νῦν: sharply contrasted with τότε in l. 12, both occupying emphatic positions at the beginning and end of their respective clauses. Cf. c. 54. 11, 12.—11.

μᾶλλον τότε: sc. ὠφέλιμοι ἦμεν. Cf. c. 40. 5; i. 86. 7; vi. 60. 13.

ἡμῶν: belongs to both τῆς νῦν ἁμαρτίας and τὴν τότε προθυμίαν, and by its position acquires almost the force of a dat. of interest. See on i. 30. 14.—

ἁμαρτίας . . . ἀντιθεῖναι: the gen. as in ii. 85. 9. Kr. Spr. 47, 23, 2.—

ἄρα: intimating doubt, a force retained from its interr. use, it is here, as c. 67. 4, rather negatively inclined (if indeed); but generally after εἰ and ἤν it is positive in force (if perhaps, c. 30. 10; i. 27. 9; 70. 23; 84. 9; 93. 30; 123. 5; 136. 12; 140. 7, etc.).—

ἡμάρτηται: impers. pass., as παραβαίνεται, c. 45. 14.—16.

ἀντιθεῖναι: as in ii. 85. 8.—

μείζω πρὸς ἐλάσσω: Schol. μείζω προθυμίαν πρὸς ἐλάσσω ἁμαρτίαν. πρός, as against; see on c. 43. 15.—18.

ἀντιτάξασθαι: to array against. Here lit., in ii. 87. 22 it is fig. —19.

ἐπῃνοῦντό τε . . . πράσσοντες: and they were more commended who did not with respect to the attack seek their own advantage in security. πράσσοντες has reference to negotiations with the enemy. ἀσφαλείᾳ, as opp. to μετὰ κινδύνων, equiv. to δι: ἀσφαλείας, i. 17. 3. It is used adv. also Soph. O. R. 51. Some editt. take it with αὑτοῖς, for their own security. —20.

ἐθέλοντες δὲ . . . τὰ βέλτιστα: the order is chiastic with regard to the preceding clause. The open ἐθέλοντες τολμᾶν is opposed to the secret πράσσοντες, μετὰ κινδύνων to ἀσφαλείᾳ, τὰ βέλτιστα (“what was wholesomest for all”) to τὰ ξύμφορα αὑτοῖς.

ὧν: partitive genitive with γενόμενοι. G. 1094, 7; H. 732 a; Kr. Spr. 47, 9, 2.—

τιμηθέντες ἐς τὰ πρῶτα: as in c. 39. 9. On the matter, cf. ii. 71. § 2 f., and Plut. Aristid. 20, who says that the ἀριστεῖα were adjudged to the Plataeans.—22.

ἐπὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς: for the same conduct, to be taken with διαφθαρῶμεν. Cf. ἐπὶ προδοσίᾳ, i. 138. 31; ἐπὶ βραχείᾳ προφάσει, i. 141. 4.— 23.

ἑλόμενοι: with acc. (τινα or τά τινος) of party attitude, as c. 63. 11; 64. 6; ii. 7. 9.—24.

κερδαλέως: for mere advantage, as κερδαλέον, ii. 53. 11. It is contrasted with δικαίως, as τὸ ξυμφέρον above (9) with τὸ δίκαιον.

καίτοι . . . καθιστῆται: these words are directed (see Stahl, N. Jahrbb. xcvii. p. 117 f.) against a change of judgment on the part of the Lacedaemonians with regard to the consistent conduct of the Plataeans, which would have the saddest results for them (ἐπὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς δέδιμεν μὴ διαφθαρῶμεν, as quite similarly in the transition from c. 57 to c. 58, καίτοι ἀξιοῦμέν γε κτἑ. is opp. to δέδιμεν μὴ οὐ βέβαιοι ἦτε). They are, therefore, not a justification of the Plataeans, but an admonition to the Lacedaemonians. This view necessitates Heilmann's conjecture ἔχουσι (agreeing with ὑμῖν) for ἔχωσι. “You must, however, show yourselves consistent in your judgments concerning the same course of conduct, and consider your true advantage to be only this—to have an ever-enduring sense of gratitude toward good allies for their virtue, while your own immediate interest is secured,” i.e. your true interest is subserved only where the advantage of the moment comports with lasting gratitude to deserving allies. From the first general claim (χρὴ . . . ὁμοίως φαίνεσθαι γιγνώσκοντας) there is a transition with the aor. νομίσαι to the present case, and with ὑμῖν definitely to the Lacedaemonians. While τῶν ξυμμάχων οἱ ἀγαθοί is a general term for all deserving allies, the Plataeans have esp. in mind the ἀρετή displayed by themselves in the Persian wars (as just described in § 5), for which they claim αἰεὶ βέβαιον τὴν χάριν. The matter of present advantage (καὶ τὸ παραυτίκα ὠφέλιμον) is placed in the background by the emphatic position of αἰεὶ βέβαιον τὴν χάριν, by the particle καί (also), and by που.—25. μὴ ἄλλο τι νομίσαι: see on c. 30. 12.—27.

ἔχουσι: for the position, cf. i. 39. 9 διαφόρους ὄντας ἡμῖν δέχεσθαι σφᾶς.—τὸ παραυτίκα που ὠφέλιμον: that these words belong together seems clear from τῷ αὐτίκα χρησίμῳ (7), and from the consideration that, from 1. 7 on, above all the narrow regard for immediate advantage is to be proved inadmissible. παραυτίκα, as in ii. 64. 27; vii. 57. 46. For the emphatic position of ὑμῖν, cf. i. 68. 1; 70. 5; v. 82. 23; vii. 78. 26. —28.

καθιστῆται: cf. i. 73. 19; 96. 6; 102. 22; 109. 2; iv. 86. 16.