C.E. Graves, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 5

τὴν εἰρηνην—the article denotes the peace which was thought of and discussed.

ξυνέβη ὥστε—so Hdt. iii. 14, συνήνεικε ὥστε with inf. in a similar sense. Classen also compares i. 28, 3, ἑτοῖμοι ὥστε: i. 11, 9, δεηθέντες ὥστε, and other like instances. Only one clause is affected by ὥστε, after which the general story goes on with the indicative: so viii. 5, 2, ἀναπείθεται Ἄγις ὥστε Εὐβοίας μὲν πέρι ἐπισχεῖν, τοῖς δὲ Λεσβίοις παρεσκεύαζε τὴν ἀπόστασιν. The subject of εἶχον is resolved into two divisions, ο<*> μὲν Ἀθηναῖοι...οί δ̓ αὖ Λακεδαιμόνιοι (line 14), and the construction is continued, chiefly in participial clauses, passing into the indicative towards the end of each division.

πληγέντες—of a severe blow: iv. 108, 5, ἐν τοῖς Βοιωτοῖς νεωστὶ πεπληγμἐνων, of the same defeat at Delium. ἐπὶ τῷ Δηλίῳ—the battle of Delium was fought in the winter of 424: it is described in iv. 96. It was followed by the reduction of the fort which the Athenians had occupied (iv. 100). For the use of ἐπί for in or at cf. ch. 15, 10.

τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς ῥώμης—‘their confidence in their strength’; cf. ii. 89, 8, καταλῦσαι Πελοποννησίων τὴν ἐλπίδα τοῦ ναυτικοῦ.

ῥώμη is here used of material power, as in iv. 18, 2, διὰ τὴν παροῦσαν νῦν ῥώμην πόλεως: so vii. 63 (fin.) opposed to ἀσθένεια, καὶ μετὰ ἀσθενείας καὶ ξυμφορῶν ἡ ὑμετέρα ἐπιστήμη κρείσσων ἐστὶν ἑτέρας εὐτυχούσης ῥώμης. In iv. 29, 2, καὶ αὐτῷ ρ̀ώμην η νῆσος ἐμπρησθεῖσα παρέσχε, it denotes mental confidence: so vii. 18, 1, τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις ἐγεγἐνητό τις ῥώμη. There are besides two well-known passages where the word occurs, ii. 43, 3, ὁ μετὰ ῥώμης καὶ κοινῆς ἐλπίδος...θάνατος: vii. 75, 3, εἴ τῳ προλείποι ἡ ρ̀ώμη καὶ τὸ σῶμα. In both of these passages Liddell and Scott take ῥώμη in the sense of physical vigour, while Kruger understands it to mean spirit and confidence. The passive of ῥώννυμι seems generally used of eagerness and confidence: e.g. ii. 8, 1, ἔρρωντο ἐς τὸν πόλεμον: iv. 72, 1, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐρρώσθησαν: vi. 17, 6, εί πάνυ ἔρρωνται: so ἐπέρρωσε, ‘reencouraged’, iv. 36, 2.

ᾗπερ—for the dative cf. ἐλπίδι ii. 42, 5: ii. 44, 3. προτε<*>ον —see iv. 21 and 41. τῇ παρου:σῃ εὐτυχίᾳ—cf. iv. 14, 3, βουλόμενοι τῇ παρούσῃ τύχῃ ὡς ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐπεξελθεῖν, where Classen takes the dative as not governed by ἐπεξελθεῖν, a view which the present phrase confirms.

ἐδε<*>ίεσαν—this form occurs iv. 55, 3; and as a var. lect. for ἔδεισαν iv. 117, 2. In several passages in other authors it is the manuscript reading. Grammatical authority is however in favour of ἐδέδισαν: see Veitch's Irregular Verbs, under δίω.

μετεμέλοντο—this word is usually constructed with a participle, as in ch. 35, 20: iv. 27, 2. μετεμέλοντο τὰς σπονδὰς οὐ δεξάμενοι. Here ὄτι is used, probably to avoid the juxtaposition of two participles. καλῶς παρασχόν—so i. 120, 3, εὐ παρασχὸν ἐκ πολέμου πάλιν ξυμβῆναι: iv. 85, 2, ὅτε παρέσχεν.

οἱ δ̓ αὖ Λακεδαιμόνιοι—see iv. 41 and 55, where the despondency of the Spartans at this time is described in very similar language. For the mixture of participial constructions in this part of the sentence cf. iv. 8, 3, διὰ ταχἐων ει:ργασμένον καὶ ἀνθρώπων ὀλίγων ἐνόντων, and the passages there cited. ὀλίγων ἐτῶν—‘within a few years’: ch. 74, 2.

ἐν τῇ νήσῳ—the usual expression for Sphacteria, as in ch. 15, 4. γεγένητο—vii. 18, 2, ἐγεγένητο.

λῃστευομένης—see iv. 41 and 54 seq. προσδοκίας... μή—προσδοκία here implies fear or suspicion, and accordingly is followed by μή: so ii. 93, 2. Similarly μή follows ὑποτοπῶ, ii. 13, 1, and ὑποπτεύω, iii. 53, 2. τοῖς ἔξω—so iv. 66, 2, οἱ φίλοι τῶν ἔξω. πίσυνος is found in ii. 89, 4, τῇ δυνάμει πίσυνοι, and vi. 2, 6: but not elsewhere in Attic prose. It is used by Herodotus, and by the poets.

πρὸς τὰ παρόντα—cf. iv. 80, 1, μή τι πρὸς τὰ παρο:ντα τῆς Πύλου ἐχομένης νεωτερίσωσιν. ὥσπερ καὶ πρότερον refers to the rising of the Helots in 465 (i. 101 seq.).

ξυνέβαινε—see note on ch. 10, 38. τριακονταέτεις— most manuscripts have this form or τριακονταετεῖς. Classen reads τριακοντούτεις with one manuscript, on the analogy of i. 23, 4, and other passages where that form occurs. There are however instances of the resolved form in Xenophon: and Thucydides has πεντηκονταετίδων in ch. 32, 22. It is in fact impracticable to insist on absolute uniformity even in the same author.

ἐπ̓ ἐξόδῳ—the same expression is used in ch. 28, 11; so that the truce lasted at any rate till 421.

εἰ μή τις—so iv. 68, 5, εἰ μὴ πείσεταί τις: see note on ch. 10, 27. τὴν Κυνοσουρίαν γῆν—on the borders of Argos and Lacoma, iv. 56, 3: see also ch. 41, 6. Another form is Κυνουρία (Hdt. viii. 73 etc.), which is also read here in some manuscripts.

ὤστ᾽ ἀδύνατα—i.e. therefore they must make terms with Athens, as difficulties impended on the side of Argos. There is a similar condensation of the logical conclusion with ὤστε at the end of iv. 85. For the neuter plural ἀδύνατα cf. note on iv. 1, 2, ἀδύνατα ἦν.