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

εἴπατε—the only instance of a form from aorist εἶπα in Thucydides. Generally εἶπας and εἴπατε are more usual than the corresponding forms of εἶπον. The Melian representatives fear that they will have no real freedom of discussion. The verdict has already gone against them.

ξύνεδροι—‘commissioners’; iv. 22, 1: they are afterwards called ὀλίγοι ἄνδρες in the same chapter.

ἐπιείκεια—‘equitableness’, and reasonable consideration; iii. 40, 3, ἡ ἐπιείκεια πρὸς τοὺς μέλλοντας ἐπιτηδείους ἔσεσθαι δίδοται: iii. 48, 1, μήτ᾽ οἴκτῳ πλέον νέμοντες μήτ᾽ έπιεικείᾳ. ‘The primary sense of ἐπιεικής is equitable, one who has a leaning to the merciful side and of an indulgent disposition, as opposed to one who takes a strict and vigorous view of an offence, puts a harsh construction on men's motives and actions, and is inclined to enforce on all occasions the letter of the law. From this, and because we think this the better disposition of the two, ἐπιεικής is transferred by metaphor to the general signification of good’ (Cope on Ar. Rhet. i. 2, 4). For further illustration of τὸ ἐπεικές see Ar. Rhet. i. 13, 13—9: Eth. Nic. v. 10: vi. 11, 1.

αὐτοῦ—‘it’, τοῦ διδάσκειν, etc. ἐξ αὐτοῦ below refers to the same. For this use of αὐτό and αὐτά see ch. 27, 4; and note on ἐπάθομεν αὐτό, iv. 25, 1.