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τοίνυν: see on c. 87. 1.— πρὸς τὸ θεῖον: this in conjunction with εὐμένεια denotes a good relation in the widest sense; not only that the Athenians hope for the favour of the gods, but also that they fulfil their obligations toward them. It is an indirect reply to the ὅσιοι πρὸς οὐ δικαίους of the Melians. πρὸς τὸ θεῖον is not to be changed with Kr. to πρὸς τοῦ θείου, nor with Meineke to περὶ τὸ θεῖον.

λελείψεσθαι : equiv. to ἐλασσώσεσθαι of 12, “that we shall be inferior therein.”—τῆς ἀνθρωπείας: this belongs to both the following substs. (νομίσεως and βουλήσεως), and is therefore placed before both in the sent. Cf. ii. 44. 4.

νομίσεως: this is here used not so much of opinion or belief as of the exercise of religious customs and cer emonies, τὰ νενομισμένα, τὰ εἰθισμένα περὶ τοὺς θεούς, Schol.—ἐς σφᾶς αὐτοὺς βουλήσεως: i.e. ἐς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, which is suggested by the preceding ἀνθρωπείας. Like Lat. voluntas, βούλησις denotes one's state of mind toward others.

δικαιοῦμεν, πράσσομεν: the first refers to βουλήσεως: “we put forward no unwarranted pretensions,” the second to both νομίσεως and βουλήσεως.

δόξῃ, σαφῶς: these words, placed respectively after the substs. τὸ θεῖον and τὸ ἀνθρώπειον, denote the degree of certainty of ἡγούμεθα as applied to these substs., and are not to be const. with ἄρχειν: “for of the gods we believe, and of men we know, that by a law of their nature, wherever they have power (i.e. throughout the realm of their power), they always rule.” Greater stress is laid upon ἀνθρώπειον, as is evident from its position before τε.—διὰ παντός: this is temporal, as usual. See on i. 38. 2. Like ὑπὸ φύσεως ἀναγκαίας, it belongs with ἄρχειν. The Athenians leave it to the Melians to give the general proposition τὸ ἀνθρώπειον οὗ ἂν κρατῇ ἄρχειν its application to the case in hand: οὕτω καὶ τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις προσήκειν ὡς κατὰ θάλασσαν κρατοῦντας ὑμῶν νησιωτῶν ὄντων ἄρχειν. But the proposition itself, ἄρχειν τινὰ οὗ ἂν κρατῇ, or “might makes right,” is the νόμος to which reference is made in the subsequent words.

ὑμᾶς ἄν, δρῶντας ἄν: the repetition of ἄν with subj. and verb adds clearness as well as emphasis. Cf. c. 9. 16.

ταὐτό: see App.—ἐκ τοῦ εἰκότος: in accordance with probability. This refers to the statement of 2, οὐδὲν ἔξω τῆς ἀνθρωπείας ἐς τὸ θεῖον νομίσεως πράσσομεν.

φοβούμεθα: is here followed by the fut. inf. on account of the implied notion of iudir. disc. GMT. 46, N. 6 (b); H. 948 a.—τῆς δόξης: const. with τὸ ἀπειρόκακον, 14, and τὸ ἄφρον, 15.—ἐς Λακεδαιμονίους: cf. iii. 14. 1, τὰς ἐς ὑμᾶς ἐλπίδας, and iv. 81. 12, ἐπιθυμία ἐς τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους.— 13. ἥν: cognate acc. with πιστεύετε, since δόξη is here nearly equiv. to πίστις. See App.—διὰ τὸ αἰσχρόν: equiv. to αἰσχύνῃ of c. 104. 8. αἰσχρὸν νομίζοντας τοὺς ἀποίκους πολεμουμένους, Schol.

ὑμῶν τὸ ἀπειρόκακον: your simplicity, which arises from inexperience of evil.

πλεῖστα: adv. See on i. 3. 23.

πολλὰ ἄν τις ἔχων εἰπεῖν: a common rhetorical expression. Cf. Dem. III. 27; VIII. 52.

ξυνελών: freq. used by Thuc. to introduce a brief summing up, esp. in speeches. Cf. ii. 41. 1; iii. 40. 16; vi. 80. 14.— 20. καίτοι: and yet (see on ii. 60. 16; iv. 18. 5) this selfish character of the Lacedaemonians is not favourable to the fulfilment of your present foolish hope of deliverance. The ἄλογος σωτηρία is here intentionally opp. to the οὐκ ἀλόγως θρασυνόμεθα of c. 104. 9.

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