Harold North Fowler, Commentary on Thucydides Book 5

τῆς τε ἀγγελίας: the connective particle belongs in strictness with ἀκούσαντες, but is joined instead with the obj., because ἀγγελίας really contains the idea opp. to ἔγνωσαν: “on the one hand the message of Alcibiades reached them; on the other hand they had obtained information from other sources” that their suspicion in regard to Athens (c. 40. § 2) had been unfounded, οὐ μετ᾽ Ἀθηναίων (i.e. ἄνευ Ἀθηναίων, Atheniensibus invitis) πραχθεῖσαν τὴν τῶν Βοιωτῶν ξυμμαχίαν.

οἳ σφίσι περὶ τῶν σπονδῶν ἔτυχον ἀπόντες: i.e. those who were carrying on the negotiations of c. 41. But the Argives had as yet received no news of the result of these negotiations or of the departure of their envoys (c. 42. 1), nor did they wait for such news (ἠμέλουν) before acting upon the suggestion of Alcibiades. Consequently the recommendations of the Lacedaemonians (see c. 41. 21 ff.) were never carried out.—σφίσι: a free use of the dat. (ethical dat.), as in c. 3. 21, αὐτοῖς. G. 184, 3, N. 6; H. 770.

πρὸς δὲ τοὺς...τὴν γνώμην εἶχον : see on iii. 25. 10. Used with a common noun in c. 13. 8; 14. 4.

νομίζοντες κτἑ.: reflecting that it was a city which had been friendly to them of old, and that since it was, like themselves, governed by a democracy, it would aid them with its great naval power if they were involved in war.—ἀπὸ παλαιοῦ: an alliance had been formed between Athens and Argos in 460 B.C. Cf. i. 102. 19 f.— 9. δημοκρατουμένην κτἑ.: the same words are used in c. 29. 9, in explaining the feelings of the Mantineans toward the Argives.

τὴν κατὰ θάλασσαν: see App.

Ἠλεῖοι καὶ Μαντινῆς: the Mantineans (see c. 29. 1) and Eleans (see c. 31. 1 ff.) were the first to join the Argive league.

δοκοῦντες κτἑ.: attrib. with πρέσβεις: “such as were thought to be acceptable to the Athenians.” Philocharidas is one of those who took the oaths in concluding the treaties (c. 19 and 24); Endius appears in viii. 6. 17 as a friend of the family of Alcibiades.— 16. δείσαντες: refers not merely to the envoys, but to the Lacedaemonians in general, as freq. in such cases.— 17. καὶ ἅμα Πύλον κτἑ.: this second reason for their haste in reaching Athens is no longer dependent upon δείσαντες, as we should expect after τήν τε ξυμμαχίαν. The inexact use of the particles does not, however, justify a change in the text.

ἐπὶ κακῷ: as in iv. 86. 1, and like ἐπ᾽ ἀγαθῷ in c. 27. 7.—ἀπολογησόμενοι: although we read in c. 39. 11, Λακεδαιμόνιοι εἰδότες ὅτι ἀδικήσουσιν Ἀθηναίους.