Harold North Fowler, Commentary on Thucydides Book 5

ἔπειτα: after ἔπειτα, when μέν precedes, δέ is sometimes found, and sometimes not; examples of both uses are about equally numerous. Here the Mss. omit δέ.

τῇ ἕδρᾳ: like ii. 18. 19, τῇ καθέδρᾳ. τῇ προσμονῇ, Schol. Cf. Hdt.ix. 41. 4.—τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἀναλογιζομέ- νων: cf. οἱ στρατιῶται ἀνελογίζοντο, viii. 83. 10, where the expression is used in the same sense as here.

τὴν ἐκείνου ἡγεμονίαν: proleptic. Cf. i. 23. 26, αἱ δ᾽ ἐς τὸ φανερὸν λεγόμεναι αἰτίαι αἵδ̓ ἦσαν ἑκατέρων, ἀφ̓ ὧν λύσαντες τὰς σπονδὰς ἐς τὸν πόλεμον κατέστησαν; ii. 21. 3, μεμνημένοι καὶ Πλειστοάνακτα ὅτε ἐσβαλὼν ἐς Ἐλευσῖνα ἀνεχώρησε.—πρὸς οἵαν...μετὰ οἵας: the pron. is repeated with the same effect of emphasis as in vii. 75. 37. The opinion of Thuc. about Brasidas as well as Cleon remains the same, even after Cleon's success at Pylos. See on iv. 28. 24 and 39. 11, and Introd. to Book I., p. 45.

ἀνεπιστημοσύνης: does not occur elsewhere in Thuc. The adj. occurs in ii. 89. 31, and freq. elsewhere.

οἴκοθεν: placed first in its clause, even before ὡς, for emphasis. Cf. i. 77. 4 ff. —ξυνῆλθον: corresponds to ἐξῆλθε, c. 8. 7. See App.—καθημένους: remaining inactive, as in iv. 124. 24. See App.

ᾧπερ...εὐτυχήσας ἐπίστευσέ τι φρονεῖν : (the manner) by which he had been successful at Pylos, and thus had acquired confidence in his own wisdom (φρονεῖν τι as in ii. 53. 19, ἀπολαῦσαι τι, to have some enjoyment), i.e. his method of reckless attacks.

κατὰ θέαν: to reconnoitre. Cf. c. 9. 10; 10. 8; vi. 31. 5. Const. with τοῦ χωρίου, i.e. Amphipolis.

καὶ τὴν μείζω κτἑ.: καί is the confirmation of what precedes: “and in fact (ii. 2. 26; iv. 1. 9) he was waiting for the reinforcements (mentioned in c. 6. 5 ff.), not that he might gain the victory (περισχήσων as in vii. 105. 4) without risk if he should be forced to fight (ἢν ἀναγκάζηται, sc. μάχεσθαι), but with the intention of forcing the town to surrender by surrounding it.”

βίᾳ αἱρήσων: take by force of arms. This is merely opp. to ὁμολογίᾳ παραστήσασθαι, acquire by agreement, and does not mean take by storm. See on i. 102. 7.—ἐλθών τε: and accordingly he went. Expressing conse quence. τε is here not a correlative of καί.

ἐπὶ τῇ Θρᾴκῃ : in respect to the surrounding Thracian country. An indefinite description of its situation as i. 105. 6, ἐπ᾽ Αἰγίνῃ; ii. 86. 11, ἐπὶ τῇ Ῥίῳ; vi. 2. 6, ἐπὶ τῇ θαλάσσῃ. St. omits these words as an interpolation.

ἀπιέναι τε ἐνόμιζεν: not to be separated by any stronger punctuation from what precedes. He examined the situation at his leisure, and believed that he could go away without a battle whenever he chose.— 18. οὔτ᾽ , οὔτε: used as if both belonged to one verb, ἐφαίνετο, although ἐξῄει is irregularly added in the second clause.

ὥστε καὶ...ἐδόκει : i.e. he was even sorry that he had not brought his storming machines with him.—οὐκ ἀνῆλθεν: refers to ἀναβαίνειν, 11. See App.

ἑλεῖν ἄν: sc. ἐδόκει. His thought was ἕλοιμι ἄν or perhaps εἷλον ἄν. GMT. 53; H. 964.