Charles D. Morris, Commentary on Thucydides Book 1

τοιούτου: pred. to τούτου ξυμβάντος. Different from c. 71. 1.—δηλωθέντος: one of the rare instances where an abs. impers. partic. is in the gen., not the acc.; like the Lat. comperto, nuntiato, etc. So ἀεὶ καθεστῶτος, c. 76. 11; ἀγγελθέντος, vi.58.1. So the neut. pl. ἐσαγγελθέντων, c. 116. 15; πλοϊμωτέρων ὄντων, c. 7. 2; ὄντων ἀκρίτων, iv.20.5. GMT. 110, 1. N. 3; H. 973 a; Kühn. 486, note 2.

ἐν: dependent on.—τὰ πράγματα: the political existence, salus, summa rerum. Cf. c. 110. 1; ii.65.43; iii.93.13; vii.27.14; 49. 4.

ἐγένετο: aor. of εἶναι: “that the salvation of the Greeks depended on their ships.”—ἐς αὐτό: refers to what precedes. Cf. c. 68. 3, 9.—παρεσχόμεθα: “the mid. is used regularly in reference to the supply of good, not evil; exceptions chiefly in Plat.” B. L. G.

ἄνδρα στρατηγόν: the generic and the specific term united, as often.

ἀοκνοτάτην: see on c. 70. 14.— μέν γε: μέν begins the enumeration, γε emphasizes ναῦς, though always placed after the other particle. See on c. 40. 15. Cf. 70. 6.

τετρακοσίας: probably a round number instead of 378 as given by Hdt. viii. 48. But Aesch. Pers. 339 gives 310, and Dem. XVIII. 238 gives 300 (in XIV. 29, 200 acc. to Ms. Σ) as the whole number. Of this total the Athenian 200 (180 + 20 lent to Chalcidians, Hdt. viii. 1; 44) could be spoken of as πλείους τῶν ἡμίσεων, or with slight exaggeration as ὀλίγῳ ἐλάσσους τῶν δύο μοιρῶν. The art. is wanting in the best Mss. but seems indispensable to the fraction 2/3. Cf. c. 10. 9; 104. 9; ii.10.6. See App.

ναυμαχῆσαι: inf. without art. after αἴτιος here only in Thuc. Cf. Soph. Ant. 1173. GMT. 92, 1, N. 2; H. 952; Kühn. 473, 3. For the fact, see Hdt. viii. 60.

καὶ αὐτὸν διὰ τοῦτο κτἑ.: the importance of Themistocles is enforced by the position of αὐτόν, in which the relative sentence is continued as usual (see on c. 42. 2); and ἄνδρα ξένον, = καίπερ ἄνδρα ξένον ὄντα, has its full force as pred.— 9. ἐτιμήσατε: see Hdt. viii. 124; Plut. Them. 17. 3.

καὶ πολύ: emphasizes the sup. strongly. Cf. c. 25. 20; vi.22.6; 24. 7; vii.34.35; 41. 14. Cf. also viii.68.21; 89. 25.

οἵ γε: forcibly taking up the subj. of ἐδείξαμεν. See on c. 68. 15.

μέχρι ἡμῶν: properly of place, ‘up to our borders’; then numerically, except ourselves.— ἠξιώσαμεν: see on c. 42. 2.

διαφθείραντες: = προέμενοι. Schol., διαφθαρῆναι ἐάσαντες.

προλιπεῖν : an emphatic deserere, as ii.87.31.

μὴ ὀργισθῆναι: as c. 32. 7, not to take offence. For μή, see on c. 43. 4.

αὐτοί: we on our side. The other side of the case is expressed by ἢ τυχεῖν τούτου, to avoid the ambiguity of ἢ ὑμᾶς ὠφελῆσαι ἡμᾶς.

τούτου : i.e. τῆς ἀφ̓ ὑμῶν ὠφελίας.

οἰκουμένων : impf. partic. emphasized by its pred. position, while they were still undisturbed. ἀπό κτἑ., of the starting-point; ἐπὶ κτἑ., of the purpose.

νέμεσθαι: to possess, to occupy. See on c. 2. 6.

καὶ οὐχ ἡμῶν τὸ πλέον: ironical, for ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν τὸ πλέον (=μᾶλλον）ἢ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. The proof is given in ὅτε γοῦν . . . παρεγένεσθε.

τῆς οὐκ οὔσης...ἐλπίδι οὔσης : cf. Hdt. viii.57.7, περὶ οὐδεμιῆς ἔτι πατρίδος ναυμαχήσεις; the same thought in the famous answer of Themistocles, Hdt. viii.61.8, ὡς εἴη καὶ πόλις καὶ γῆ μέζων ἤπερ κείνοισι, ἔστ᾽ ἂν διηκόσιαι νέες σφι ἔωσι πεπληρωμέναι. The state had then only an ideal existence, in the ships and their crews; and so οὐκ οὔσης opp. to οἰκουμένων, as τῆς ἐν βραχείᾳ ἐλπίδι οὔσης, “whose continuance rests only on a feeble hope,” is to τὸ λοιπὸν νέμεσθαι.

ὁρμώμενοι : cf. c. 144. 22; ii.65.5; iv.8.36; vii.49.17.— 23. τὸ μέρος: referring to ἡμεῖς in ξυνεσώσαμεν, pro virili parte, as far as we could. Cf. c. 127. 7; ii.67.17. G. 160, 2; H. 719. Kühn. 410, note 15.

ὥσπερ καὶ ἄλλοι: just as others did: contemptuous omission of the names, e.g. of the Thebans. καί, though as usual inserted in the rel. clause, really emphasizes ἡμεῖς.

ὡς διεφθαρμένοι : because we looked upon ourselves as already ruined.

οὐδὲν ἂν ἔδει: “ἐχρῆν εἶναι, oportebat esse, at non sunt; ἐχρῆν ἂν εἶναι, oporteret esse, at non oportet.” Franke. GMT. 49, 2, Rem. 1; H. 897; Kühn. 392 b, note 2. Ironical: you would have had no more need to fight, because you could not.

προεχώρησε: cf. c. 111. 7; 127. 4; ii.5.2; etc.

ᾗ ἐβούλετο: assimilated to the mood of the unreal apodosis. G. 235, 2; H. 919; Kühn. 399, 6 a.