Charles D. Morris, Commentary on Thucydides Book 1

λαμβάνει: sc. τὸ τεῖχος. See on c. 90. 8. So ἔχειν in iv.13.4. Cf. Hdt. ix.7.5, τὸ τεῖχος ἐπάλξις ἐλάμβανε.

ὅπως χρὴ ἀπιστῆσαι : depending on οὐκ εἶχον (= ᾔδεσαν), they did not know how they could help believing them; usually the deliberative subjv. occurs, as in ii.52.11; iv.28.15; v.65.21; probably also vii.14.6. In iii.11.18, ἐχόντων . . . πρὸς ὅ τι χρὴ στῆναι, though without neg. Kr. Spr. 54, 7, 2; Kühn. 394, note 3.

μὴ μᾶλλον...ἤ : see on c. 73. 17.

χρηστοί: sc. εἰσι, which is sometimes omitted after rel. Cf. c. 16. 4; 35. 25; ii.97.25. But Cobet brackets χρηστοὶ καί. The fut. ἀναγγελοῦσι has a final meaning. Cf. iii.16.15; iv.22.3. See on c. 90. 24. See App.

καὶ περὶ αὐτῶν: for similar parataxis, cf. c. 26. 17; 61. 2; ii.12.8.— 10. ἤδη γὰρ κτἑ.: explains the pl. αὐτοί, and shows that the suggestion of c. 90. 19 had been acted upon.— 11. αὐτῷ: see on c. 13. 12; 61. 1.— Ἁβρὡνιχος: see Hdt. viii.21.6.

ἐφοβεῖτο γάρ: gives the reason of κελεύων, 9.

σφᾶς : indir. refl. Cf. iii.93.7; iv.41.12; 55. 6; pl. as referring to the three envoys.—ὁπότε ἀκούσειαν: = ὁπόταν ἀκούσωσι of dir. disc. Cf. the opt., c. 25. 4; 63. 3. GMT. 77, 2, N.; H. 932, 2.

ἐπεστάλη: see on c. 46. 1.— 16. ἐπελθὼν κτἑ.: as in c. 90. 29, ἐπὶ τὸ κοινόν.

ἐνταῦθα δή : of the decisive moment. Cf. c. 49. 30, τότε δή.

εἰ δέ τι βούλονται κτἑ.: “if the Lacedaemonians or their allies wished anything, envoys must hereafter be sent (inf.=imv. after εἶπεν) to them with the understanding that they could for themselves recognize and decide what was for their own and the general interest.” The prep. παρά to be taken with προδιαγιγνώσκοντας as well as with σφᾶς. See on c. 84. 19; 92. 3; vi.50.20. This compound is found also in c. 78. 4; v.38.19. Its προ- implies here “before the Lacedaemonians take the trouble to advise them.” The pres. inf. and partic. imply an ironical assumption as to the whole future. See App.

κοινά: the position of τε shows that this is opp. to σφίσιν αὐτοῖς, and that therefore σύμφορα belongs to both.

ἄνευ ἐκείνων: i.e. ἄνευ γνώμης ἐκείνων. Cf. c. 128. 12; ii.72.17; vi.78.19; v.28.6; viii.5.14.— ἔφασαν: bracketed by Kr., since ἔφη comes again in 30, and ἔφασαν was probably supplied by a scribe, who thought a pl. verb was needed with γνόντες. Cf. vi.25.15; 64. 22; vii.48.7. But Cl. thinks it may stand after εἶπεν, 17, without offence, since the completion of the embassy has been mentioned. Here, as in c. 28. 10, the repetition of the verb is due to the importance of the statement.

βουλεύεσθαι: inf. in rel. sentence in indir. disc. Cf. ii.13.34; 24. 11; 102. 28; iv.98.13; v.45.9; 46. 18; 63. 16; vi.24.14. GMT. 92, 2, N. 3; H. 947; Kühn. 594, 5; Kr. Spr. 55, 4, 9; 53, 2, 9.—γνώμῃ: like γνόντες, 23, implies both discernment and decision, referring to προδιαγιγνώσκοντας above.

καὶ νῦν ἄμεινον εἶναι: repeated from 22, with a proud sense of selfdetermination.

καὶ ἰδίᾳ κτἑ.: i.e. ὠφελιμώτερον τοῖς πολίταις καὶ ἰδίᾳ καὶ ἐς τοὺς ξυμμάχους: the fortification of the city would be of more advantage to its inhabitants (τοῖς πολίταις, not the colorless σφίσιν), in regard as well to the security of the city itself (ἰδίᾳ) as to its influence over the confederacy. Thuc. very often separates two parallel clauses by an expression common to both (here τοῖς πολίταις). Cf. c. 69. 1, 13, 17; 70. 27; 93. 20. See App.

μὴ...παρασκευῆς : = ἀπὸ παρασκευῆς μὴ ἀντιπάλου οὔσης. “A position of equal independence is indispensable if the views proposed are to receive equal consideration.” For the effect of a neg. before a prep. to reverse the meaning of the following noun or adj., see Kr. Spr. 67, 9; 10, 4; Kühn. 514, 4. Cf. c. 141. 24; iii.62.16. For ἀπό, cf. c. 74. 18; ii.77.3; vi.19.6; vii.29.6; for ὁμοῖόν τι ἢ ἴσον, see on c. 27. 4.

τάδε: “what has now happened.”