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Alcidas flees through the open sea back toward Peloponnesus, pursued in vain as far as Patmos by Paches. φυγὴν ἐποιεῖτο: cf. ἐποιεῖτο τὴν δίωξιν, l. 13; Lat. fugam facere. For this favourite form of periphrasis in Thuc., see on i. 50. 8.— ὤφθη: had been seen, sc. in the voyage from Embaton to Ephesus, as ἔτι shows; with which agrees the position of Clarus on the coast of Colophon, a few miles northwest of Ephesus. Cf. Strabo, p. 642 τὸ πρὸ Κολοφῶνος ἄλσος τοῦ Κλαρίου Ἀπόλλωνος. After leaving Ephesus he crossed the open sea, touching nowhere. For the further account of his voyage, cf. c. 69. § 1. — τῆς Σαλαμινίας καὶ Παράλου: the two swift Athenian state triremes kept always manned ready for extraordinary occasions and purposes. Cf. c. 77. 12; vi. 53. 1; 61. 20; viii. 73. 25; 74. 1. See Dict. Ant.; Boeckh, P. E. pp. 235, 334, 702. 3. αἱ δ᾽ ἀπ̓ Ἀθηνῶν πλέουσαι: they were prob. sent out after news of Alcidas's expedition was received at Athens, to reconnoitre and take orders to Paches.—4. τὴν δίωξιν: sc. of the Attic fleet after it should have heard of the Peloponnesian fleet.— ἔπλει διὰ τοῦ πελάγους: see on c. 4. 20. This is a strengthened repetition of ἔπλει κατὰ τάχος, after the parenthetical clause (ὤφθη . . . πλέουσαι) stating the cause of the haste.—5. ὡς γῇ ἑκούσιος οὐ σχήσων: determined not of his accord to put to land. For σχεῖν with dat., see on c. 29. 5. τῷ Πάχητι καὶ τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις: with these dats. the three clauses, that follow in inverse order of importance, are to be closely connected. The clause ἀτειχίστου γὰρ . . . τὰς πόλεις, which gives the ground of πανταχόθεν, being set off from the main sent., the increasing importance of the news that comes to Paches is apparent: ἦλθε μέν, the first fleeting rumour; ἀφικνεῖτο δὲ καὶ πανταχόθεν, of repeated urgent messages; αὐτάγγελοι ἔφρασαν, report based upon personal observation and giving exact details (ἔφρασαν as in i. 145. 4). The reference of αὐτόν to Alcidas becomes easier now through this closer connexion of the last clause with the two first.—9. καὶ ὥς: even thus, i.e. although the condition of Ionia (ἀτειχίστου κτἑ.) was a temptation. καὶ ὥς also i. 44. 11; vii. 74. 2; 81. 30; viii. 51. 10; 56. 10; 87. 18. Jow. suggests “in any case,” as in i. 44. 10 ἐδόκει γὰρ ὁ πρὸς Πελοποννησίους πόλεμος καὶ ὣς ἔσεσθαι αὐτοῖς, viii. 51. 9 καὶ οἱ μὲν τειχισμόν τε παρεσκευάζοντο, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ τοιούτου, καὶ ὣς μέλλουσα, Σάμος θᾶσσον ἐτειχίσθη.— 10. ἅμα: connects πορθῶσιν προσπίπτοντες with παραπλέοντες. “They might in passing take advantage of the opportunity to plunder the cities.”—11. αὐτάγγελοι: as in Plut. Ant. 71; Cat. Maj. 14; Arr. Anab. iv. 2. § 6; in the sense, bringing one's own message, Soph. O. C. 333; Phil. 568 (cf. αὐτὸς ἄγγελος, Phil. 500). ὑπὸ σπουδῆς: as in v. 66. 9; viii. 107. 1; elsewhere σπουδῇ, κατὰ σπουδήν, or διὰ σπουδῆς. Kühn. 442, Id.—13. Πάτμου: the correct form, though against most of the Mss., which have Λάτμου. Latmus is a mountain in Caria, not an island.— 14. ἐπεδίωξεν: of eager pursuit, also ii. 79. 27; iv. 43. 17; vii. 23. 11; 41. 5; Hdt. iv. 1. 8; 160. 11.— ὡς δ᾽ οὐκέτι ἐν καταλήψει ἐφαίνετο: when he appeared no longer within reach (lit. catching). As Alcidas is to be understood as the obj. of ἐπεδίωξεν, so here he is subj. of ἐφαίνετο. That Dio C. so understood is clear from his close imitation (li. 1.), ἐπεδίωξαν μὲν αὐτούς, ἐπεὶ δ᾽ οὐκ ἐν καταλήψει ἐφαίνοντο, ἀνεχώρησαν. Pp. takes ἐφαίνετο impers., as vi. 60. 7 οὐκ ἐν παύλῃ ἐφαίνετο. See also Pp. on i. 137. 25.— ἐπανεχώρει: turned back again, as in c. 96. 9; 108. 12; i. 63. 14; 131. 5; v. 41. 22; 55. 15; vi. 70. 16; 97. 24.—15. κέρδος δὲ ἐνόμισεν kte(.: the emphasis is on ἐγκαταληφθεῖσαι. The result of the ships being overtaken at some place is expressed personally by ἠναγκάσθησαν and the infs. dependent on it. He thought it fortunate, since he had not come up with them in the open sea, that they had not been hemmed in somewhere and compelled to encamp, and thus give themselves the trouble of watching and blockading them. Such a blockade would have been expensive. See App. on c. 31. 7. Besides, Lesbos was not yet completely subdued (c. 35. § 1).— μετεώροις: Schol. ταῖς Ἀλκίδου ναυσίν. μετέωρος, in the sense out at sea, freq. in Thuc. (i. 48. 4; ii. 91. 12; iv. 14. 3, etc.), not in Hdt. or Xenophon.—17. σφίσι: sc. τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις, since Paches is to be understood as subj. of ἐνόμισεν. Kr. Spr. 58, 4, 3.— ἐφόρμησιν: blockade, as ii. 89. 42; viii. 15. 14.
Commentary on Thucydides Book 3 Edited on the basis of the Classen-Steup Edition. Charles F. Smith. Boston. Ginn & Company. 1894.
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