Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 3

τὰ μὲν . . . ἐγένετο: for this formula, see on c. 6. 12.—2.

Νικίου: already long held in high esteem on account of his wealth and honourable character (Plut. Nic. 2), he appears here first in Thuc. as a participant in the war.—3.

ἐπὶ Μινῴαν: on the ι subscript, see Lobeck, Pathol. Serm. Gr. Elementa, i. p. 452. The expedition was occasioned by the experience of the autumn of 429 B.C. (ii. 93, 94).—

τὴν νῆσον: already in Strabo's time (p. 391) it had become an ἄκρα of the mainland. See Bursian, i. p. 378 ff. On the situation of the island, see Lolling, Nisaea u. Minoa (Mitt. d. dtsch. Arch. Inst. i. Athen v. p. 1 ff.).—4.

πρὸ Μεγάρων: properly before the port of Megara (Nisaea), which was eight stades from the city.—

ἐχρῶντο δὲ αὐτῇ: directly connected with the preceding rel. clause. For αὐτῇ in second member of a rel. sent., see on i. 42. 2. G. 1040; H. 1005; Kr. Spr. 60, 6, 2.—

πύργον: Steup thinks the text corrupt. See App.—5.

φρουρίῳ: in order to protect the port Nisaea.

αὐτόθεν: i.e. from Minoa.—

δἰ ἐλάσσονος: at a less distance, as in vi. 75. 3; vii. 4. 19.—7.

ἀπὸ τοῦ Βουδόρου καὶ τῆς Σαλαμῖνος: the part is joined to the whole, as ἐπὶ Καύνου καὶ Καρίας, i. 116. 15. See on ii. 69. 9. It seems from this passage that, in consequence of the events of the autumn of 429 B.C., Nisaea was guarded no longer only from Budorum (cf. ii. 93. 22; 94. 14), but from several points on Salamis.—8.

εἶναι: in pregnant sense, almost=ὑπάρχειν. See on i. 2. 5.—

τούς τε Πελοποννησίους: proleptic for ὅπως μὴ οἱ Πελοποννήσιοι, almost=abs. acc., as to the Peloponnesians, that they might not—. The freedom of const. is perhaps not more striking than τὴν μὲν χαλεπὸν . . . πόλιν ἀντίπαλον παρασκευάσασθαι, i. 142. 6; or τὸν πόνον τὸν κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον, μὴ γένηται . . . ἀρκείτω μὲν ὑμῖν καὶ ἐκεῖνα κτἑ., ii. 62. 1. τούς τε Πελοποννησίους seems to have been written as if μὴ ποιεῖσθαι were to follow; but if the sent. had read thus, the inf. clause would have seemed to be co-ord. with φυλακὴν εἶναι, depending on ἐβούλετο (as indeed Kühn. 473, N. 6, following the Schol., construes the ὅπως clause); whereas both ὅπως μὴ ποιῶνται and μηδὲν ἐσπλεῖν depend on τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις τὴν φυλακὴν εἶναι=τοὺς Ἀθηναίους φυλάσσειν. τε correl. to τε in With this explanation of the const., St.'s conjecture, σκοπῶν before ὅπως, is unnecessary. See Rh. Mus. xxiv. p. 629 f. Steup would read, with Hünnekes, πρός τε Πελοποννησίους. See App.—

ποιῶνται λανθάνοντες: the usual const. is reversed. GMT. 893. Cf. λαθόντες διεκομίσθησαν, c. 74. 16; λαθὼν ηὐλίσατο, vii. 29. 10. See on c. 25. 5.—9.

αὐτόθεν: ἀπὸ τῆς Μινῴας, Schol. Rather from Nisaea, the only Megarian harbour on the Saronic gulf. The fact that αὐτόθεν is used here in a slightly different sense from l. 6 is not sufficient cause for assuming, with C. F. Müller (N. Jahrbb. exli. p. 362), that the text is corrupt. —

οἷον καὶ τὸ πρὶν γενόμενον: sc. ἦν, referring to the attempt of Brasidas described in ii. 93, 94.—10.

λῃστῶν: taken by Cl. in its literal sense, plunderers. But it seems better, with Bl. and Jow., to render it as privateers. Cf. iv. 9. 7 ἐκ λῃστρικῆς Μεσσηνίων τριακοντόρου καὶ κέλητος. Cf. also iv. 67. 11 ἀκάτιον ἀμφηρικὸν ὡς λῃσταί.—ἐκπομπαῖς: found only here in Thuc. Cf. Plato Legg. 740 e.—

τοῖς τε Μεγαρεῦσιν . . . ἐσπλεῖν: cf. ii. 93. 23 νεῶν τριῶν φυλακὴ τοῦ μὴ ἐσπλεῖν Μεγαρεῦσι μηδ̓ ἐκπλεῖν μηδέν.

ἀπὸ τῆς Νισαίας: away from Nisaea, i.e. on the side turned from Nisaea. Cf. i. 7. 6; 46. 10; 99. 10; vi. 64. 20. See App.—12.

μηχαναῖς: with reference to this enterprise, cf. Ar. Av. 363 ὦ σοφώτατ̓, εὖ γ᾽ ἀνεῦρες αὐτὸ καὶ στρατηγικῶς: ὑπερακοντίζεις σύ γ᾽ ἤδη Νικίαν ταῖς μηχαναῖς. —

ἐκ θαλάσσης: the attack upon the towers was made from the ships.— 13.

καὶ τὸν ἔσπλουν . . . ἐλευθερώσας: by the capture of the two projecting towers Nicias freed the entrance to (i.e. opened to ships) the part of the island lying between these towers. ἐλευθεροῦν in this sense seems not to occur elsewhere in Attic, but cf. Dio C. xlii. 12. 2 τὸν ἔσπλουν ἠλευθέρωσε, Procop. de Aedif. v. 2 ἐλευθέρας ποιεῖσθαι τῷ ποταμῷ τὰς ἐς τὴν θάλασσαν ἐκβολάς. —τὸ μεταξύ: as in vii. 34. 11.—14.

ἀπετείχιζε καὶ τὸ ἐκ τῆς ἠπείρου: opp. to ἀπὸ τῆς Νισαίας πρῶτον. After the Athenians had secured a safe landingplace, they walled off (ἀπετείχιζε) the exit from the bridge, which crossed the lagoon at the point nearest the mainland, so that no enemy could cross over from that quarter. The bridge itself they left for use in further operations.—

διὰ τενάγους: see on —15.

ἐπιβοήθεια ἦν: the noun seems to occur in Attic only here and Xen. Cyrop. v. 4. 47, though the verb ἐπιβοηθεῖν is common. ἦν (= παρῆν). Cf. εἶναι in l. 7.

ἐξειργάσαντο: transition to the pl. from ἀπετείχιζε. Some Mss. have the sing., but for similar transitions from the general to the army, cf. c. 112. 17; ii. 75. 3; iv. 127. 7.—17.

ὕστερον δὴ . . . στρατῷ: the text is prob. corrupt. See App.—

φρουράν: with ἐγκαταλιπών, as in i. 115. 14. Cf. φυλακὴν ἐγκαταλιπόντες, iv. 96. 34.