C.E. Graves, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 5

αὐτήν—agreeing with πόλιν by attraction; the whole space enclosed is meant.

ἐς αὐτό—the new περιτείχισμα or outwork. Πασιτελίδας—in iv. 132 (fin.), according to the manuscripts, the Lacedaemonian commandant is called Epitelidas, a name which most editors alter to Pasitelidas on the strength of the present chapter.

ἐβιάζοντο—passive; iv. 10, 3 (note). Note in this sentence the different force of the imperfects and aorists. αἱ ἐς τὸν λιμἐνα—αἱ is read by Poppo and Classen, with one manuscript. If αὶ be omitted we have the sense ‘after being sent round’. ἐγκαταληφθῇ—sc αὐτός. For the word cf. iv. 116, 1, ὄσους ἐγκατέλαβε διέφθειρεν.

οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι—resolved into οἵ τε ὰπό καὶ ὀ πεζ<*>ς, φθάνουσι being connected both with ἑλόντες and ξυνεσπεσών, while ἐπισπόμενος is a predicate in agreement with πεζός. According to this view αὐτοβοεί goes with ξυνεσπεσών: Kruger however puts a comma after the word, connecting it with the preceding ἑλόντες. ὁ πεζός—sc. στρατός: iv. 25, 3. αὐτοβοεί—primo clamore atque impetu (Poppo); usually with ἑλεῖν, as ii. 81, 3, αὐτοβοεὶ τὴν πόλιν ἑλεῖν. Here ξυνεσπεσὠν implies forcing the passage. The Athenians at the first onset broke into the city pell mell with the enemy: cf. vi. 100, 2, καὶ αὐτοῖς ξυνεσέπεσον οἱ διώκοντες. ἐν χερσί—iv. 43, 2, ἦν ἡ μάχη ἐν χερσὶ πᾶσα.

ἐβοήθει—note the force of the imperfect ‘de consilio et conatu opitulandi’ (Poppo). We are not told where Brasidas was when Cleon's expedition arrived. ἀποσχών contains a negative idea of failure or hindrance, and is therefore constructed with μή following.

τροπαῖα δύο—one for each branch of the service. γυναῖκας—for the omission of the article in regular phrases of frequent occurrence, see note on iv. 18, 3, πόλεως τε κ.τ.λ. In this particular phrase παῖδες καὶ γυναῖκες is the more usual order.

καὶ εἴ τις—so iii. 35, καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλος, after two accusatives. ἐς τὰς Ἀθήνας—the more usual Thucydidean form, not Ἀθήναζε: see note on iv. 21, 3.

αὐτοῖς—the defenders of Torone generally. αὐτοῖς is the common Thucydidean initial dative, in construction loosely connected with ἀπῆλθεν, but in sense concerned with both the following clauses: ‘as for them’, ‘this befell them’ etc.: cf. i. 48, 3, Κορινθίοις δὲ τὸ μὲν δεξιὸν κέρας αἱ Μεγαρίδες νῆες εἶχον, κατὰ δὲ τὸ μέσον κ.τ.λ. Arnold takes αὐτοῖς to denote the Athenians, meaning that ‘they afterwards lost their captives’, but this part of the sentence seems entirely to refer to the Toroneans.

τὸ Πελοποννήσιον—so iv. 61, 2, οἱ μὲν Δωριῆς τὸ δὲ Χαλκιδικόν. Note what we may call the resolved apposition ἀνὴρ ἀντ᾽ ἀνδρὸς λυθείς: so ii. 103, 1, οἳ ἀνὴρ ἀντ᾽ ἀνδρὸς ἐλύθησαν. γενομέναις—see ch. 18 sq.

εἷλον δέ—note the breaking up of this sentence, so that the emphasis naturally falls on the more important words, while the rhythm is duly balanced.