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

ξυγκαταλιπόντες—another rare word, denoting the common action of the combined force. The fortified position now occupied was not long retained, see ch. 80, 16.

εὐθύς—with χειμῶνος ἀρχομένου: ch. 13, 1, with ἐπιγιγνομένου: so iv. 52, 1, ἐπειδὴ τὰ Κάρνεια ἤγαγον—most modern editors regard this clause as an interpolation derived from ch. 75, 23, for the Carneia were over long before the winter period began; see ch. 54, 9. Jowett however holds that the words ‘are not intended as a mark of time, but have reference to the advantage taken of the Carneia by the enemies of Sparta’. If so, they seem somewhat misleading.

ξυμβατηρίους—a word only found in this chapter in Attic Greek, though used by later writers. Thucydides has λόγοι ξυμβατικοί, vi. 103, 3; so viii. 71, 1, and 91, 1, οὐδὲν ξυμβατικόν.

ἦσαν δὲ αὐτοῖς—from the position of the words = ‘they had adherents’, though the dative may depend on ἐπιτήδειοι. πρότερόν τε ..καὶ ἐπειδή—see note on iv. 103, 3, ἔπραξάν τε... καὶ τότε. In such cases the clause with τε refers to a time before that with which the main part of the sentence deals. ἐπιτήδειοι—favourable to their interests; i. 60, 2, τοῖς Ποτιδαιάταις ἀεί ποτε ἐπιτήδειος. τὸν δῆμον—the democracy, as in line 11: iii. 81, 3 etc.: without the article i. 107, 3: vi. 27 fin. etc.

ἐς τὴν ὁμολογίαν—loosely connected with πείθειν = ὥστε τὴν ὁμολογίαν ποιεῖσθαι. ποιήσαντες—‘after effecting’; cf. ch. 38, 27. καὶ ξυμμαχίαν—sc. ποιῆσαι, ‘afterwards to bring about an alliance as well, and then’ etc. ἐπιτίθεσθαι—iii. 72, 1, ἐπιτίθενται τῷ δήμῳ.

Λίχας—see ch. 50, 16. δύο λόγω—two proposals. καθ̓ ὅ τι κ.τ.λ.—‘mira verborum brevitas’, says Poppo, who adds that πολεμήσουσι and εἰρἡνην ἄξουσι are to be understood with καθ̓ ὅ τι and ὼς respectively. We have other forms of ellipse where terms are offered, e.g. iv. 37, 2, ἐκήρυξαν εἰ βούλοιντο τὰ ὅπλα παραδοῦναι, sc. that they should accept these conditions: cf. iii. 52, 2, προσπέμπει κήρυκα λέγοντα εἰ κ.τ.λ. Dobree suggested leaving out εἰ in both clauses. The proposal for war may have been something like the arrangement recorded in ch. 41.