E.C. Marchant, Commentary on Thucydides Book 1

4. πρὸ δίκης—before, meaning instead of proceeding by arbitration. Cf. Dem. 23.28 ἃν ἀφέληταί τις ... μὴ βουλόμενος πρὸ δίκης έκδοῦναι.

τοῖς πέλας—cf. c. 32. 1.

[2] 5. τὰ δὲ τοῦ πολέμου κτλ.—object of ἀκούοντες, but its position gives it the effect of an accus of respect.

[3] 8. αὐτουργοί —δι᾽ ἑαυτῶν τὴν γῆν ἐργαζόμενοι σπάνει δούλων (Schol.).

11. βραχέως—only for a short time. The object of ἐπιφέρειν is πολέμους.

[4] 13. ναῦς πληροῦντες=ναῦς ἃς πληροῦσιν. Several edd. accept the conjecture πληροῦν, which is very probable. In Plat. Gorg. p. 494 C πληρούντα is probably a corruption of πληροῦν. Apart from the awkward constn. here there seems to be no point in πληροῦντες.

15. ἀπόντες—the three particc. are causal, and the full meaning is ‘since to do that (ναῦς ... ἐκπέμπειν) involves to them (1) absence from their lands’—(cf. the opposite ἐπὶ τῶν ἰδίων εἶναι Ath. Pol. c. 15), (2) paying the expenses out of their own money instead of getting it from the state, and (3) being chased off the seas by the Athenians.

[5] 16. αἱ δὲ περιουσίαι—this sentence has direct reference to the finaneral condition of Athens. The policy of Pericles was to accumulate a reserve, so that the εἰσφορά—war-tax on property—was seldom levied; but the Pel. would depend on such a tax; see c. 121. 4. βίαιοι (like βέβαιος always of two termins. in Thuc.) is a descriptive epithet to εἰσφοραί in general: they are not free gifts (ἐπιδόσεις).

18. σώμασι—cf. c. 121. 3.

20. τὸ μὲν κτλ .—τὸ μὲν ... τὸ δέ apply to σώμασι ... χρήμασι, πιστόν and βέβαιον being pred.: lit. having in the one a possession they can rely on—viz. that it may come safe out of the dangers; but in the other a belonging for which they have no security that they will not spend it before the war ceases.

26. μὴ πρὸς ὁμοίαν ἀ. — ‘against a power differing in character’ from theirs. The μή under the influence of the infin.

[6] ὅταν—so long as; cf. c. 142. 1.

1. οὐχ ὁμόφυλοι—not all Dorians: of course the Athenian allies were not ὁμόφυλοι (2.9. 4), but they were all under the guidance of Athens.

τὸ ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτὸν ἕ. σπεύδῃ—the verb attracted to ἕκαστος: τὸ ἐφ̔ ἑ., what concerns himself is object of σπεύδῃ. But generally τὸ ἐπί and accus. (1) is adverbial, (2) means as far as concerns, or ‘depends on.’

2. μηδέν belongs to the inf.

[7] 5. ἐν βραχεῖ μὲν μορίῳ—sc. of the whole time spent in the meeting. ἐν extends over τῷ πλέονι.

7. παρά—owing to; this use is common in Demosth., and cf. Aeschines 2.80 παρὰ τοῦτο διαφθαρῆναι, ὅτι ...: 3.80 παρὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἦλθεν, ὅτι ...

8. βλάψειν—sc. τὰ κοινά.

9. ὑπέρ—in place of.