E.C. Marchant, Commentary on Thucydides Book 1

15. μενετοί—act.; Aeschin. 3.163 ῥητορικήν δειλίαν δημόσιος καιρὸς οὐκ ἀναμένει: Dem. 4.37 αἱ τῶν πραγμάτων οὐ μένουσι καιροὶ τὴν ἡμετέραν βραδυτῆτα.

[3] 17. τὴν μὲν γὰρ κτλ.—this is taken in two ways: (1) τὴν μέν object of παρασκευάσασθαι and πόλιν ἀντίπαλον in apposition= ὥστε γενέσθαι πόλιν ἀντίπαλον (Krüger etc.); (2) τὴν μέν accus. of respect, ‘as regards the one’ (Shilleto, Classen, etc.). The sense is clearly given by Arnold: ‘Pericles is distinguishing between two different methods of ἐπιτείχισις, the one by founding a city in the neighbourhood of Athens strong enough to interfere with her trade and be a check on her power, πόλιν ἀντίπαλον: the other by merely raising one or two forts in Attica, as strongholds for plundering parties to keep the country in constant annoyance and alarm, φρούριον.’ The only difficulty is that ἐπιτείχισις is nowhere found of a rival city founded in time of peace; hence (2) is probably the constn. intended.

18. ἦ που δή—of course, then, sc χαλεπόν ἐστι.

19. ἐκείνοις ἡμῶν ἀντεπιτετειχισμένων—this seems to refer to the certainty that Athens would reply to an ἐπιτείχισις by taking similar measures in Peloponnesian territory (Pylus, Cythera): hence we look for a future; and ἀντεπιτειχιουμένων, ἀντεπιτετειχισομένων or the insertion of ἄν has been proposed. Another view is that Athens herself is meant; she is already standing as an ἐπιτείχισις threatening any post that Sparta might establish in Attica. Since an ἐπιτείχισις always occurs in an enemy's country, this could only be justified by supposing that Pericles uses the term loosely for the sake of the antithesis. But it certainly looks as if something to be done by Athens is meant.

[4] 22. αὐτομολίαις—by encouraging the slaves in Attica to desert to them. This actually happened in the case of Decelea in after years.

25. πλέον γὰρ ἔχομεν κτλ .—ἐμπειρίας depends on πλέον ἔχομεν, we have more experience of land operations through our naval experience than they have in naval operations from their service on land. Pericles alludes to the use of Athenian fleets on hostile coasts in connexion with descents on the land (ἀποβάσεις). The knowledge of the Pel. coast-line would enable them to choose the right point for an ἐπιτείχισις.

[6] 28. τὸ δέ—the δέ answers the μέν of 142.3.

[7] 2. αὐτό —τὸ ναυτικόν.

6. ἐφορμεῖσθαι—being blockaded.

[8] 9. ἐν τῷ μὴ μελετῶντι —ἐν=‘owing to,’ as often; for the neut. partic. with art. as subst. cf. τὸ δεδιὸς αὐτοῦ c. 36. 1.

[9] 13. ὅταν τύχῃ—as occasion arises, i.e. casually.

ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον—sc. δεῖ.