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10. τύραννοι—see c. 13.1. The course of the argument was there broken by the reference to the fleets, which were first dealt with.
11. τὸ ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτῶν—their own interests.
12. τὸ σῶμα—with regard to their personal good and the increase of their own estate. σῶμα includes safety and enjoyment.
14. δι᾽ ἀσφαλείας ... μάλιστα=ὅσον ἐδύναντο ἀσφαλέστατα. Had the utmost regard for security in the administration of their cities, i.e. ‘pursued a cautious policy’ by avoiding great enterprises. δι ἀσφαλείας is an adverbial phrase, like those with which ἔχειν is usually found, as δι᾽ ἐπιμελείας, δι᾽ ἡσυχίας, διὰ φυλακῆς.
15. ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν—on their part.
16. εἰ μὴ εἴ τι —εἰ μὴ εἰ, nisi si, only here in Thuc. (see erit. note). εἰ μή becomes an adverb. M.T. 476, 4.
17. οἱ γάρ—for the use of γάρ cf. c. 14. 1. ‘The Sicilian tyrants in fact attained to the greatest power,’ i.e. greater power than any other of the tyrants (and they fought against their neighbours). The sense of πλεῖστον here is that of c. 1.2 ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἀνθρώπων. There is no need for excision.
18. οὕτω πανταχόθεν—summing up the whole from c. 13.
19. κατείχετο—was held in check, ‘constrained.’ Cf. c. 16; but the second clause, κατὰ πόλεις τε shows that κατείχετο is felt here not as a verb of prevention, but of compulsion.
Commentary on Thucydides Book 1. E. C. Marchant. 1905. London. MacMillan and Company, Ltd.
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