E.C. Marchant, Commentary on Thucydides Book 1

16. ἄλλως τε καί—this clause must give a reason for the claim just made, and this can only be if διαφερόντων here= ‘the interests’ at stake, and not ‘differences’ between you and Athens. But διαφέροντας presently has the other sense.

20. ὑμῶν with διαφέροντας.

καὶ ὡς—καί is ‘nay’ or ‘in fact.’

[2] 21 νεωτεροποιοί κτλ.—we have echoes of this famous comparison in Demosth.

22. ἐπινοῆσαι ὀξεῖς—cf. Dem. Ol. 3, 15 γνῶναι πάντων ὑμεῖς ὀξύτατοι.

24. σῴζειν—sc. ὀξεῖς. sarcastic.

ἐπιγνῶναι—adopt further measures beyond a resolution to preserve what you have got.

οὐδὲ τἀναγκαῖα—contrast ἐπιγνῶναι μηδέν. The last clause =καὶ οὐκ ὀξεῖς ἐστε ἔργῳ οὐδὲ τ. ἐξ. By τἀναγκαῖα he means what will just do.

[3] 26. παρὰ γνώμην—γνώμη here and below prob.=‘judgment, forethought’: the A. are ever taking risks that their judgment forbids them to venture on; you hesitate to follow the sure indications of your judgment. There is an evident allusion to the favourite contrast between γνώμη and τύχη.

28. εὐέλπιδες—m Ar. Av. Euelpides personifies the venturesome character of Athenians.

[4] 4. καὶ μήν in oratory draws attention to a new and striking point, ‘then again.’

5. ἐνδημοτάτους—a marked trait in the Spartan character which was much modified by the Pel. War; though for a long time S. was deficient in vigour in the war.

7. τῷ ἐπελθεῖν — ‘aggression.’ There is no need to read ἐξελθεῖν; cf. 70.7, and the eontrast is as old as the Odyssey; π 27 οὐ μὲν γάρ τι θάμ᾽ ἀγρὸν ἐπέρχεαι ... | ἀλλ᾽ ἐπιδημεύεις.

9. ἐξέρχονται ... ἀναπίπτουσιν—explained (by Bonitz) as a metaphor from boxing: to follow up an advantage) (to be forced back—“celerique elapsus vulnere cessit” Aen. 5.445.

10. τοῖς μὲν σώμασιν ... τῇ δὲ γνώμῃ—the points of this rhetorical passage are two: (1) the A. give their lives just as much as the S. for their city, but the A. regard their lives as of little worth, while the S. devote themselves entirely to the care of the body as the most precious thing they can offer to their city; (2) the A. use their intelligence in the service of their city, and for that end they cultivate their minds, whereas the S. neglect them. Thuc. has obscured his meaning by introdueing a contrast between ἀλλοτριώτατος not their own (but of course belonging to their city) and οἰκειότατος nearest and dearest to them. The Spartans too gave their lives for their city, but they regarded them as οἰκειότατος.

[7] 13. ἃ μὲν ἄν—i.e. when they do not carry out a new plan they have hit upon, they regard the failure as a loss of something that belongs to them.

15. πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα—in comparison with what is to be done.

16. τυχεῖν πράξαντες—that in reality they have done, a very eommon meaning of τυγχάνω with partic.: e.g. Plat. Gorg. p. 468 D οίόμενος ἄμεινον εἶναι, τυγχάνει δὲ ὂν κάκιον.

του καὶ πείρᾳ ς.—if they fail too in anything they attempt. καί (in ref. to ἃ ἂν ἐπελθόντες κτήσωνται) emphasises the phrase.

17. ἐπλήρωσαν—iterative.

18. μόνοι γάρ—possession and desire, ‘have’ and ‘hope’ overlap, so impetuous are these Athenians.

[8] 20. καὶ ταῦτα κτλ.—imitated by Dem. de Cor..203 (Athens) ἀγωνιζομένη περὶ πρωτείων καὶ τιμῆς καὶ δόξης κινδυνεὐουσα πάντα τὸν αἰῶνα διατετέλεκε. (A misuse of the poetical αἰών is that of Polus τέχνη ap. Plat. Gorg. init.) It is a fine stroke of style that at the end of the contrast here, the antithesis is dropped and Athens alone is spoken of.

24. ἑορτήν—predicate. It is not likely that there is any ref here, as the Schol. who is followed by some edd. supposes, to the refusal of Sparta to set out for war during festivals. The passage is hyperbolical, and is spoiled by making it too precise. μήτε and τε correspond

25. οὐχ ἧσσον ... ἤ=μᾶλλον ἤ.

[9] 1. ἐᾶν—sc. ἡσυχίαν ἔχειν.