Charles D. Morris, Commentary on Thucydides Book 1

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We have excellent reasons in our numbers and warlike experience to hope for success; and we shall be able to meet the Athenians at sea, if we resolutely use the pecuniary means at our disposal.

ἡμεῖς δὲ κτἑ.: the general statement of c. 120. 17 (ἀγαθῶν δὲ . . . ξυμβῆναι) is now shown to hold of the Peloponnesians. On δέ introducing a particular instance, see on c. 32. 7. The two partics., ἀδικούμενοι and ἔχοντες, together give the single reason for τὸν πόλεμον ἐγείρομεν, by which they are separated, as usual in Thuc. (see on c. 91. 26).—πόλεμον ἐγείρομεν: also in Hdt. viii.142.8, imitates ἐγείρομεν ὀξὺν Ἄρηα, which occurs five times in Hom. (B 440; Δ 352; Θ 531; Σ 304; T 237).

ἀμυνώμεθα: aor. subjv.

καταθησόμεθα αὐτόν: will bring the war to an end. Cf. iv.20.7; Lys. XXXIII 6; Dem. XIX. 264; cf. the simple τίθεσθαι in c. 82. 27; viii.84.19. —ἐν καιρῷ: answers to εὖ παρασχόν, c. 120. 18.

κατὰ πολλά: on many grounds; cf. c. 33. 2; 123. 8.

ἐπικρατῆσαι: see on c. 81. 13.

ἐμπειρίᾳ πολεμικῇ: with the implied limitation ἐν τῷ πεζῷ, which is added by Phormio in ii.89.8, and is really involved in the closely connected dat. πλήθει.

ὁμοίως πάντας : see on 93. 8; cf. ii.11.39, πολλοὺς ὄντας ἑνὶ κόσμῳ χρωμένους.

τὰ παραγγελλόμενα : particularly used of military orders; cf. ii.11.39; 84. 18; 89. 40; iv.34.23; and again with ἰέναι ἐς, iii.55.13. The expression well describes the κόσμος of the Dorian discipline.

ναυτικόν τε: the third reason; see on c. 33. 2. Therefore δέ of the Vat. is to be rejected.

ἐξαρτυσόμεθα: see on c. 13. 5. The confidence of the speaker in the result of his advice requires the fut. (as in 19, οἴσομεν), though most Mss. have ἐξαρτυσώμεθα.

ἐν Δελφοῖς καὶ Ὀλυμπίᾳ : so in ii. 13. § 4 Pericles suggests a similar resource. We may perhaps infer from this that Delphi had again passed out of the hands of the Phocians. See c. 112. § 5.

ὑπολαβεῖν: see on c. 68. 18. Cf. the reply to this in c. 143. § 1.

ξένους: only here a complete adj.; in c. 143. 3 it is τοὺς ξένους τῶν ναυτῶν. The sailors from the allied cities and islands serving in Attic ships are meant.—ναυβάτας: a poetic word (Aesch. Pers. 375, 1011; Soph. Aj. 348; Phil. 270), occurs again vii.75.44; viii.44.3. Poll. i. 95 calls it τραγικώτερον.

ὠνητή : here, procured by money; so Soph. O. T. 1123; Eur. Hec. 365; usually ‘purchasable,’ as in iii.40.2.

τοῦτο: i.e. loss of men through the temptation of higher pay.

τοῖς σώμασι ἰσχύουσα: accordingly οἰκεία.

μιᾷ τε...ἁλίσκονται : and by a single victory at sea it is likely that Athens is (i.e. will be) taken. See Herbst, Philol. 38, p. 582, who regards this as one indication that this book was written after the battle of Aegospotami. ἁλίσκονται is here in effect a fut. pf. Cf. vi.91.10, ἔχεται καὶ ἡ πᾶσα Σικελία.

εἰ δ̓ ἀντίσχοιεν : and supposing they should still hold out. Cf. c. 7. 6; 65. 6; ii.64.26.

μελετήσομεν: expresses greater confidence than would the more regular μελετῷμεν ἄν; see on c. 120. 17. For the contradiction of this sanguine hope, see c. 142. § 6.

ἐς τὸ ἴσον καταστήσωμεν: have placed on a par. Cf. c. 39. 4.

ὃ δ̓...πρού- χουσι: not properly trans., but ὅ is acc. of measure, like πολύ, c. 25. 20, and πλεῖστον, iv.12.18. It is, however, practically what advantage they have.

καθαιρετέον: we must master. Cf. Hdt. vii. 50, μεγάλα πρήγματα μεγάλοισι κινδύνοισι ἐθέλει καταιρέεσθαι. Eur. Sup. 749. The verb is a strengthened καταλαμβάνειν. Stahl, Jahrb. 1863, p. 412.

ἐς αὐτά: for this purpose, viz., the formation of a marine. Cf. c. 1. 10; 22. 15; 26. 16; 97. 7.—οἴσομεν: of taxes. Cf. c. 19. 6; 80. 20; iv.57.21; vi.84.12.—δεινὸν ἂν εἴη κτἑ.: see on c. 35. 4. Inconsistent thoughts may have their incongruity sufficiently indicated by simple juxtaposition with μέν—δέ. Cf. Dem. XXXIV. 26-28. The neg. οὐ, which either might then take, may be retained as here, even when the pair (really the attempt to hold the two at the same time) forms the protasis of δεινὸν（ἄτοπον）ἂν εἴη (cf. Dem. 11. 24; XXVII. 28; XXXVIII. 18; Lys. XX 19; XXII. 13; XXX. 32; Hdt. vii.9.6); or εἰ may make itself felt, and suggest μή; and sometimes we have an opt. corresponding to ἂν εἴη of the apod. (cf. Lys. XXIX 9, 11; XXX. 16; XXXI. 31; Dem. XVIII. 160; XXXIV. 47, 48; Isae. X. 23). The contrasted clauses, which Sh. calls ‘bimembered sentences,’ sometimes have the inf. (cf. Dem. XXXIV. 43).

δουλείᾳ τῇ αὑτῶν: see on c. 1. 6.

ἐπὶ τῷ κτἑ.: the two objects to be gained are separated by οὐκ ἄρα δαπανήσομεν. καί is to be connected with ἅμα; the chastisement of their enemies and their own security go hand in hand. The inferential ἄρα serves here an ironical purpose; a thing is treated as reasonable and as a natural consequence, the exact opposite of which ordinary good sense would assume. To be stingy with our money in the present case would be just as absurd as the inference: ‘because the Athenian allies are never tired of subscribing for their own enslavement, we need not contribute anything to maintain our freedom.’ Cf. Plat. Apol. 34 c; 37 d; Rep. 600 d; Lys. XII 36. So in vi.76.18, the clauses are in reverse order.— 23. αὐτά: and αὐτοῖς τούτοις refer to χρήματα; “that our property may not be used to our own ruin.”