Charles D. Morris, Commentary on Thucydides Book 1

ὑπάρχον: acc. abs. (see on c. 2. 8; 76. 14; 120. 18) of the impers. ὑπάρχει, an opportunity offering itself. Cf. c. 82. 26; iii.63.6; 109. 20; vii.63.6; for καλῶς, see on c. 33. 1.

κοινῇ: contains the gist of the argument; in the interest of all (cf. ii.43.14), with reference to the proof in c. 120. § 1, 2, that every state of the league is imperiled by the predominance of Athens. The following parenthetical sentence, εἴπερ . . . εἶναι, is intended to place the thought of κοινῇ in a clear light; but to do this it is necessary to read with Reiske ταὐτά for ταῦτα; for the speech has nowhere shown that the war (πολεμεῖν=τάδε=ταῦτα) will be of advantage to individuals as well as states, though identity of interests is of the greatest importance. But καὶ πόλεσι καὶ ἰδιώταις must be connected with βεβαιότατον, not with ξυμφέροντα, as Thuc. often separates words which in sense belong together; “if the surest guarantee for states and individuals is identity of interests.” See App.— 4. μέλλετε: in this sense regularly takes pres. inf.—ποιεῖσθαι τιμωρίαν: =τιμωρεῖν with dat., succour. But in Dem. XXI. 26,=τιμωρεῖσθαί τινα, ‘inflict vengeance on.’

οὗ...τοὐναντίον : for the ascendency of Dorians over Ionians was generally recognized. Cf. v.9.3; vi.77.9; vii.5.18.

μετελθεῖν: to strive to win, here for others, as, in ii.39.8, for one's self.

ὡς οὐκέτι ἐνδέχεται: impers., as in c. 140. 9; 142. 25; ii.87.11; iv.18.20; viii.27.15; since it is no longer admissible. On this an inf. like περιορᾶν should depend with περιμένοντας, which implies the subject ἡμᾶς, “we can no longer wait and quietly see that,” etc. But instead of this the new infs. βλάπτεσθαι and πάσχειν (arranged in parataxis, as in c. 28. 15) are introduced as if depending on ἐνδέχεται, with which they have nothing to do. We have, therefore, here, as in c. 18. 21; 39. 15; 61. 9, a change of subject within the period; for περιμένοντας with its subject ἡμᾶς has, in strictness, no relation to τοὺς μέν (probably τοὺς Ποτειδαιάτας) and τοὺς δέ（τοὺς ἄλλους ξυμμάχους).

οὐ τολμῶντες: the neg. retained, which would occur in the assumed thought of the Athenians, viz. ξυνῆλθον μέν, ἀμύνεσθαι δὲ οὐκ ἐτόλμων.

ἐς ἀνάγκην ἀφῖχθαι: impers., as in vii.75.38, that things have now come to an extremity, i.e. that war is necessary.

ἄριστα: adj., not adv. Cf. c. 145. 2.—μὴ φοβηθέντες: μή from the imv.

ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ: i.e. τοῦ πολέμου, coveting the more enduring peace which will result from it (cf. τῆς δἰ ὀλίγου μελέτης, ii.85.9). Cf. c. 12. 5; 23. 27.

ἐκ πολέμου: denotes merely the transition from one state to the other. Cf. c. 120. 17; Hdt. i. 87, ἐξ αἰθρίης τε καὶ νηνεμίης συνδραμέειν νέφεα.

ἀφ̓ ἡσυχίας : denotes the motive as well as the fact of change; πολεμῆσαι, aor. ingressive; from love of repose to refuse to enter upon war.—οὐχ ὁμοίως: i.e. as if peace were firmly established. Cf. c. 99. 6.

πόλιν τύραννον: see on c. 122. 20. τύραννον is not a pred., but καθεστηκυῖαν and καθεστάναι are purposely repeated in the pregnant sense of ‘establishing itself.’—ἐπὶ πᾶσιν: with menace to all. Cf. c. 102. 19; iii.63.3.

διανοεῖσθαι: sc. ἄρχειν. Cf. c. i. 7.

παραστησώμεθα: see on c. 29. 22.—τε: after αὐτοί, though only in inferior Mss., is necessary, since the two subjvs. οἰκῶμεν and ἐλευθερώσωμεν are closely connected as the result of παραστησώμεθα.