Charles D. Morris, Commentary on Thucydides Book 1

The first section gives the conclusion to be drawn from c. 140. § 2-5. With § 2 begins the discussion of points unfavourable to the Peloponnesians, which continues to c. 143. § 2. Then are mentioned the advantages on the side of the Athenians, to c. 144. § 1.

αὐτόθεν: temporal, as in vi.21.9; prop. ‘from the spot,’ and therefore like ὥσπερ εἶχεν, c. 134. 14, immediately, on the spot.

διανοήθητε: see on c. 18. 18.

ἐπί: with dat. causal, as in c. 138. 31.

ὁμοίως: places the two notions on the same level, strengthening καί . . . καί, used as in c. 139. 21. Cf. c. 39. 4.—εἴξοντες...ἕξοντες : though the const. is changed, these partics., as above the inf. ὑπακούειν, denote the obj. of διανοήθητε. A similar const. in vi.78.5, ἐνθυμηθήτω μαχούμενος. Sh. supplies πολεμεῖν, which P. suggests. “The intercalated ὡς causes the shift, as if ὡς μὴ εἴξοντες κτἑ.” B. L. G. P. thinks also that the partics. might depend on some appropriate verb implied in διανοήθητε, comparing vii.68.3, νομίσωμεν . . . εἶναι . . . ἐκγενησόμενον. Kühn. 484, note 4.

δύναται: valet, means, implies. Cf. iii.46.10; vi.36.9. But here only with a subst. as obj.

δούλωσιν (iii.10.15) . . . δικαίωσις (iv.86.21; v.17.11): Thucydidean nouns; the latter ‘a demand based on a claim of right’ (see on c. 140. 7); to which, therefore, the notion of indecent arrogance is given by ἀπὸ τῶν ὁμοίων ἐπιτασσομένη. The last words we must take with Kr. and Herbst (Gegen Cobet, p. 51) as masc. (so viii.89.27) though Bonitz, p. 24, and Sh. think neut. The pl. makes this case different from c. 77. 16.

πρὸ δίκης: ‘before,’ i.e. really without proceeding by way of, arbitration.

τὰ δὲ...ὑπαρχόντων : placed at the beginning of the period as the theme of the following exposition as regards both sides. From this must the advantage of one side, τὰ ἡμῖν ὑπάρχοντα, be supplied as obj. to οὐχ ἀσθενέστερα ἕξομεν. The following description of the position and warlike resources of the Peloponnesians is so plainly opposed to that of the Corinthians, c. 121, 122, that we can see plainly the literary use made by Thuc. of the thoughts of Pericles, which are no doubt truly stated. See the Introd. p. 44 ff.

αὐτουργοί τε γὰρ κτἑ.: to appreciate the following reasoning we must observe that in § 3 three characteristics of the Peloponnesians of an unfavourable tendency are joined by τε, καί, ἔπειτα. In § 4, 5, these are illustrated by their necessary results in reverse (chiastic order). Thus: (1) 13, καὶ οἱ τοιοῦτοι κτἑ. expands ἔπειτα χρονίων κτἑ.; (2) 17, αἱ δὲ περιουσίαι κτἑ. enforces καὶ οὔτε ἰδίᾳ κτἑ.; (3) 18, σώμασί τε κτἑ. repeats αὐτουργοί τε γὰρ κτἑ.

αὐτουργοί : properly those who use their own hands, not those of slaves, in work; then, from the prevailing application of ἔργα to agriculture, those who till their own land,= γεωργοί of c. 142. 18.

διαποντίων: here only in Thuc.; Xen. Hell. vi.2.16; freq. in Polyb., Dion., Plut. —βραχέως: for a short time; in this sense only here; elsewhere ‘in brief,’ of speeches. Cf. c. 97. 12; iii.61.2; v.9.4.

ἐπιφέρειν: sc. πολέμους or ὅπλα, which occurs in iv.16.15; 78. 23; v.18.12; vii.18.15. If βραχεῖς (so v. H.) were read for βραχέως, two unusual features would be removed.

πληροῦν: so v. H. and St.; which gives a simpler const. than πληροῦντες of Mss. But the other editors, as Cl. formerly, make ναῦς as well as στρατιάς obj. of ἐκπέμπειν, retaining πληροῦντες (neither ships, manning them), which emphasizes the point wherein the Peloponnesians would naturally come short. This seems preferable.

ἀπὸ τῶν ἰδίων: away from. Cf. c. 7. 6; 76. 7; 99. 10.—ἀπὸ τῶν αὑτῶν: with. Cf. c. 74. 18; 91. 28. Here only Thuc. uses τὰ αὑτῶν for τὰ σφέτερα, ii.20.12; iii.95.14; 107. 12; iv.66.4. The Peloponnesian soldier had to maintain himself; ἅμα calls attention to the difficulty of doing this while farms were left without cultivation.

θαλάσσης εἰργόμενοι: (cf. ii.85.4; iii.86.15; 115. 10) by the superior skill of their <*>

αἰ περιουσίαι: sc. χρητ<*>ατων; cf. c. 7. 2; 8. 15, referring probably to the reserved fund of the Atherians. See ii.13.25.—βίαιοι ἐσφοραί: extraordinary taxes, imposed in times of necessity, as the Corinthians had advised, c. 121. 19. In vi. <*> 6 we have βίαιος δουλεία, while in iii.82.18 war is called βίαιος <*>άς<*>ος.

ἀνέχουσι : Schol., βαστα<*>υσι, <*>υξάνουσι, keep up, support; probably without an exact parallel. Cf. Aristid. Panath. p. 182, πάντας ἀνθρώπους . . . τῇ καλλίστῃ τῶν εὐεργεσυ<*>ν ἀνέχετε.

σώμασι: with life and limb; often opp. to χρήματα. Cf. c. 85. 4; 121. 12. Here τὸ μέν refers to τὰ σώματα, τὸ δέ to τὰ χρήματα, and both are objs. of ἔχοντες. In the connected expressions πιστὸν έχοντες, οὐ βέβαιον（<*>χοντες) the objective thought (to possess a thing) passes into the subjective, ‘to have a confident hope,’ ‘to have no assurance’; and then τὸ μέν, τὸ δέ are on the one hand to be construed as objs. of ἔχοντες; on the other, to be connected closely with the infs. <*>ν περιγενέσθαι and προαναλώσειν, with the former as acc. of specification (since αὐτοί is to be supplied there), with the latter as obj. The sense is, “people who till their lands with their own hands are more inclined to risk their lives in war than their property; for, as to their lives, they have a good hope that they will pass safely through the dangers of war; but they feel no confidence that they will not use up their property before the war comes to an end.” Cf. the quite different inference from the same premises in c. 121. § 3, 4.

μὴ οὐ: instead of μή with inf. depending on a negatived verb. Cf. viii.60.5; 71. 5. GMT. 95, 2, N. 1 b; H. 1034. Kühn. 516, 5; Kr. Spr. 67, 12, 6.— 22. αὐτοῖς: see on c. 6. 8; 48. 9.

ἀντισχεῖν: aor. in reference to μάχῃ μιᾷ (cf. c. 117. 12; vi.91.9); πολεμεῖν, pres., of protracted war.— μὴ κτἑ.:=οὐ δύνανται ἐὰν μὴ πρὸς ὁμοίαν ἀντιπαρασκευὴν πολεμῶσι, implying that the Athenians were furnished in a quite different fashion. See on c. 91. 28.

ὅταν: introduces a confident reason in form of an uncertain assumption, so long as, while. Cf. ἕως ἄν, Plat. Phaed. 74 c.—βουλευτηρίῳ ἑνί: an indirect justification of the Athenian hegemony in opp. to the Spartan demand, τοὺς ξυμμάχους αὐτονόμους ἀφιέναι.

οὐχ ὁμόφυλοι : they are not all Dorians, but some Thebans, Achaeans, Areadians. οὐ retained, though after ὅταν, as the regular neg. for contradicting a single notion. See on c. 78. 1.—τὸ ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτόν: we should expect (cf. c. 17. 2) ἑαυτῶν or ἑαυτοῦ. Cf., however, iv.28.5; viii.48.41; Soph. Ant. 88. — ἕκαστος: after the pl. subj. makes the verb sing. Cf. ii.16.11.—σπεύδῃ: with acc. Cf. v.16.7; vi.10.15; 79. 14.

φιλεῖ: see on c. 78. 5. Here, like iv.125.7 and probably vii.80.12, to be taken impers. This will explain the neg. μηδέν, as in c. 142. 26, after ἐνδέχεται. Kühn. 514, 2 b; Kr. Spr. 67, 7, 1.—ἐπιτελὲς γίγνεσθαι: only here in Thuc. Hdt., i. 124, who often uses ἐπιτελὲς ποιεῖν, as iii. 141; iv. 4; v. 107.

τινα: designating any object at pleasure, like οἱ πέλας. Cf. c. 37. 12; 69. 17.

χρόνιοι (c. 140. 21) ξυνιόντες: and when at last they do come together for consultation. Cf. the complaint of the Corinthians, c. 69. 8.—ἐν βραχεῖ μορίῳ: after χρόνιοι the ellipse of χρόνου is easy. Cf. c. 85. 3. Also with τῷ πλέονι (on which the force of ἐν is continued) χρόνῳ, not μορίῳ, is to be supplied. But Kr. supplies τῆς ξυνόδου with μορίῳ. St., Jahrb. 1863, p. 478, explains the two expressions, ‘to a small degree,’ ‘mainly.’

παρά: with acc., in consequence of; freq. in Dem., as in IV. 11; XVIII. 232, 239.

μέλειν δέ τινι καὶ ἄλλῳ: but that of course some one else is taking care.

ὑπὸ ἁπάντων ἰδίᾳ: joined with δοξάσματι as with a pass. partic. See on c. 95. 16; 130. 3.