Charles D. Morris, Commentary on Thucydides Book 1

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You have too long disregarded our warnings as to the hostile purposes of the Athenians. They can now be seen clearly manifested in their dealings with Corcyra and Potidaea.

τὸ πιστόν: (see on c. 36. 3, for use of neut. adj. as abstract noun) a contrast is evidently intended between this and ἀπιστοτέρους, though the meaning is not quite the same: τὸ πιστόν, meaning honesty, integrity, which can be trusted (pass.), and ἀπιστοτέρους, implying incredulity (act.).—ὑμᾶς: note the emphasis of the position. Cf. c. 70. 5; and of other prons., v.82.23; vii.78.26.— 2. πολιτείας καὶ ὁμιλίας: behaviour in public life and in social intercourse. —ἐς τοὺς ἄλλους ἤν τι λέγωμεν: in this punctuation Cl. now follows P. and St. ‘if we bring any complaint against others.’ For λέγειν ἐς in this sense (usually ‘to speak before’), cf. vi.41.4; Hdt. i.86.30; and for the position of the conj., cf. c. 19. 3; 120. 9. But it seems better, chiefly on account of the generic art., with most editors to connect ἐς τοὺς ἄλλους with ἀπιστοτέρους. The meaning will then be, either indisposed to believe anything against (see on c. 38. 1) others (here, the Athenians) if we say anything to their discredit; or (τοὺς ἄλλους=ἡμᾶς) ‘distrustful of us the rest, if we allege any complaint.’

καθίστησι: with an adj.=an emphatic τιθέναι, renders. Cf. ii.42.4; iii.46.3; viii.66.25.— ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ: refers to the whole preceding description, as in 9. See on c. 2. 11.—σωφροσύνην: sobriety, moderation, leaning here rather to the side of indifference, which in ii.40.7 is described as ἄπραγμον and ἀχρεῖον.— 4. πλέονι :=μείζονι, i.e. than it would be under different circumstances.

προαγορευόντων: partic. impf.: here, announced beforehand; elsewhere, ‘proclaim aloud’; see on c. 29. 3.— 7. μάθησιν ἐποιεῖσθε: “you would not take knowledge of what we were trying to show you.” See on c. 6. 3.— τῶν λεγόντων...λέγουσι : the const. is similar to vii.73.2, ὑπονοήσας αὐτῶν τὴν διάνοιαν, except that here a sentence, ὡς . . . λέγουσι, stands in place of the subst. Cf. Xen. Cyr. v.2.18, ἐνενόησεν αὐτῶν ὡς ἐπηρώτων ἀλλήλους. See on c. 52. 10. “Against the speakers, rather, you directed your suspicion that they were influenced by selfinterest.”

ἕνεκα: see App.—διαφόρων: here, interests (from the act. διαφέρειν), as μέτεστι πρὸς τὰ ἴδια διάφορα πᾶσι τὸ ἴσον, ii.37.5; iv.86.23; v.115.8; elsewhere, ‘points in dispute’ (from the mid. διαφέρεσθαι), as in c. 56. 2; 67. 14; 78. 12; ii.27.9; iv.79.10; v.45.2.

οὐ πρὶν πάσχειν: see on c. 39. 5.—ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ:=ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ πάσχειν, but also having reference to the common use of ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ of action in war: when we are actually engaged.

ἐν οἷς: Cl. connects with the sup. οὐχ ἥκιστα, ‘among whom we have the best right to speak’; and compares c. 6. 6, ἐν τοῖς. But it is better with P. and Kr. to interpret before whom, as c. 85. 15, ἐν τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις.

ὅσῳ : ‘in what degree,’ in so far as; without a comp., also in ii.47.14; iii.45.27; v.90.6; 108. 3; vi.78.5; viii.84.3.

ὑβριζόμενοι, ἀμελούμενοι: partics. impf., including a considerable time up to the present.

ὡς οὐκ εἰδόσι: sc. ὑμῖν, depending on προσέδει, “you would need additional information on the ground of your ignorance.”—νῦν δέ: i.e. ἐν φανερῷ οὔσης τῆς ἀδικίας αὐτῶν.— 15. μακρηγορεῖν: cf. ii.36.14; iv.59.6, in both places with ἐν εἰδόσιν, which has here been anticipated. We must supply ἡμᾶς as subj., extended now to include the other allies, and serving as the antecedent of ὧν. When the rel. is thus used rhetorically to introduce important aspects of the case, a certain freedom of const. is common. Cf. c. 74. 11; vi.68.2, πολλῇ παραινέσει τί δεῖ χρῆσθαι, οἳ πάρεσμεν ἐπὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα ; So, often in poets: Soph. O. C. 263, 427; Aj. 457; Ar. Nub. 1226, 1377; Ran. 1058.—τοὺς μέν: e.g. the Aeginetans.

τοῖς δέ: e.g. the Megarians.—τοῖς...ξυμμάχοις : i.e. the Potidaeans, as special dependants of the Corinthians.

προπαρεσκευασμένους: in the second member of the rel. clause ὁρᾶτε has taken a new obj., αὐτούς, with an act. partic.; to this obj. a third partic. member is here attached which has no longer any connexion with the rel. ὧν; “and you see that they have long ago prepared themselves, in case they shall by and by be involved in war.”

πολεμήσονται: fut. mid. as pass. Cf. viii.43.13. G. 199, N. 4; H. 496. Here the apod. is merely implied. See on c. 58. 2.—οὐ γὰρ ἄν: “for otherwise (see on c. 11. 5) they would not have so openly resorted to violent measures at Corcyra and Potidaea.” Cf. Eur. I. T. 666.—ὑπολαβόντες: of crafty appropriation at the expense of another. Cf. c. 121. 9; 143. 3; vi.58.7; viii.105.15.

βίᾳ ἡμῶν: see on c. 43. 8.—εἶχον: after the aor. partic., as c. 29. 23; 30. 4; 38. 15.

τὸ μέν...ἡ δέ : chiasmus: τὸ μέν (Potidaea) conformed in gender to the pred. χωρίον.

ἀποχρῆσθαι : to make use of. Cf. vi.17.5; vii.42.27. The inf. is epexegetic of ἐπικαιρότατον, “excellently situated for profitable use of it (sc. τῷ χωρίῳ) in relation to the Thracian coast.”— 21. τοῖς: before Πελοποννησίοις is from the Vat. Ms.