Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides Book 6

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About the same time the Lacedaemonians again invade Argos; the Athenians, who come with 30 ships to the aid of the Argives, for the first time since the conclusion of the peace make an unmistakable attack upon Laconian territory.

Λακεδαιμόνιοι ἐς τὸ Ἄργος ἐσέβαλον κτἑ.: repetition of the unsuccessful campaign of 95. § 1.

ἐς τὸ Ἄργος: into the territory of Argos. Cf. ἐκ τοῦ Ἄργους 16; ἐξ Ἄργους 5. 63. 1, 65. 7; ἐν Ἄργει 4. 133. 5; ἐς Ἐπίδαυρον 12. See on 2. 18. 2; 3. 91. 11; 4. 118. 25.

τῆς γῆς τὴν πολλήν: for assimilation of the articular adj. to the gender of the part. gen., see on 1. 3. 12; 7. 3. 15. G. 1090; H. 730 e; Kr. Spr. 47, 28, 9; Kühn. 405, 5 c.

αἵπερ ...ἔλυσαν : on this breach of the peace on the part of the Athenians, cf. 7. 18. § 2 f., and see App. on 5. 25. 11. Besides, the Athenians, acc. to 5. 56. § 3, in the winter of 419-418 had already had inscribed at the bottom of the Laconian pillar of peace: ὅτι οὐκ ἐνέμειναν οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι τοῖς ὅρκοις.

τὰς πρὸς τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους : so Vat.; all the rest of the Mss. omit τάς, most τούς. But τάς is necessary, and τούς doubtless correct, as on the third and fourth (13, 16) mention of the Lacedaemonians the art. is added.—αὐτοῖς: dat. in free relation, as 1. 6.8.—ἔλυσαν: broke. See on 1^{4}. 35. 1.

λῃστείαις ἐκ Πύλου: as related 5. 115. § 2. Cf. also 5. 56. § 3.—καὶ...ἀποβαίνοντες : second modifier after the dat. λῃστείαις ἐκ Πύλου. Cf. 1. 80. 4; 4. 36. 18. Such landings, not mentioned by Thuc., had prob. occurred in the Epidaurian war (5. 53 ff.).

μετά τε Ἀργείων καὶ Μαντινέων ξυνεπολέμουν: (only Vat. has ξυν-) indicating doubtless both the alliance and the participation in the hostilities; see on 2. 67. 33.

ὅσον σχόντας μόνον...ἀπελθεῖν : (dependent on κελευόντων) only so much as to land with arms in Laconian territory, devastate with them ever so small a part, and then go away. For the restrictive force of ὅσον μόνον with ptc., cf. ὅσα μή with ptc., 1. 111. 5; 4. 16. 12. Cf. Ar. Vesp. 1288; Lys. 732. The chief stress is on the ptc.; see on 82. 11; 1. 82. 10.—σχόντας ἐς: see on 7. 1. 14. ξὺν ὅπλοις: see on 5. 50. 9. This was an unmistakable breach of the stipulation of the treaty: ὅπλα δὲ μὴ ἐξέστω ἐπιφέρειν ἐπὶ πημονῇ κτἑ. (5. 18. § 4).

Πυθοδώρου...ἀρχόντων : of the generals Pythodorus, Cl. thinks, was prob. the one mentioned 3. 115. 6; 4. 2. 7, 65. 11; but see Busolt, Gr. Gesch. III, p. 1351. Laespodias is mentioned again 8. 86. 44. For him, see J. Kirchner, Prosopographia Attica II, 1, and Busolt, ibid. 1350 f. Of Demaratus nothing further is known.— 12. ἐς Ἐπίδαυρον τὴν Λιμηράν: see on 4. 56. 10.

Πρασιάς: on the same east coast of Laconia; cf. 2. 56. 16.—ἄλλα ἄττα: with Vat. (cf. ἄλλα ἄττα χωρία 1. 113. 3; 2. 100. 12) for ὅσα ἄλλα of the rest of the Mss., which most recent editors prefer. Cf. 7. 18. 20.—τῆς γῆς: part. gen. with δῃοῦν, as with τέμνειν below (17) and freq. See on 1. 30. 8. G. 1097, 1; H. 736; Kühn. 416, N. 2. —καὶ τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις...ἐποίησαν : and they brought it about that the Lacedaemonians with so much better pretext now had cause to defend themselves against the Athenians. Decelea is hinted at. εὐπροφάσιστον found elsewhere only in late writers. τοῦ ἀμύνεσθαι depends on τὴν αἰτίαν. ἐς τοὺς Ἀθηναίους for ἐς σφᾶς, as if expressing a complaint of the Lacedaemonians. Stahl brackets the words, but comparison with 1. 55. 13; 66. 2, 5 makes likely the designation of the state against which there is αἰτία τοῦ ἀμύνεσθαι.

ἐκ τοῦ Ἄργους: (Vat. ἐξ Ἄργους) would have been expected after Λακεδαιμονίων, for the Athenian fleet was last mentioned on the Laconian coast (12).

ἐς τὴν Φλειασίαν: as 5. 83. 11, 115. 2.