Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides Book 7

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In Syracuse Gylippus and Hermocrates vie with one another in the effort to put all their forces into the best condition, and especially to incite the Syracusans to naval warfare.

1. ὑπὸ τοὺς αὐτοὺς χρόνους τούτου τοῦ ἦρος: cf. iv.2.1.

ὁ Γύλιππος ἧκεν: i.e. from the interior of Sicily. Cf. c. 7. § 2.

6. ἀπόπειραν: the noun found only here in Att.; the verb ἀποπειρᾶν also in c. 17. 15; 36. 2, and in mid. iv.24.7. ἀπόπειραν λαμβάνειν=ἀπόπειραν ποιεῖσθαι, to make trial of a sea-fight, as in Hdt. viii.9.7. Cf. iii.20.20, τὴν ξυμμέτρησιν τῶν κλιμάκων ἔλαβον; Plat. Prot. 348 a, πεῖραν ἀλλήλων λαμβάνοντες.

ἀπ̓ αὐτοῦ : Schol., τοῦ ναυμαχεῖν.

κατεργάσασθαι : Cl. thinks the aor. inf. as appropriate after ἐλπίζειν (cf. iv.13.4; 24. 10; 80. 3) as after ἐλπίς (ii.80.10; iii.32.13; v.9.27). St. (Qu. Gr. p. 7) has adopted here and everywhere after ἐλπίζειν either the fut. inf. or the aor. inf. with ἄν. Cl. thinks the aor. inf. corresponds to the success confidently expected from the means specifically referred to (ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ).

8. ξυνανέπειθε οὐχ ἥκιστα τοῦ ταῖς ναυσὶ μὴ ἀθυμεῖν [ἐπιχειρήσειν] πρὸς τοὺς Ἀθηναίους: ξυνανέπειθε occurs also in vi.88.48. St. is doubtless right in thinking ἐπιχειρήσειν a gloss (Qu. Gr. p. 8 and Symb. Philol. Bonn. p. 388); for the fut. inf. is inappropriate and the connexion with πρός without parallel. On the other hand, τοῦ . . . ἀθυμεῖν (for which St. writes αὐτοὺς μὴ . . . ἀθυμεῖν) is not to be given up. It expresses the object of the persuasion: and Hermocrates especially joined in persuading them, to prevent them from being without confidence against the Athenians on sea. GMT. 95. 1; H. 960. See on i.4.6. For Cl.'s explanation, see App.— 9. ἀθυμεῖν πρὸς τοὺς Ἀθηναίους: cf. ii.88.11.

ἀίδιον: usually understood of the past, but rather to be referred to the fut. in contrast with πάτριον, even their maritime skill was not hereditary, nor would it last forever. So Dem. uses ἀθάνατον (IV. 8), μὴ ὡς θεῷ νομίζετ᾽ ἐκείνῳ τὰ παρόντα πεπηγέ- ναι ἀθάνατα.

ἔχειν, ἠπειρώτας : Vat. omits ἀλλ̓ after ἔχειν.

οἵους καὶ Ἀθηναίους : for the attraction of case as well as the proleptic use of καί in a rel. clause, cf. vi.68.9. G. 153, N. 5; H. 1002; Kr. Spr. 62, 4, 3; Kühn. 555, 3.

καὶ αὐτούς: this reading has been adopted by Cl., instead of the vulgate ἂν αὐτοῖς (of which ἄν is wanting in many Mss., while αὐτούς is read in some). The sense is, “in combat against bold men, such as the Athenians are, those who with boldness go against them appear also themselves the most formidable (enemies).” καὶ αὐτούς as in i.50.18, and often. χαλεπωτάτους καὶ αὐτοὺς φαίνεσθαι is explained in the following sent. and finally repeated in other words: καὶ σφᾶς ἂν τὸ αὐτὸ (sc. τὸ φοβεῖν αὐτούς）τοῖς ἐναντίοις ὑποσχεῖν. St. omits both ἄν and αὐτοῖς. Kr. and Bm. take πρὸς τοὺς ἄνδρας with τοὺς ἀντιτολμῶντας (cf. 19) and refer αὐτοῖς to ἄνδρας, which seems quite reasonable.

ᾧ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι . . . ὑποσχεῖν: Schol., ᾧ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι, φησί, φοβοῦσι τοὺς πέλας, τουτέστι διὰ θράσος καὶ οὐχὶ διὰ δυνάμεως ὑπεροχήν, τούτῳ ἂν καὶ ὑπὸ Συρακοσίων ἐκφοβήσεσθαι τοὺς Ἀθηναίους. With the const., ᾧ, τὸ αὐτό, cf. iii.12.4. The acc. σφᾶς, instead of σφεῖς, though referring to the subj. of the leading verb, as in iii.111.13; vi.49.9; 96. 5; viii.32.15. ὑποσχεῖν in the sense of ἐμβαλεῖν is very unusual and without parallel in Thuc. St. compares Pind. Ol. 2. 54, πλοῦτος βαθεῖαν ὑπέχων μέριμναν.

19. ἀπροσδοκήτως: the adv. only here and iv.29.17; elsewhere the adj.

πλέον τι: so Vat., instead of πλέον, as in ii.11.32; v.109.4.— περιγενησομένους: reading of Vat. for περιεσομένους. This and βλάψοντας are supplementary partics. in ind. disc. with εὖ εἰδέναι. GMT. 113; H. 982.

24. Ἑρμοκράτους καὶ εἴ του ἄλλου: unusual assimilation of the pron. Pp. compares Soph. Aj. 487, ἐξέφυν πατρὸς εἴπερ τινὸς σθένοντος. Kr. Spr. 60, 10, 2.

ὥρμηντό τε ἐς κτἑ.: cf. ii.65.5; viii.40.19; 47. 17.