Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides Book 7

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The Syracusans in the meantime get fresh reinforcements; in the army of the Athenians the sickness keeps spreading, and Nicias becomes more inclined to depart. The decision is now made, and everything is ready for the departure, when an eclipse of the moon occurs. The superstitious Nicias thereupon refuses to stir until thrice nine days have passed, as the soothsayers direct.

1. ὁ δὲ Γύλιππος καὶ ὁ Σικανός: cf. c. 46.—παρῆσαν ἐς: as in vi.88.51. Cf. ii.34.11, παρεῖναι ἐπί; iii.3.19, παρεῖναι παρά.

ἡ τοῖς Συρακοσίοις στάσις φιλία : the party friendly to the Syracusans. φιλία is Bauer's conjec ture for ἐς φίλια, ἐς φιλίαν, ἐς φιλία (Vat.) of the Mss. See App. τοῖς Συρακοσίοις belongs to φιλία, and the attrib. adj. is placed after its noun as in iii.56.5, κατὰ τὸν πᾶσι νόμον καθεστῶτα; iv.122.19, τῇ κατὰ γῆν Λακεδαιμονίων ἰσχύι ἀνωφελεῖ. Cf. 7 below and c. 23. 15.

ἄλλην τε στρατιάν: cf. c. 21. § 1. Acc. to Diod. XII. 12, this army was collected from Selinus, Gela, Himera, and Camerina.

τοὺς ἐκ τῆς Πελοποννήσου...ἀποσταλέντας : cf. c. 19. § 3.

8. ἀπενεχθέντες ἐς Λιβύην: i.e. driven thither by storms. Cf. vi.104.16, ἁρπασθεὶς ὑπ᾽ ἀνέμου . . . ἀποφέρεται ἐς τὸ πέλαγος. Niebuhr's view of an intentional voyage in that direction (Lectures on Anc. Hist. H. p. 160) is therefore wrong.

Εὐεσπερίταις: Steph. Byz. Εὐεσπέριδες πόλις Λιβύης. τὸ ἐθνικὸν Εὐεσπερίτης. It is the later Berenice, west from Barea, near the great Syrtis.

Νέαν πόλιν: cf. Strab. xvii.3.16; not to be confounded with the Neapolis which is also called Leptis, Strab. xvii.3.18. See Kiepert, Alte Geogr. p. 193, 197.— ὅθενπερ Σικελία ἐλάχιστον δύο ἡμερῶν καὶ νυκτὸς πλοῦν ἀπέχει: correctly emended by Bm. for ὅθεν πρὸς Σικελίαν . . . πλοῦς (Vat. πλοῦν）ἀπέχει. Cf. vi.2.38, ἐντεῦθεν ἐλάχιστον πλοῦν Καρχηδὼν Σικελίας ἀπέχει. For πλοῦς as a measure of distance, see on iv.104.17. ὅθενπερ as in iv.73.27.— 14. ἐς Σελινοῦντα: they went thither next because it was in alliance with Syracuse, vi. 48. From there Gylippus brings them to Syracuse, 5.

19. ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον χωροῦντα: cf. ἐπὶ（ἐς）τὸ μεῖζον ἐπιδιδόναι, vi.60.8; viii.24.22.

καθ᾽ ἡμέραν: in dies, with the comp. also in vi.60.8; 63. 5.—τοῖς πᾶσι: in every respect. Cf. v.28.12.—χαλεπώτερον ἴσχοντα: growing worse. ἴσχειν intr. here and Plat. Lach. 181 e; elsewhere trans. See on iii.58.26.

μετεμέλοντο: with past partic., as in iv.27.13, οὐ δεξάμενοι; v.35.17, ἀποδεδωκότες.

ὁμοίως : i.e. as hitherto. Cf. i.75.12; 99. 6.—ἀλλ᾽ ἤ: nisi, praeterquam. Kr. Spr. 69, 4, 6. Cf. iii.71.4; v.60.5; 80. 6; viii.28.9. See App.

προεῖπον...σημήνῃ : as secretly as possible they gare orders for departure to all and to be prepared (i.e. to sail out) whenever the signal should be given. The orders were given to the trierarchs (πᾶσι) secretly, lest the soldiers might find out the plan and by some imprudence disclose it to the enemy. Cf. c. 48. 5. Abresch's emendation παρεσκενάσθαι (for παρασκευάσασθαι) is necessary, since it is clear that the orders must be to be ready (to sail out) when the signal shall be given, not then first to get ready (παρασκευάσασθαι). Cf. Plut. Nic. 22, παρήγγειλε τοῖς στρατιώταις εὐτρεπεῖς εἶναι πρὸς ἀπόπλουν. For Cl.'s view, who reads [καὶ] παρασκευάσασθαι, see App.

26. ἐπειδὴ ἑτοῖμα ἦν: constant expression. Cf. ii.3.15; 10. 5; 56. 3; 98. 2.

ἡ σελήνη ἐκλείπει: Aug. 27, 413 B.C. See Heis, Die Finsternisse w. d. Pelop. Krieges, p. 11.— 28. οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι οἵ τε πλείους...καὶ ὁ Νικίας : part. appos. Cf. c. 71. § 1.

ἐνθύμιον ποιούμενοι: making it a matter of religion. Cf. v.16.18, ἐς ἐνθυμίαν προβάλλειν; Hdt. viii.54.8, ἐνθύμιόν οἱ ἐγένετο ἐμπρήσαντι τὸ ἱρόν; Eur. Here. 722, σοὶ τόδ̓ ἔστ̓ ἐνθύμιον.

καὶ ἄγαν θειασμῷ : Schol. εὐχῇ καὶ μαντείᾳ, all religious usages and practices, whose observance is called θειάζειν in viii.1.8.

προσκείμενος: inclined to, as in vi.89.13; viii.89.22.— οὐδ᾽ ἂν διαβουλεύσασθαι: would not even allow a consultation, i.e. about the question contained in ὅπως ἂν πρότερον κινηθείη.

ἐξηγοῦντο : regularly used of seers and priests. Cf. Eur. Phoen. 1011; Iph. Aul. 529; Plat. Theag. 131; Xen. Cyrop. vii.5.57; viii.3.11.—τρὶς ἐννέα ἡμέρας: prob. acc. to priestly law, as in the prediction of the τρὶς ἐννέα ἔτη, v.26.22. Diod. XIII. 13 gives only τὰς εἰθισμένας τρεῖς ἡμέρας; Plut. Nic. 23 relates, Νικίας ἄλλην ἔπεισε σελήνης ἀναμένειν περίοδον. The statement of Thuc. is certainly not to be questioned, even though they did not actually remain 27 days. See Ullrich, Quaest. Aristoph. p. 40.—ὅπως...κινηθείη : indir. question representing pot. opt. of dir. disc.

καὶ τοῖς...ἐγεγένητο : and so the Athenians, having once delayed for this reason, must stay. Cl. proposes ἐγένετο for ἐγεγένητο; more likely would be ἐνεγένετο.