Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides Book 7

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After this speech, the Syracusan leaders also embark their troops. Nicias, howerer, overwhelmed by the thought of the impending crisis, turns once more with prayers and exhortations to the indiridual trierarchs. After this he arranges the troops with whom he remains on land in as long a line as possible along the shore; and Demosthenes, Menander, and Euthydemus, who hare charge of the fleet, sail immediately with their ships against the closed entrance of the harbour.

3. καὶ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους: sc. πληροῦντας τὰς αὑτῶν ναῦς. Kr. Spr. 56, 16, 1. Cf. i.78.10; ii.86.14.

ὑπὸ τῶν παρόντων: found only here. It is equiv. to the usual ἐκ τῶν παρόντων, ἐπὶ τοῖς παροῦσι, πρὸς τὰ παρόντα, ἀπὸ τῶν παρόντων. See on c. 56. 6.

5. ὡς ἐγγὺς ἤδη: the reading of Vat.; the ἦν after ἤδη which the other Mss. have weakens the force of the expression.

ὅσον οὐ: tantum non. Kr. Spr. 67, 14, 5. Cf. i.36.8; ii.94.6; iv.69.15; v.59.22; 64. 4; vi.45.8; viii.26.3.

ὅπερ πάσχουσιν: sc. οἱ ἄνθρωποι νομίζοντες.

πάντα...εἰρῆσθαι : the number of σφίσιν and αὐτοῖς shows that both refer to the subj. of πάσχουσιν. After σφίσιν has made clear the reference to the subj. of πάσχουσιν, there is no need of the refl. in the second case. The contrasted ἔργῳ and λόγῳ make it clear that both dats, refer to the same subj. But Pp. and Bm. explain αὐτοῖς = τοῖς στρατιώταις τοῦ Νικίου; St., following L. Dindorf, strikes out αὐτοῖς, which however seems necessary with λόγῳ εἰρῆσθαι. οὔπω ἱκανά is opp. to πάντα, hence the position of τε.

ἕνα ἕκαστον : cf. c. 75. 15; vi.41.6.

ἀνεκάλει: called by name, as in c. 70. 49. See on i.3.16.—πατρόθεν τε ἐπονομάζων: the Schol. refers to Hom. K. 68, πατρόθεν ἐκ γενεῆς ὀνομάζων ἄνδρα ἕκαστον, πάντας κυδαίνων.

αὐτούς : i.e. τοῖς οἰκείοις αὐτῶν ὀνόμασιν, as opp. to φυλήν, both for the sake of greater honour. St. claims, however, that ἐπονομάζων is nowhere equiv. simply to ὀνομάζων, but here and in Plat. Lys. 204 a (ἔτι πατρόθεν ἐπονομάζεται) means ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι ὀνομάζειν, i.e. praeter ipsorum nomen nominare. He omits, therefore, καὶ αὐτοὺς ὀνομαστί, as a marginal explanation indicating this force of the verb.

ἀξιῶν: admonishing, with the infs. μὴ προδιδόναι and μὴ ἀφανίζειν, of which the former has as subj. τινα (preceded by its limiting rel. clause), the latter τούτους（ὧν = τούτους ὧν).—τὸ καθ᾽ ἑαυτόν: gets through ᾧ ὑπῆρχε λαμπρότητός τι the signification of individual merit and worth. Schol. τὴν οἰκείαν ἀρετήν.

λαμπρότητός τι : see on c. 48. 9.

τῆς ἐν αὐτῇ ἀνεπιτάκτου...ἐξουσίας : i.e. ὅτι ἑκάστῳ ἐν αὐτῇ ἀνεπιτάκτως διαιτᾶσθαι ἔξεστι. See the beautiful expression of this thought in the Funeral Oration, ii. 37. § 2.

ἄλλα τε λέγων: τε introducing the third partic.

ἐν τῷ τοιούτῳ τοῦ καιροῦ: in such a crisis. See on c. 2. 16.

οὐ πρὸς τὸ δοκεῖν τινι ἀρχαιολογεῖν φυλαξάμενοι: not minding lest they might seem to any to say something old. φυλάσσεσθαι πρός τι is rare. It occurs in Plut. Mor. 976 d. πρός, as to, with regard to, as in ii.22.1; vi.40.13, and often.

καὶ ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων...προφερόμενα : = ἃ καὶ ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων παραπλήσια προφέρεται. The whole clause is in appos. to ὅσα . . . εἴποιεν ἄν. καί, even, is to be taken with ἁπάντων, and παραπλήσια is pred. to προφερόμενα. “Commonplace appeals such as are brought forward even for everything (on all occasions).”

ἀλλ̓...ἐπιβοῶνται : the force of ὅσα continues. The clause is opp. to οὐ πρὸς τὸ δοκεῖν . . . φυλαξάμενοι εἴποιεν ἄν.

21. οὐχ ἱκανὰ μᾶλλον ἢ ἀναγκαῖα: Schol. ἀναγκαῖα μᾶλλον ἤπερ ἱκανά. Cf. ii.70.5, βρῶσις ἀναγκαία; vi.37.17, ἀναγκαία παρασκευή.

τὸν πεζόν : i.e. the part of the land force that remained on shore to guard the διατείχισμα (c. 60. 11).

ὅπως...γίγνοιτο : i.e. in order that the sight of the greater crowd might increase their courage.

25. Μένανδρος καὶ Εὐθύδημος: cf. c. 16. 5.

στρατηγοὶ ἐπέβησαν: had embarked as strategi (pred.).

τὸ ζεῦγμα: the barrier of the harbour, described in c. 59. § 2. So the Greeks named a bridge of boats of any kind.

διέκπλουν: signifies usually the manœuvre of breaking through a line of hostile ships (c. 36. 22; 70. 26), but here the space left for sailing through (cf. Plut. Nic. 24, ἀπέκλεισαν τὸν διέκπλουν). For it seems necessary to assume, even though it is not mentioned, that the Syracusans in closing their harbour must have left an opening for their own use. The Schol., who seems to have read παραλειφθέντα, explains, τούτεστι παρελέλειπτο ὥστε μὴ ἐζεῦχθαι. In c. 70. 3 ἔκπλους refers to the same point in the ζεῦγμα. Hence καταλειφθέντα of Vat. is to be preferred to καταληφθέντα, παραληφθέντα, or παραλειφθέντα. Cf. Hdt. vii.36.12, διέκπλοον ὑπόφαυσιν κατέλιπον τῶν πεντηκοντέρων καὶ τριηρέων, “they left an opening to sail through” (referring to the bridge over the Hellespont).—βιάσασθαι: abs. break through, as in i.63.5; different from c. 70. 43.