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After the battle the Syracusans erect a trophy. The generals of the Athenians wish to make another attempt during the succeeding night to cut their way through with the rest of their ships; but the troops refuse to go on board again. And so they determine to retreat by land. 1. γενομένης δ̓ ἰσχυρᾶς τῆς ναυμαχίας κτἑ.: refers to οἱ δ᾽ Ἀθηναῖοι . . . ἀναχωρεῖν much more than to οἱ Συρακόσιοι . . . ἔστησαν: “since the battle had been so dreadful and the losses so great, the Athenians thought only of getting away.” Hence only a comma, not a colon, should be placed after ἔστησαν ῾5᾿. πολλῶν νεῶν : acc. to 12, the Athenians had lost (110-60) about 50 ships; acc. to 13, the Syracusans (76-50) about 25. See on c. 60. 21 and 70. 24. Diod. xiii. 17 gives the loss on the Athenian side at 60, on the Syracusan at 8 destroyed and 16 rendered useless. 5. ὑπὸ μεγέθους τῶν παρόντων κακῶν: ὑπό, by reason of. Cf. vi.103.20, ὑποψίαν ὑπὸ τῶν παρόντων κακῶν ἐς ἀλλήλους εἶχον. αἰτῆσαι ἀναίρεσιν : explanatory of the proleptic νεκρῶν πέρι ἢ ναυαγίων. Kr. Spr. 61, 6, 8. Cf. v.63.6, ἐπειδὴ περὶ Ὀρχομένου ἠγγέλλετο ἑαλωκέναι. ἐβούλοντο : Vat.; ἐβουλεύοντο of the rest of the Mss. is appropriate neither with οὐδὲ ἐπενόουν nor with εὐθύς. 8. γνώμην ἐποιεῖτο: made a pro- posal. Cf. i.128.27; ii.2.24. πληρώσαντας ἔτι: having manned once more. Cf. c. 59. 8. Kühn. 464, 2, takes ἔτι τὰς λοιπάς as equiv. to τὰς ἔτι λοιπάς. Cl. omits ἔτι without good reason. νῆες χρήσιμαι: the more usual mase. form occurs viii.76.26. The two words are treated as one and therefore placed together after αἱ λοιπαί, while πλείους is pred. 15. αὐτῶν: i.e. Nicias and Demosthenes. τε: added from Vat. and contrasting appropriately the double reason, what had happened and what was to be feared.—μὴ...κρατῆσαι : ἄν to be connected with κρατῆσαι; μὴ ἔτι οἴεσθαι dependent on διὰ τό. ὡς κατὰ γῆν ἀναχωρήσοντες : cf. Plat. Legg. 755 b, μηκέτι τὴν τηλικαύτην ἀρχὴν ὡς ἄρξων διανοηθήτω.
Commentary on Thucydides Book 7. Charles F. Smith. 1886. Boston. Ginn and Company.
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