Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides Book 7

3. σφετέραν: see on c. 1. 27.

καὶ αὐτός: as the Syracusans had sent to Lacedaemon, which may have happened as well after as before.— ἔπεμπε...τότε : Cl. takes πολλάκις μὲν καὶ ἄλλοτε with ἀγγέλλων only, μάλιστα δὲ καὶ τότε with ἀγγέλλων ἔπεμπε; but St.'s view is better: “ἔπεμπε, imperfectum quod ad πολλάκις μὲν καὶ ἄλλοτε relatum notionem rei repititae habet, apud μάλιστα δὲ καὶ τότε sonat mittere parabat.”

καθ᾽ ἕκαστα: singula quaeque, taken together, obj. of ἀγγέλλων. Cf. i.3.6, κατὰ ἔθνη, singulas gentes; i.3.9, καθ᾽ ἑκάστους, singulos quosque; also iv.47.10.

εἰ μὴ...μεταπέμψουσιν : Vat. has μεταπέμψωσιν, and since Thuc. has one sure example of εἰ with the subjv. without ἄν in a case of great uncertainty of the supposition (vi.21.5, possibly i.72.14), perhaps it should not here be unconditionally rejected. See on vi.21.5. Cl. says ἀποστελοῦσιν would then indicate that which was more to be desired; but cf. Dem. XVIII. 176.— 8. οὐδεμίαν εἶναι σωτηρίαν: the fut. indic. in the prot. and the simple inf. pres. in the apod. correspond to the firm conviction and categorical expression of Nicias. In dir. disc. it would be, εἰ μὴ ἀποστελεῖτε, οὐδεμία ἐστὶ σωτηρία. v. H.'s conjecture, οὐδεμίαν ἂν εἶναι σωτηρίαν, would weaken the force. Cf. vi.6.19; 91. 13.

9. κατὰ τὴν τοῦ λέγειν ἀδυνασίαν: so Vat.; the other Mss. omit τήν; but even if the art. of the governing subst. is often omitted when a gen. goes before (see on vi.88.23), still the omission here would be so strange as to cause obscurity. The unusual form ἀδυνασία for ἀδυναμία occurs also viii.8.19.

μνήμης ἐλλιπεῖς γιγνόμενοι: so Vat. for γνώμης of all the rest of the Mss.: “from defect of memory.” This might very naturally have happened if they had had had to retain everything in memory; for in addition to the letter he told them certain things to be delivered by word of mouth, ὅσα ἔδει αὐτοὺς εἰπεῖν, 16, and ὅσα τε ἀπὸ γλώσσης εἴρητο αὐτοῖς, c. 10. 2.

οὕτως ἂν μάλιστα: Cl. says οὕτως is explained by τὴν . . . μαθόντας, ἂν μάλιστα belonging to βουλεύσασθαι; better οὕτως ἂν μάλιστα μαθόντας βουλεύσασθαι.

ἐν τῷ ἀγγέλῳ : belongs with ἀφανισθεῖσαν; his view might be obscured “in the messenger” (by his inaccurate comprehension or delivery). Cf. ii.35.7, ἐν ἑνὶ ἀνδρὶ πολλῶν ἀρετὰς κινδυνεύεσθαι. On this use of ἐν with persons, see Kühn. 431, 1, 3) a.

15. οὓς ἀπέστειλε: inserted epexegetically. See App.

ὁ δὲ τὰ κατὰ τὸ στρατόπεδον...ἐπεμέλετο : “keeping his army from this time rather on the defensive than on the offensive, he attended to his duties.” τὰ κατὰ τὸ στρατόπεδον is obj. of ἔχων, which must be taken by zeugma also with δἰ ἑκουσίων κινδύνων. ἐπεμέλετο (not ἐπεμελεῖτο; see on vi.54.26) is used abs. The const. is similar to ἡγοῦντο with limiting partic. in i.19.2. τὸ στρατόπεδον refers no doubt to the army, not to the camp esp., and so would include the troops in the fortifications on Plemmyrium, as well as those in the main camp. See App.