E.C. Marchant, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 6

ἄθροισιν—cf. Ath. Pol. c. 24 χρημάτων ἠθροισμένων πολλῶν.

ὅσοι Ἑρμαῖ ἦσαν—Plutarch says τῶν Ἑρμῶν οἱ πρεσβύτεροι ἄχειρες καὶ ἄποδες. See Mayor on Juv. VIII. 53. Grote's account of the mutilation should be read.

ἐν τῇ πόλει—Plutarch says that Hipparchus the Pisistratid set up several of these figures. They were also put up from time to time by tribes, magistrates, and individuals, especially abont the Agora, through which ran the street of Hermes.

ἡ τετράγωνος ἐργασία—‘the well-known square figures,’

οἱ πλεῖστοι—according to Andocides (de Myst. § 62) the bust before his house was the only one that escaped, and this is repeated by Nepos, Alcib. 3; perhaps also by Philochorus (280 B.C.) ap. Schol. on Aristoph. Lys. 1094 τὴν δ᾽ αἰτίαν οἱ μὲν τοῖς περὶ Ἀλκιβιάδην προσέγραφον, ὡς Θουκυδίδης, οἱ δὲ Κορινθίοις ὡς Φιλόχορος μόνον δέ [leg. δ᾽ οὔ] φησι περικοπῆναι τὸν Ἀνδοκίδου Ἑρμῆν.

μεγάλοις μηνύτροις—the reward was 100 minae according to a proposal of Pisander, 1000 drachmae according to a proposal of Cleonymus. The sums were snbsequently awarded to two informers by the Thesmothetae (Andoc. § 27).

ἐψηφίσαντο—from Andoc. we learn that the Ecclesia delegated the duty of investigating the outrage to the Council— ψηφισαμένης τῆς βουλῆς, ἦν γὰρ αὐτοκράτωρ. The Council appointed (Andoc. 1.10) special commissioners (ζητηταί) to receive and examine the evidence. μηνύειν—μήνυσις is an information given privately by a slave, metic, woman, or by a citizen who preferred not to raise an εἰσαγγελία (‘impeachment’) because he was implicated. It could be given either εἰς τὴν βουλην or ἐν τῷ δήμῳ. The matter, if serious, was settled in a court of heliasts. The μηνυτής often received a reward if the accused person was convicted, and if a slave received freedom. If his information was proved to be false, he was put to death. εἰσαγγελία = delatio: μήνυσις = indicium.

ἀδεῶς—the ἄδεια, i.e. impunitas, exempted a μηνυτής from punishment in case he incriminated himself. Ordmarily the Ecclesia alone was competent to give the ἄδεια: but the Conncil, when as here it was αὐτοκράτωρ, could confer it on each individual μηνυτής. (Cf. Goldstaub, De ἀδείας Notione et Usu p. 99.)

τὸν βουλόμενον—stereotyped phrase, as also καὶ ἀστῶν καἱ ξένων.

μειζόνως—the form is found in Herod., Plato, Eur., and Xenophon, often in Aristides. For

λαμβάνειν cf. c. 53, 3; 61, 1.

οἰωνός—ominous of evil, because it was a gross insult to the protecting deity of market and home.

ἐπὶ ξυνωμοσίᾳ—cf. c. 60, 1.

δήμου κατάλυσις is one of the crimes to which the νόμος εἰσαγγελτικός applied. The crime was first dealt with by Solon, and is often alluded to.