E.C. Marchant, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 7

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προπαρεβάλοντο—had previously laid in a line for use, i.e. for the wall from the circle to Trogilus

σφίσιν—for σφίσιν αὐτοῖς or ἑαυτοῖς. Cf. on c. 3.1. Thuc. often uses σφᾶς thus as a primary reflexive, referring to the subj. of its own clause; but not when the reflexive is emphatic or in antithesis.

τοῦ τειχίσματος—the cross-wall which he was building.

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ἦρχε—was first to )( ἤρχετο began to.

τειχισμάτων—the incomplete Athenian wall and the Syracusan cross-wall.

χρῆσις ἦν—another case of simple abstract nouns (esp in -σις and -μα) with εἰμί, γίγνομαι. Cf. c. 4.6; 16.2.

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οὐκ ἔφη . . ἐκείνων ἀλλ᾽ ἑαυτοῦ—the general principle in Gk. antithesis is that the more emphatic clause comes second. (The rule might be broken in the case of ἔφη, to get the neg before it.) 16

ἁμάρτημα—to add to the disaster Gongylus had fallen, so Plutarch relates.

τῇ τάξει—explained by ἐντὸς . . ποιήσας, and causal.

ἐντὸς—i.e. μεταξὺ τῶν τειχισμάτων.

ποιήσας—sc. τὴν τάξιν. The usual phrase is ἑντὸς ποιεῖσθαι. The act. is used because he actually drew up (constructed) the line of battle. Contrast ξύλλογον ποιεῖν, of a στρατηγός, with ξύλλογον ποιεῖσθαι, of the men attending.

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διανοεῖσθαι οὕτως—to convince themselves that they would find their resources ample, and that they would be guilty of intolerable lack of determination unless.

τῇ μὲν παρασκευῇ )( τῇ δὲ γνώμη̣, the material con trasted with the moral resources. A common antithesis. which we should not make so prominent. γνώμῃ goes with ἀξιώσουσι. 23

εἰ μὴ ἀξιώσουσι—unless they mean to bind themselves.

Πελοποννήσιοι . . Δωριῆς, Ἰὠνων . . νησιωτῶν— chiasmus Πελοποννήσιοι is addressed to the Syracusans by their allies, thus reminding them of the origin of which they were very proud. Cf. Theocritus 15.90-92 “Συρακοσίαις ἐπιτάσσεις
ὡς εἰδῇς καὶ τοῦτο, Κορίνθιαι εἰμὲς ἄνωθεν
ὡς καὶ ὁ Βελλεροφῶν: Πελοποννασιστὶ λαλεῦμες:
δωρίσδεν δ᾽ ἔξεστι δοκῶ τοῖς Δωριέεσσι”. The Athenians, on the contrary, did not at all care for the title ‘Ionians’

νησιωτῶν—the Syracusans regarded themselves as ἠπειρῶται. Cf. c. 21.

ξυγκλύδων—cf. Livy 22.43 milites mixtos ex conluvione omnium gentium. The word is rare in Attic, but is common in late authors. (Cf. Photius συγκλύδων: συμμίκτων, ἐπηλύδων.)

κρατήσαντες ἐξελάσασθαι—when partic and verb govern a different case, a common object will nearly always follow the construction required by the partic.

ἐξελάσασθαι—the mid., which is unusual, is found also in IV. 35.