Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 3

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Since the Plataeans, instead of simply answering the question propounded, have in a lengthy speech attacked us and glorified themselves, we too must make a fuller statement. The Plataeans early renounced the Boeotian alliance and our hegemony, and placed themselves with hostile intent under the protection of Athens.

τοὺς λόγους: const. with εἰπεῖν. “These (lengthy) speeches,” implying the reluctance with which they have recourse to them. The effect of the art. seems to be similar to that of the appos. τοὺς πολλούς in i. 86. 1 τοὺς λόγους τοὺς πολλούς. Cf. c. 53. 10 λόγον ᾐτησάμεθα, and c. 60. 3 ἔφασαν καὶ αὐτοὶ βούλεσθαι εἰπεῖν.—2. καὶ αὐτοί: i.e. οὖτοι καὶ αὐτοί, et isti. Cf. i. 50. 18; 51. 6. Hude (Comm. Crit. p. 106) suggests καὶ οὖτοι. But to refer καὶ αὐτοὶ . . . ἀπεκρίναντο to the Plataeans is not harder than in c. 60. 6 ὡς δ᾽ ἐκέλευσαν, to understand the Lacedaemonians.—

τὸ ἐρωτηθὲν ἀπεκρίναντο: ‘such an acc. with ἀποκρίνεσθαι is not found elsewhere in Thuc., though freq. in Plato. This const. seems, however, to be confined to neut. prons. (τόδε, τοῦτο, etc.) and τὸ (τὰ) ἐρωτώμενον (α).’ Bm. See Kr. Spr. 46, 6, 3; Matth. 409, 6.—3.

καὶ περὶ αὑτῶν . . . ἀπολογίαν: and had not made concerning themselves a long defence aside from the question, and especially of points which were never charged. As to the matter, cf. c. 52. 18 κατηγορία οὐδεμία προετέθη, and c. 53. 9 προκατηγορίας ἡμῶν οὐ προγεγενημένης. περὶ αὑτῶν opp. to ἐπὶ ἡμᾶς. With ἔξω τῶν προκειμένων (i.e. τὸ ἐρώτημα τὸ βραχύ, c. 54. 5) cf. ii. 65. 26 ἔξω τοῦ πολέμου, Dem. xviii. 9 τοῖς ἔξωθεν λόγοις.—4. καὶ ἅμα: not a simple copula, but, like ἄλλως τε καί, introducing an esp. important circumstance. See on i. 2. 8.—

ᾐτιαμένων: pass. of dep. verb. H. 819 d; Kr. Spr. 39, 14, 3; Kühn. 377, 4 a. Cf. αἰτιαθείς, vi. 53. 14; viii. 68. 15. It depends on ἀπολογία, as ὧν upon ἔπαινον. Steup follows Cl. in connecting ᾐτιαμένων with αὑτῶν, though he suggests that ᾐτιαμένων may have been a slip of the copyist for ᾐτιαμένοι, due to the influence of the preceding genitives. πολλὴν τὴν ἀπολογίαν καὶ ἔπαινον he takes together (both limited by ὧν), about as οἱ αὐτοὶ ὅρκοι καὶ ξυμμαλία, i. 102. 21, comparing further vi. 49. 21 οὔτε πλοῦν πολὺν οὔτε ὁδόν, 92. 17 ἐς κίνδυνον καὶ ἐς ταλαιπωρίαν πᾶσαν, 97. 8 οὔτε πλοῦν οὔτε ὁδὸν πολλήν.—6. πρὸς μὲν τά: order as in c. 82. 52; vi. 45. 5; 66. 6; vii. 12. 4. Cf. Soph. Ant. 557 καλῶς σὺ μὲν τοῖς, τοῖς δ᾽ ἐγὼ ᾿δόκουν φρονεῖν. Kr. Spr. 50, l, 13; Matth. 288, N. 3. τὰ μέν refers to κατηγορίαν (cf. c. 53. 9), τὰ δέ to τὴν ἀπολογίαν καὶ ἔπαινον.— ἀντειπεῖν, ἔλεγχον ποιήσασθαι: cf. c. 53. 9, 12. The former is done in c. 62, the latter in c. 63. 64.—7.

ἡ ἡμετέρα κακία: refers ironically (cf. c. 58. 6) to the effect of the κατηγορία. and ἡ τούτων (cf. l. 12 οὗτοι) δόξα to that of the ἀπολογία and of the ἔπαινος. —αὐτούς: for the position, cf. v. 82. 23; vii. 78. 26, and see on c. 63. 8.

ἡμεῖς δέ: the δέ marks the transition from the general introduction to the matter in hand, and should not be altered, with Kr., to δή either here or in i. 37. 7. See on c. 10. 7. and vi. 89. 3.—

διάφοροι ἐγενόμεθα πρῶτον: (Mss. AC τὸ πρῶτον) as c. 10 7 ξυμμαχία ἐγένετο πρῶτον.—10. ἡμῶν κτισάντων: the Thebans substitute themselves for the Boeotians, who were driven out of Thessaly and occupied the country of the Cadmeans (afterwards called Boeotia), about sixty years after the Trojan war, acc. to Thuc. i. 12. § 3. Cf. Strabo ix. 2. 3 ff. See Muenscher, de Reb. Plataeens. p. 27 sqq.—11.

ἄλλα χωρία: i.e. ‘the region below Cithaeron toward the Euripus,’ Muenseh. ibid p. 27.—

ἅ: includes Plataea also. See Muensch. ibid. p. 29.—

ξυμμίκτους ἀνθρώπους: Strabo l.c. mentions Pelasgians, Thracians, Hyantians.— 12.

οὐκ ἠξίουν: were indignant at. Cf. i. 102. 17; iv. 86. 7.—

ὥσπερ ἐτάχθη τὸ πρῶτον: prob. taken for granted, rather than based on historical tradition.—13.

ἡγεμονεύεσθαι: found only here in pass., a sort of milder ἄρχεσθαι (c. 36. 9; 37. 10; ii. 41. 11). G. 1236; H. 819 a; Kr. Spr. 52, 4, 1; Kühn. 378, 7.—

ἔξω: apart from. See on —14.

παραβαίνοντες τὰ πάτρια: i.e. renouncing the Boeotian alliance. Cf. c. 65. 8; 66. 3; ii. 2. 27.—

προσηναγκάζοντο: were forced to it, i.e. πρὸς τὸ μὴ παραβαίνειν τὰ πάτρια. Cf. iv. 87. 8; v. 42. 19; viii. 76. 32. For the strengthening force of πρός, see on i. 106. 2; vii. 18. 31.—15.

προσεχώρησαν πρὸς Ἀθηναίους: cf. c. 55. § 1. The simple dat. is more common, as in i. 74. 24; 103. 11; ii. 2. 29; v. 32. 14.—

μετ̓ αὐτῶν . . . ἔβλαπτον: cf. Hdt. vi. 108. 5 πόνους ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν (i.e. τῶν Πλαταιέων) οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι συχνοὺς ἤδη ἀναιρέοντο.