Harold North Fowler, Commentary on Thucydides Book 5

εἰπόντες [τῶν Ἀργείων ]: see App.

αὐτός: for himself alone. See on iv. 49. 5.—οὐδὲ αὐτὸς βουλευσάμενος κτἑ.: and without any deliberation on his own part, further than to communicate the matter to one man. ἀλλ᾽ ἤ, nisi. Cf. c. 80. 6. See on iii. 71. 4.

τῶν ἐν τέλει: probably one of the two ephors who accompanied the king upon military expeditions, as did also, acc. to Arnold, the polemarchs, ὅμοιοι, and two Pythii. See Gilbert, Griech. Staatsalt, I. p. 60, 64, 80.—ξυστρατευομένων: Cl. suggests ξυστρατευομένῳ.

τὰ ῥηθέντα : i.e. what they had offered to do in c. 59. 23 ff.

τῶν ἄλλων ξυμμάχων: as in i. 128. 21, in contradistinction to the Lacedaemonians. That he said nothing to his own countrymen has already been stated; but he was silent toward the allies as well. ἄλλων does not imply that the Lacedaemonians are put upon an equal footing with the allies, and should therefore be omitted in English. See on i. 128. 21. (St. and v. Herwerden follow Kr. in rejecting ξυμμάχων.)

εἵποντο μὲν ὡς ἡγεῖτο διὰ τὸν νόμον: “they followed his guidance (i.e. obeyed the order to march away, ἀπήγαγε τὸν στρατόν) because of their discipline, because the rules of military subordination compelled them; but,” etc.

ἐν αἰτίᾳ εἶχον πολλῇ: cf. i. 35. 10, ἐν πλείονι αἰτίᾳ ἡμεῖς . . . ὑμᾶς ἕξομεν, and 21 below.—κατ᾽ ἀλλήλους: as in iv. 84. 4.

παρατυχόν: cf. i. 76. 14.

αὐτῶν: i.e. τῶν Ἀργείων. See c. 59. § 3.

στρατόπεδον κτἑ.: on the mode of expression and the order of words, see on i. 1. 8.—κάλλιστον: is esp. explained by the following λογάδες ἀφ̓ ἑκάστων.

ὤφθη μάλιστα : this (the excellence of the army) was especially noticeable.

ἐν Νεμέᾳ: Cl., St., and others take this as referring to c. 59. § 3. But the Argives had at that time descended into the plain of Argos (ἀλλὰ καταβάντες, c. 59. 8), and there they were surrounded by the Lacedaemonians and their allies (c. 59. 11 ff.). The valley of Nemea is completely separated from the plain of Argos, the only connexions being by passes neither broad nor low. It is therefore impossible to believe that ἐν Νεμέᾳ refers to any part of the plain of Argos. ζητεῖται πῶς, τριχῇ διαιρεθέντος τοῦ τῶν Πελοποννησίων στρατεύματος εἰς Φλιοῦντα, καὶ ἑνὸς μόνου μέρους τὴν ἐπὶ Νεμέαν ἰόντος, τῶν δὲ ἄλλων ἄλλαις χρησαμένων ὁδοῖς καὶ οὐδαμοῦ συμμιξάντων, ἔφη ἀθρόους αὐτοὺς ὦφθαι περὶ Νεμέαν, Schol., who is evidently puzzled. Philippi, Rhein. Mus. 36, p. 256, says ἐν Νεμέᾳ is a gloss. If it really belongs in the text, it must refer to something not made plain in the preceding narrative, prob. something connected with the movements of c. 58.—πανστρατιᾷ ἦσαν: Jowett takes this with Λακεδαιμόνιοι only, but the Phliasians were certainly present πανστρατιᾷ (cf. c. 57. 13). The Epidaurians are mentioned in c. 58. 16, but are omitted here, perhaps, as St. suggests, because only part of their force was present. We must take πανστρατιᾷ with all the subjs. This St. reconciles with λογάδες ἀφ᾽ ἑκάστων by the assumption that πανστρατιᾷ means cum universis quas tum instructas habebant copiis, not πανδημεί. There seem to be considerable corruptions in the passage.

καὶ ἄλλῃ κτἑ.: for another force, too, if it were added. GMT. 52, 1 and Rem.; 74. 1; 77; H. 932, 2; 934; 937. See App.

ἀνεχώρουν: they set out upon their way home, impf. Pl. after τὸ στράτευμα, as in i. 89. 14 with τὸ κοινόν, and iii. 80. 1 with δῆμος.

ἄνευ: cf. i. 128. 11; iv. 25. 54. See on i. 91. 23.

κἀκεῖνοι: is a repetition of καὶ αὐτοί with marked emphasis.—μὴ ἂν σφίσι ποτὲ κάλλιον παρασχόν: these words are in close connexion, so that the force of the neg. μή does not pass beyond παρασχόν. Cf. c. 63. 3. They thought it was the Lacedaemonians who had escaped, since circumstances could never be more favourable for them (the Argives). μή is used because it is in the inf. clause, although οὐ would be more regular after νομίζοντες. Kr. Spr. 67, 8. ἂν παρασχόν is here equiv. to παράσχοι ἄν. On the acc. abs., cf. παρατυχόν, 11. G. 278, 2; H. 973.

πρὸς τῇ σφετέρᾳ πόλει: near Argos. Cf. c. 59. 11 and 19.

μετὰ...ξυμμάχων : the Mantineans and Eleans. See c. 58. 4 f.— ἂν γίγνεσθαι: the pres. inf., corresponding to the impf. ind. of dir. disc. (ὁ ἀγὼν ἂν ἐγίγνετο), represents the Argives as thinking, “we should have fought under these favourable circumstances.”

ἐν τῷ Χαράδρῳ: ‘about the northeast part of the city wall extended, like a natural moat, the gorge of the Charadrus, in the wide bed of which generals returning from the field were tried before they entered the city.’ Curtius, Pelopon. H. p. 363.— 29. στρατείας: a necessary correction of the reading of most Mss. στρατιᾶς.