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ἀσμένοισι ἡμέρη ἐπέλαμψε: on the construction cp. c. 10 supra. This day is the ‘second’ of the triduum— say Monday. The present in κακῶς πρήσσουσι is a little remarkable, but may denote the effects of the defeat on the previous day, and the inconventences and terrors of the past night.
ἐπεβοήθεον νέες ... Ἀττικαί. With these 53 ships the Attic squadron is raised to 180, or even 200 sail. It is natural to surmise that this detachment had been holding the Euripos, whether left there by the main fleet on its way north or sent back to bar the channel, as the result of deliberations at Artemision (cp. c. 4 supra). Nor need we suppose that Chalkis was left entirely without guardships; perhaps the twenty vessels manned by the Chalkidians (c. 1 supra） were there all the time.
ἅμα ἀγγελίη ἐλθοῦσα: the adverb qualifies ἐπέρρωσαν rather than ἐλθοῦσα: Hdt. plainly does not suspect that just the Attic reinforcement brought the good news from Chalkis, or Geraistos, to Artemision. Nor could it have done so, if the Persian ships had been wrecked on the south-west coast of Euboia the night before; the news could hardly have travelled so far and fast. Hdt. marks a coincidence—the arrival of this message so early confirms the view that the Persian squadron of 200 had been wrecked off the east coast of Euboia. But is the message correctly dated? Was it on the second day of the fighting that the Greeks learnt of this fresh disaster to the Persians? Had not the wreck occurred three days ago? Had Skyllias already brought the news? Cp. c. 8 supra.
ὑπὸ τοῦ γενομένου χειμῶνος. Though Hdt. speaks, or seems to speak. in 7. 192 of the storm off the Magnesian coast as ὁ χειμὼν ὁ πρῶτος, he nowhere speaks of the storm off Euboia as ὀ χειμὼν ὁ δεύτερος. But cp. note ad l.c.
φυλάξαντες δὴ τὴν αὐτὴν ὥρην: cp. c. 9 supra δείλην ὀψίην γινομένην τῆς ἡμέρης φυλάξαντες. The use of the word ὥρη here comes very near to our ‘hour’; not as τῆς ὥρης c. 12 supra. But why the Greeks, reinforced and encouraged, after a victory too the previous day, should have waited again until late afternoon before delivering an attack, is not clear. Possibly the ‘Kilikian’ vessels (100 strong originally, 7. 91), on which they ‘fell,’ were only now coming to Aphetai for the first time.
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