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τότε: in contradistinction to the ὕστερον just above, or to the κατ᾽ άρχάς, c. 3 ad init.; but the precise date is still in question, and is to be inferred, or extracted, from the words immediately following. The term οὗτοι ... ἀπικόμενοι denotes undoubtedly the same object as οἱ στρατευόμενοι ἐπ᾽ Ἀρτεμίσιον of c. 2, or again οἱ ἐς τὸν ναυτικὸν στρατὸν ταχθέντες of c. 1; but the τάξις, the στρατεία, the ἄπιξις ἐπ᾽ Ἀρτεμίσιον, are successive epochs in the operations of the fleet, the last of which is here more precisely defined by the sight of the enemy's fleet already in position at Aphetai, albeit whether the occupation of Artemision by the Greeks here involved precedes or succeeds the occupation of Aphetai by the Persians is not quite clearly indicated in this context. A problem at once arises as to the relation of this narrative to the narrative in Bk. 7. There the occupation, or first oecupation, of Artemision by the Greeks precedes by some time the appearance of the Persian ships at Aphetai (ep. 7. 177, 183, 195). The Greek fleet, in fact, apparently occupies Artemision before the Persian fleet has quitted Therme, and actually retrcats from Artemision to Chalkis upon news of the Persian advance signalled from Skiathos (7. 183). But the three days' storm detains the Persian fleet en voyage, and not until the fourth and last day of the storm (7. 191), that is, the fifth day after leaving Therme, at earliest, could the Persian fleet have steered into Aphetai (7. 193). The Greeks have already resumed their station at Artemision on the third (or fourth) day of the storm (7. 192), and consequently it is the Persians on their way to Aphetai who lose fifteen ships to the Greeks already stationed, for the second time, at Artemision (7. 194). To harmonize this passage with that it must be inferred that the ἄπιξις ἐπ᾽ Ἀρτεμίσιον here in question is the second occupation of Artemision by the Greek fleet which in Bk. 7 precedes, not merely the arrival of the Persian ships at Aphetai, but apparently even their departure from the Magnesian strand. This harmony, indeed, Hdt. himself has apparently attempted. Stein finds a proof of this in the otherwise superflnous καί in this passage: a still clearer proof lies in the sentence ἐπεὶ αὐτοῖσι παρὰ δόξαν κτλ., which clearly resumes the statement in 7. 192, ἐλπίσαντες όλίγας τινάς σφι άντιξόους ἔσεσθαι νέας. The attempt is clear; not so the harmony itself. For (1) the Greeks here on arriving at Artemision (for the second time) apparently discover the Persians before them at Aphetai; (2) the Greeks at once project a second retreat. But such a retreat at this point is out of the question, as inconsistent with the whole plan of defence for Thermopylai-Artemision, and also inconsistent with the brilliant success they have just achieved (according to 7. 194) in the capture of fifteen of the king's vessels. The conclusions are forced upon us that the two passages are in the main from different sources (the one here probably of European, the other, that in Bk. 7, of Asianic origin), and that Hdt. has been ill-advised in his attempt to harmonize them, especially in his duplication of the retirement, or supposed retirement, of the Greek fleet from Artemision. The doubling of his sources has also apparently doubled the storms, and complicated other episodes in the naval operations, for the reduction of which to the simpler issues see further, Appendix V.
καταχθείσας: κατάγεσθαι is the proper word for putting into land; cp. 6. 107 καταγομένας ἐς τὸν Μαραθῶνα τἀς νέας ὅρμιζε οὗτος.
στρατιῆς ἅπαντα πλέα: a reference to the king's encampment in Melis (7. 198-200) can hardly be excluded from these words. αὐτοῖσι: the ‘ethical’ dative; the words ἢ ὡς αὐτοὶ κατεδόκεον are somewhat redundant, for they cannot be referred to τῶν βαρβάρων as subject. τὰ πρήγματα: cp. 7. 10 (ll. 34 ff.).
ἀπέβαινε has the full imperfect sense; and likewise ἐβουλεύοντο just below.
δρησμὸν ... ἔσω ἐς τὴν Ἑλλάδα: apparently a further and still more craven flight than their supposed first move to Chalkis, 7. 182 supra; the change of phrase may be intended by Hdt. to mark the difference of the two occasions; but in reality the two were probably only one and the same, and the goal was neither the Isthmus, nor even Chalkis, but probably at most the bay of Aidepsos; cp. Appendix V. § 4.
οἱ Εὐβοέες: the term might seem to ascribe a solidarity to the peoples and cities of the island, which they certainly did not possess. Rationalistically the word might be interpreted of the Euboians in loco, chiefly those of Histiaia (e. 23 infra): critically viewed, it rather betrays the bad conscience of the narrator, or his source, by its vagueness.
ἐδέοντο, ‘petitioned,’ ‘besought’; cp. cc. 3 supra, 132 infra.
τέκνα τε καὶ τοὺς οἰκέτας ὑπεκθέωνται: the women doubtless come in somewhere by implication, either with τέκνα, or with the οἰκέται (οἱ κατὰ τὸν οἶκον πάντες, Hesychius); cp. cc. 36, 41 infra, ὑπεκθέσθαι c. 41 infra, ὑπεκτιθέμενοι 5. 65, ὑπέκκειται c. 60 infra, ὑπεξεκομίσαντο 9. 6. The prepositions suggest the ideas of secreey and safety, the subjunctive their design and intention.
μεταβάντες: here perhaps of psychological, as in 7. 73 of local movement. τὸν Ἀθ. στρατηγόν incidentally implies a chief commander, although he must constitutionally have had nine colleagues. The form of expression πείθουσι ... ἐπ᾽ ᾧ τε recurs verbatim 5. 65. πρό here is not merely cansal, but locative. The story of the bribing of Themistokles on this occasion is a transparent seandal; ep. Appendix V. § 2. A delightful inconsequence in this passage lies in the Euboians wanting Eurybiades to remain ‘a little while,’ just till they have cleared their families out of the island, while Themistokles gets the Greeks to hold on and fight three battles (τὴν ναυμαχίην!) on three successive days.
ποιήσονται: the voice, the mood, the tense, not to say the change of subject, are all observable, and point rather to the actual result than to any implied condition.
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