Harold North Fowler, Commentary on Thucydides Book 5

τῆς δὲ μάχης μελλούσης κτἑ.: the epexegetical δέ introduces the following aors. (ἐβοήθησε and ἀφίκετο, to be translated by the English plpf.), which go back to the time before the battle.

ὁ ἕτερος βασιλεύς: either the law mentioned by Hdt.v. 75. 9 f., μὴ ἐξεῖναι ἕπεσθαι ἀμφοτέρους τοὺς βασιλέας ἐξιούσης στρατιῆς, was neglected in this instance, or it did not apply to the sending of reinforcements.— τούς τε πρεσβυτέρους καὶ νεωτέρους: cf. c. 64. 10 ff.

καὶ...ἀπέστρεψαν : the narrative of the events succeeding the battle is resumed.

τοὺς ἀπὸ Κορίνθου κτἑ.: see c. 64. 15.—ἀπέστρεψαν: they caused them to turn back. Cf. iv. 97. 7.

Κάρνεια: on the time of this festival, see on c. 54. 8.

ἐτύγχανον ὄντα: on the pl., see on ἐπῆλθον Ὀλύμπια, i. 126. 13.

καὶ...ἀπελύσαντο : “and so by this one deed they had done away with the accusation which was commonly brought against them at that time.”

τότε: taken in connexion with τὴν ἐν τῇ νήσῳ ξυμφοράν, evidently refers to the whole period since the capture of Sphacteria in 425 B.C.— ἐπιφερομένην αἰτίαν: cf. αἰτίαν ἐπιφέρειν, iii. 46. 26.—ἐς μαλακίαν: cf. viii. 88. 8, ἐς τὴν φιλίαν διαβάλλειν.

ἐς τὴν ἄλλην ἀβουλίαν : general stupidity. On this use of ἄλλος, see on i. 128. 21; ii. 14. 2.

κακιζόμενοι: being ill-spoken of, having incurred disgrace. This is in accordance with the use of this word elsewhere in Thuc. (cf. i. 105. 26; ii. 21. 23) and with ὑπὸ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐπιφερομένην αἰτίαν above. The dat. τύχῃ must then be taken to mean “by a mishap,” “through unfortunate circumstances.” (The explanation “hardly used by fortune” would be appropriate as regards the sense, but is not in accordance with the use of κακίζεσθαι.) A similar idea is expressed in ii. 87. 7 ff.

προτέρᾳ: see App.—τῆς μάχης: depends upon the comp. προτέρᾳ as, 19, upon ὕστερον.

ὡς ἐρῆμον οὖσαν : τοῦ στρατεύματος, Schol. This is retaliation for the attack mentioned in c. 56. § 5.

τῶν Ἀργείων: const. with φύλακας.

ἐξελθόντων αὐτῶν : “since the citizens fit for military service had gone away.” St. strikes out αὐτῶν and takes τῶν Ἀργείων ἐξελθόντων together.

πολλούς: const. as pred. in great numbers.

Ἠλείων: the Eleans had delayed for a time on account of anger. See c. 62. 5.

τοῖς προτέροις: cf. c. 61. 1 ff. Thuc. does not tell what general or generals took the command of the Athenian troops in place of those who had fallen (see c. 61. 2; 74. 10). Müller-Strübing, Aristoph. und die hist. Krit. p. 447 ff., suggests Demosthenes. This seems, in view of c. 80. 16, not improbable (though Cl. thinks otherwise).

διελόμενοι: used of like operations in ii. 75. 11; 78. 4; iv. 69. 10; vii. 19. 6.

ἐξεπαύσαντο: ἀπέκαμον τοῦ περι- τειχίζειν. Schol. The mid. in Thuc. occurs here only; ἐκπαύσω in Eur. Ion, 144.—τὴν ἄκραν τὸ Ἡραῖον: appos. ‘The Heraeum by the harbour, the site of which can be found on the small rocky height.’ Curtius, Pelopon. II. p. 428. Cf. Paus. ii. 29. 1, τὸ δὲ πρὸς τῷ λιμένι ἐπὶ ἄκρας ἀνεχούσης ἐς θάλασσαν λέγουσιν Ἥρας εἶναι.— 24. ἐξειργάσαντο: on this side the Athenians finished the wall of circumvallation which, with the outworks which may have belonged to it, formed the τείχισμα of 25.