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εἰκοστῇ ἡμέρῃ: probably not of the siege, but άπὸ τῆς συμβολῆς as just above; it would then be the 10th day of the siege, the last day of the ‘week,’ which begins with the 11th day just above. (It would be the 33rd day of the whole journal—if the figures were to be treated as quite exact; cp. cc. 84, 56, 52, 47, 44, 41, supra.）
οὕτω refers here to what follows and = ὧδε. Cp. Index. δέδοκται τοῖσι Ἕλλησι: a formal δόγμα, repeated from c. 86 above.
νῦν ὦν in apodosi is unusual. ἡμέων εἵνεκα, ‘for our sakes,’ or ‘so far as we are concerned . .’ γῆ ἡ Βοιωτίη: treated as equivalent to τὴν γῆν αὐτῶν just above.
πλέω μὴ ἀναπλήσῃ, “dehortative conjunctive in 3rd person” (Steiu); cp. 7. 107 μὴ νῦν οὕτω γένηται. πρόσχημα (cp. 4. 167) might be appositive to ἡμέας but is better understood as an adverbial accusative, coutrasted with ἀληθέως just below; cp. πρόφασιν 5. 33, also ἀρχήν, τέλος, etc.
ἐκ τοῦ κοινοῦ ... σὺν τῷ κοινῷ are used in different senses, which might be preserved by using our word ‘commonwealth.’ For the first sense cp. 7. 144; for the second 8. 135. The juristic priuciple here asserted by this oligarchic traitor is of considerable iuterest, viz. that the individual citizen cannot be held responsible for the common fault, the crime or error of the commuuity, even though he himself be its author or proposer. It is a plausible maxim, which easily lends itself to sophistry; its employment shows a cousiderable development of political reflexion. In the present case we are not informed whether there had beeu a formal vote of ἄνδρες Θηβαῖοι in favour of medism, or whether the public medism is treated de facto; there was at any rate au opposition, and an oppositiou, which, if the Theban speaker ap. Thuc. 3. 62. 3 is to be trusted, was numerically a majority, though impoteut. On this grouud Pausanias 9. 6. 2 acquits the Commons: τῆς δὲ αἰτίας ταύτης δημοσίᾳ σφίσιν οὐ μέτεστιν, ὅτι ἐν ταῖς Θήβαις ὀλιγαρχία καὶ οὐχὶ ἡ πάτριος πολιτεία τηνικαῦτα ἴσχυεν. He adds that if the Persians had invaded Hellas in the days of Peisistratos, the Atheuians would have incurred the reproach of medism. The rider is disputable; but iu any case the Athenians, among whom the conveuient principle of the political scapegoat was only too well understood, would have made short work of the arguments of a Timageuidas.
ἡμέων ἀληθέως δεόμενοι, ‘because they really want to get hold of us’—or perhaps, ‘if the demand for us is the true cause of the siege.’ ἐς ἀντιλογίην παρέξομεν, ‘we will give ourselves up to be tried’ (Blakesley); or rather, to reply to the charge. No doubt a juristic trial is contemplated; ἀντιλογίη iu itself only means ‘coutradiction,’ cp. 8. 77, but it comes to be used for reply, defence to objections or charges, controversy, discussion; cp. Thuc. 1. 31. 4, 1. 73. 1, 2. 87. 3. On the showing of this passage the surrender of the men should have been conditional. Cp. next chapter ad f.
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