E.C. Marchant, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 6

ἀπό—cf. c. 45, 1 ἀπὸ τῶν κατασκόπων σαφῆ ἠγ- γέλλετο: I. 20 ἐκ τῶν ξυνειδότων μεμηνῦσθαι: c. 36, 2.

μετοίκων . . καὶ ἀκολούθων—the informations were preceded by an εἰσαγγελία made in the Ecclesia by Pythonicus against Alcibiades, who produced a slave prepared to give information about the profanation of the Mysteries (Andoc. § 11). The other slaves and the metics here alluded to must have given information περὶ ἄλλων ἀγαλμάτων περικοπῶν. Nothing further is heard of these latter.

τὰ μυστήρια—‘the memorable instance of Alcibiades shows how deeply the Athenian people resented any attempt to desecrate their much-loved Mysteries’ (Gardner and Jevons, p. 276).

ἐφ̓ ὕβρει—‘in mockery’; cf Eur. Orest. 1581 κἀφ̓ ὕβρει λέγεις τάδε.

καὶ τὸν Ἀλκιβιάδην—‘A. among others.’ Andromachus gave ten names in his μήνυσις.

αὐτά—applying generally, as often, to what has been said before.

οἱ . . ἀχθόμενοι—foremost among these was Androcles the demagogue, who was put to death in 411.

οὐδὲν εἴη αὐτῶν—it is generally agreed among modern writers that Alc. had nothing to do with the mutilation of the Hermae. The authors of the mutilation remain unknown, and various views are held; the most probable being that the outrage was the work of oligarchs, undertaken with a view to rnin Alcibiades, and used with the same purpose by some of the extreme democrats. In none of the lists of Hermocopids furnished by informers did Alcibiades's name occur.