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καὶ οἱ μὲν—the style here becomes animated, the quick succession of events being described in short co-ordinate sentences joined by καί. In II. 21.3 there is a similar series with τε.


l 9.

τὰ ἀμφὶἀμφὶ is not used freely by any prose author but Xen. It is not found in inscriptions, except in metre, and in Aristoph. only when he imitates tragedy. It is used twice by Thuc.


διὰ πολλοῦ θορύβου—adverbial phrase, as in Aristoph. Vcsp. 929 διὰ κενῆς=ἄλλως.


φυλασσόμενοιwatching each other. This is of course not a pure reciprocal use of the middle, the sense of reciprocity comes from ἀλλήλων.

διαμέλλοντας—the change from dat. to accus. does not affect the sense.

κόπῳ ἁλίσκεσθαιseized, or ‘overcome with weariness.’ So Aesch. Eum. 67 ὕπνῳ ἁλίσκεσθαι. Madvig's ἀναλίσκεσθαι is unnecessary.

ἐκ παρακελεύσεως—cf. II. 92.1 ἀπὸ ἑνὸς κελεύσματος ἐμβοήσαντες.


ἐμβόλων—not from ἐμβολή.

ἐπὶ πολὐfar into the bows.

αὐτοῖς—ethic, sc. τοῖς Συρακοσίοις.

περιπλέοντες—attributive.

ταρσοὺς—properly of the bones in a bird's wing; hence used of any similar series, as the banks of oars, as here. It is often so used by Polyb. and later authors. The word is frequently referred to by the Atticists.

αὐτῶντῶν πλοίων.

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hide References (4 total)
  • Commentary references from this page (4):
    • Aeschylus, Eumenides, 67
    • Aristophanes, Wasps, 929
    • Thucydides, Histories, 2.21.3
    • Thucydides, Histories, 2.92.1
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