E.C. Marchant, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 7

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Γύλιππος—he had remained on shore, where Demosthenes kept a look-out on him.

ἔξω τῶν σταυρωμάτων—i.e. to the south-west of their palisade; “they were chased to the muddy shore and the shallow waters between it and the promontory of Daskôn.” Freeman .

τῆς γῆς φιλίας οὔσης—i.e. that part of the land which lay south-west of the A. lines, and so the very part on to which the A. ships were being carried.

τὴν χηλὴν—a mole running along the coast between the shore and the marsh Lysimeleia.

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οἱ Τυρσηνοί—the Etruscans were old enemies to Syracusan trade and naval power, and had consequently sent aid to Athens in the expedition.

ταύτῃ—close up by the A. lines where they reached the mole.

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ἐπιβοηθήσαντες καὶ δείσαντες—fearing for their ships and coming to their aid. Thuc. often thus co-ordinates effect and cause, placing the causal partic. second, as in VIII. 7.1 ἐπειγομένων τῶν Χίων ἀποστεῖλαι τὰς ναῦς καὶ δεδιότων μὴ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι αἴσθωνται.

ξυνήγαγον κατὰ τὸ ς.—brought them within the shelter of their lines, i e. within the stockade.

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κληματίδων καὶ δᾳδὸς—a collective sing. is sometimes thus joined with a plur, as in II. 4.2 λίθοις καὶ κεράμῳ. Cf. Theognis 1360 κληματίνῳ πυρί.

ἀφεῖσαν—see on c. 19.4

περὶ ταῖς ναυσὶν—περὶ with dat. is rare in prose outside Thuc., who uses it often with verbs of fearing.

ἀντεμηχανήσαντό τε . . . καὶ παύσαντες—the co-ordination of an act and its result by τε . . . καὶ is poetical.

σβεστήρια κωλύματα—this collocation is awkward, but Pollux has σβεστηρίοις κωλύμασιν ἐχρῶντο Hw. first thought of σβεστήρια καὶ κω., but rightly rejected it.

παύσαντες . . . τὸ μὴ προσελθεῖν—see on c. 33.3.