T. G. Tucker, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 8

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Θράσυλλος v. c. 76, § 2.

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αὐτὸν καθέξειν αὐτοῦ either intrans. (cf. c. 28, § 2, ἐν ᾖ Ἀμόργης κατεῖχε) or trans., of which the passive occurs in ii. 86, ἐν ᾦ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι περὶ Κρήτην κατείχοντο. The latter makes the better sense. Thrasyllus knew that Mindarus wished to get to the Hellespont: he might hope to keep him in Chios, but he would not naturally expect him to stay there of his own accord.

ἐν τῇ Λέσβῳ For this place as an ἀφορμὴ against Chios cf. c. 24, § 2, καὶ ἐκ τῆς Λέσβου ὁρμώμενοι.

παρασκευάζειν ἐκέλευεν sc. τοὺς Μηθυμναίους, otherwise παρασκευάζεσθαι would be used. Cf. iii. 49, παρασκευασάντων τῶν Μυτιληναίων τῇ νηῒ οἶνον καὶ ἄλφιτα.

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Ἔρεσος τῆς Λέσβου should be joined. τῆς Λέσβου ἀφειστήκει (‘from the rest of Lesbos’), though not impossible, is not probable: the revolt is from the Athenians.

οὐχ οἱ ἀδυνατώτατοι litotes; ‘some of the most important.’

προσεταιριστοὺς = in societatem adscitos. προσεταιρίζομαι is found in middle and passive sense. The political notion of ἑταιρεία (cf. τοῦ ἑταιρικοῦ, c. 48, § 3; τοὺς ἑταίρους, c. 92, § 4) lies under the word here.

ξύμπασιν circumstantial, and to be joined with προσέβαλον.

κατὰ τὸ ξυγγενὲς See note on ξυμπρασσόντων τῶν Βοιωτῶν, c. 5, § 2. In iii. 2 the Boeotians are stated to be ξυγγενεῖς of the Mytilenians (as Αἰολῆς, according to the scholiast).

προελθόντας i.e. who left Mytilene in time to anticipate them.

αὖθις = deinde: c. 14, § 2, etc.

ἔξω They were first defeated in an attempt at capturing the city, and then in a pitched battle in the open.

διὰ τοῦ ὄρους Ordymnos rather than Lepetymnos (see Kiepert's Atlas von Hellas).

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ὑστερήσας sc. too late to prevent the exiles from securing Eresus.

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τινὲς δύο. τινὲς does not qualify the number, but denotes the casual presence, of these ships, ‘a couple of ships.’

καὶ αἱ Μηθυμναῖαι ‘(all) the Methymnaean ships’— ‘the fleet of M.’ This rendering does away with the objection of P-S that the ships had not been ‘previously mentioned.’ Dobree, followed by P-S, wrote Μηθυμναῖαι πέντε. to harmonise the numbers, and feeling that ε᾽ might easily drop out after -αιαι (αι being pronounced like ε). One might perhaps rather suppose that ε᾽ before Μηθυμναῖαι became αἱ in Vat., and was lost from the rest. See crit. note. Thrasyllus with fifty-five ships is joined by Thrasybulus with five. To these add the two from the Hellespont, and, of the whole sixty-seven, five must be Methymnaean.

τῷ στρατεύματι instrumental, ‘by the forces on board them.’ ἀφ᾽ ὧν, however, should not be joined closely with τῷ στρατεύματι, but taken with the whole clause: ‘(working) from on board these ships, by means of the forces in them, etc.’