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

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ἦν δὲ τοῦτο εὐπρεπὲς κ.τ.λ., ‘now this was (only) a specious pretence, intended for the mass, etc.’ The 5000 were to be mythical. The omission of e.g. μόνον with εὐπρεπὲς might seem to leave the clause somewhat bald; but Thucyd. makes εὐπρεπὲς in itself carry sufficient emphasis of ‘pretence.’ Cf. vii. 57, ἀνάγκῃ μὲν ἐκ τοῦ εὐπρεποῦς, βουλήσει δὲ κατὰ ἔχθος κ.τ.λ. So in iii. 82, μετ᾽ ὀνόματος εὐπρεποῦς, in a large measure εὐπρεποῦς = ψευδοῦς. ‘Now this was a pretence, intended, etc.’

ἐπεὶ ἕξειν γε. ἐπεὶ . . . γε might perhaps be taken together: cf. vi. 18, ἐπειδή γε καὶ ξυνωμόσαμεν (where, however, there is no separation). But in vii. 30, ἐπεὶ ἔν γε τῇ ἄλλῃ ἀναχωρήσει κ.τ.λ., the particle γε is best taken as throwing emphasis on τῇ ἄλλῃ. So here γε is best combined with ἕξειν: ‘those who were endeavouring to change the government meant to have the government.’

μέντοι i.e. despite the oligarchical proceedings, the ecclesia and boule still met.

ἡ ἀπὸ τοῦ κυάμου. Cf.c. 69, § 4, ἐπέστησαν τοῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ κυάμου βουλευταῖς. The ‘bean’ was used in drawing lots. See Plut. Pericl. c. 27, where the drawer of a white bean has the advantage. Ar. Av. 1022, κυάμῳ λαχών; Hdt. vi. 109, ὸ τῷ κυάμῳ λαχὼν πολεμαρχέειν; Xen. Mem. i. 2, 9, ἄρχοντας ἀπὸ κυάμου καθιστάναι. This is the same as ἡ βουλὴ οἱ πεντακόσιοι. Andoc. i. 96 quotes from a law οἱ πεντακόσιοι λαχόντες τῷ κυάμῳ. Cf. κυαμεύειν. The definition is necessary to distinguish this popular council from ἡ βουλὴ ἡ ἐξ Ἀρείου πάγου. The βουλὴ of 500 and the δῆμος form the democratic body politic: cf. ἔδοξε τῇ βουλῇ καὶ τῷ δήμῳ.

ἐβουλεύοντο. ἐβούλευον of some MSS. would be the vox propria if it expressed only the function of a βουλή. Here both the δῆμος and the βουλὴ ‘deliberate,’ and though either active or middle may be used in that sense, the latter is the more usual, and has here the greater support.

προὔσκεπτο The MSS. give προὐσκέπτετο. In point of mere tense either would stand, ‘it had been previously considered,’ or ‘it used to be previously considered.’ But (1) whereas deponent verbs not unfrequently use the perfect and pluperfect in a passive sense, they rarely use the present and imperfect in such a way, and only in a few recognised verbs, e.g. βιάζομαι, ὠνοῦμαι, ἐργάζομαι (very rarely); (2) σκέπτομαι, ἐσκεπτόμην are scarcely Attic for σκοπέω, ἐσκόπουν. Veitch quotes Plato, Lach. 185 B, and Alc. (2) 140 as the only instances of the present tense before Aristotle, and no instance of the imperfect till Lucian. These two considerations combined are decisive.