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

κατὰ τὸν ἐπὶ κ.τ.λ. This correction of Göller and Dobree for καὶ of MSS. has the merit of restoring grammar with the slightest possible change. An interchange of καὶ and κατὰ is among the commonest errors. If καὶ were sound, it would have to be supposed that Thucydides had meant to proceed in some such way as ξυνηνέχθη καὶ τὸν τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἐπίπλουν . . . ἐς μῖσος μᾶλλον ἔτι ἐσβεβληκέναι τὸν Τισσαφέρνη κ.τ.λ., i.e. ‘for it happened that the descent of the Athenians upon Miletus (when they had refused to come out and fight them) had also helped to bring Tissaphernes (who had in consequence become much more remiss in paying their wages) more and more into the hatred in which he was already previously held by them.’ καὶ could have stood if some transitive verb had taken the place of ἐπιδεδωκέναι (which is only intransitive in the sense of increasing; cf. vi. 60, etc.) The easy correction κατὰ can hardly be resisted. The literal sense becomes ‘it happened to them that, when at the time of the Athenian descent on Miletus they had refused to go out against them and fight, Tissaphernes, having become much more remiss in the matter of paying wages, had advanced farther in the hatred in which, even previously to these events, he was held by them on account of Alcibiades.’ This is still confused enough in arrangement, but none the less Thucydidean. The force of καὶ before ἐς τὸ μισεῖσθαι, which is not at first apparent, may be found by comparison with e.g. c. 1, § 4, καὶ ὡς ἔδοξεν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐποίουν ταῦτα, where καὶ may be called consequential. Thus ξυνηνέχθη . . . Τισσαφέρνη . . . ἀρρωστότερον γενόμενον, καὶ ἐς τὸ μισεῖσθαι . . . ἐπιδεδωκέναι, ‘it happened that Tissaphernes, having become remiss, had (as a consequence) also, etc.’

κατὰ τὸν ἐπίπλουν sc. c. 79, § 6.

ἀρρωστότερον similarly ἀρρωστίᾳ = ἀπροθυμίᾳ (sec. Suidam) in in. 15.

ἐς . . . ἐπιδεδωκέναι Cf. vi. 60, ἐπεδίδοσαν . . . ἐς τὸ ἀγριώτερον; Hdt. ii. 13, ἐπιδιδῷ ἐς ὕψος.

διὰ τὸν Ἀλκιβιάδην with μισεῖσθαι. See c. 45, § 2, for the injury done by Alcibiades' persuasions in the matter of the pay of the Peloponnesians.