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

ὅμως sc. καίπερ ἐκπεπληγμένοι (c. 96, § 1).

μίαν μὲν . . . ̓̔ ἐγίγνοντο δὲ καὶ ἄλλαι . . .

τότε πρῶτον ‘then for the first time,’ i.e. this was the first recognition of the Pnyx as once more the true seat of assembly (cf. Δῆμος Πυκνίτης). The last assembly which had formally met had been held at Colonus (c. 67, § 2). One which had been appointed, but not held, was to have met in the theatre of Dionysus (c. 93, § 3). The oligarchs would naturally prefer that the old tradition should be broken through as far as possible.

οὗπερ εἰώθεσαν sc. ἐκκλησιάζειν, to be understood from ἐκκλησίαν ξυνέλεγον. P-S writes οἷπερ, understanding ξυλλέγειν and requiring exact balance to ἐς τὴν Πύκνα. In ii. 86, οὗπερ . . . προσεβεβοηθήκει, all MSS agree, and οὗπερ may be retained from the sense παρῆν βεβοηθηκώς.

εἶναι δὲ αὐτῶν ὁπόσοι καὶ ὅπλα παρέχονται In English we should reverse the position of καὶ: ‘all who supply a hoplite's outfit shall also be members of the 5000.’ The qualification for membership was to consist in supplying, at one's own expense, the outfit of a hoplite. Inasmuch as the number of such persons was not defined, we must suppose ‘the 5000’ to be used loosely as a convenient name for a body politic excluding the lowest classes. The assembly must, however, have calculated that those who could supply an outfit of heavy arms would come to some number not very remote from 5000. Arnold supposes that the acting 5000 would be drawn from such a body ‘by lot, by election, or by rotation.’ This does not appear very practicable, and it strains the words of Thucydides. Commentators seem to compare with the number 5000 the whole number of hoplites ἐκ καταλόγου, who were at one time 13,000, and they naturally find the discrepaney great. But if Thucydides had meant ‘every hoplite’ he would have said e g. εἶναι δὲ αὐτῶν πάντας τοὺς ὁπλίτας. It seems evident that only a portion of the ‘roll’ actually supplied themselves with the outfit.

μισθὸν φέρειν the true Attic, not φέρεσθαι (Cobet, Nov. Lect. p. 568). The reference is to μισθὸν βουλευτικόν, ἐκκλησιαστικόν, δικαστικόν. See c. 65, § 3. The design is still to secure respectability rather than economy.

μηδεμιᾷ ἀρχῇ Jowett's ‘for any office’ would correspond rather to the genitive μηδεμιᾶς ἀρχῆς, which P-S writes. The dative is modal or instrumental ‘by serving in any office.’ The comprehensiveness of the term ἀρχὴ is seen from Aristot. Pol. iii. 1, 4, τῶν ἀρχῶν αἱ μέν εἰσι διῃρημέναι κατὰ χρόνον . . . ὁ δ᾽ ἀόριστος, οἶον ὀ δικαστὴς καὶ ἐκκλησιαστής.

εἰ δὲ μὴ by this time a mere compound = ‘otherwise.’ Cf. i. 28, πόλεμον δὲ οὐκ εἴων ποεῖν: εἰ δὲ μὴ κ.τ.λ., ii. 5, etc.

ἐπάρατον ἐποήσαντο As the middle shows, ἐπάρατον is neuter: ‘made it an accursed thing.’ It is usually rendered as if masculine (which would require ἐπόησαν). Cf. i. 118, τότε δ᾽ οὐκέτι ἀνάσχετον ἐποιοῦντο; i. 102, δεινὸν ποησάμενοι.

ἀφ᾽ ὧν Cf. c. 79, § 1, ἀπὸ ξυνόδου.

νομοθέτας in the recognised sense of the term, a committee of Heliasts for the revision of the laws. The Athenians are returning to the old constitution and reappointing the old officers. Arnold, however (see Grote, pt. ii. c. lxii. note), fancies these νομοθέται to be a special board of ξυγγραφῆς. But the words καὶ τἆλλα and the whole context are against this.

τὸν πρῶτον χρόνον ‘during the first period’ of these new measures. On the extent of its continuance see Jowett's note at this place.

ἐπί γ᾽ ἐμοῦ is to be joined with οὐχ ἥκιστα ( = μάλιστα) and this again with εὖ πολιτεύσαντες, ‘this, during its first days, was the best government that the Athenians ever secured in my time.’ Thucydides plainly belonged to the ‘middle’ party (iii, 82).

πολιτεύσαντες For the tense cf. c. 24, § 4, εὐδαιμονήσαντες ἅμα καὶ ἐσωφρόνησαν.

ἥ τε ἐς κ.τ.λ. Vat. has ἥ γε. P-S reads ἥδε. If τε is sound, Thucydides begins as if another clause to which μετρία would apply were to follow ἐγένετο. The following clause, however, is not of that nature. Nevertheless the present irregularly placed τε followed by καὶ does not appear unlike Thucydides.

ἀνήνεγκε The intransitive use is more common (of recovery from sickness, etc.) See L. and S. ἀναφέρειν, II 6, b.

τῶν πραγμάτων i.e. τοῦ πολέμου (P-S).