C.E. Graves, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 5

ὥρμητο—this form, which is a virtual imperfect, is used with words of motion, as in iv. 48, 6, and 74, 1 with ἵνα: or of impulse of mind, as in iv. 27, 4, ὡρμημένους τῇ γνώμη: vi. 6, 1, στρατεύειν ὥρμηντο. Whichever is the literal force here, the sense is that the Delians did not migrate in a body, but as each chose to go. In ch. 32, 5 we find the Delians restored to Delos, but others were still at Adramyttium 10 years later (viii. 108, 3).

Ἀθηναίους πείσας—these words show that Cleon alone had the courage and statesmanship to urge the necessity of recovering Amphipolis and the other revolted towns as a matter of vital importance. By his influence in the assembly the expedition was decreed. But what is to be said of Nicias, and the other home authorities, who allowed him to conduct singlehanded an enterprise of such moment? At Pylos he had a thoroughly competent colleague in Demosthenes. Now 1200 men at arms, and 300 cavalry. the flower of the Athenian troops, besides a large force of allies, are entrusted to his sole command. The general assembly very possibly believed that Cleon might succeed as he had done at Pylos, but the strategi could be under no such delusion They knew that he had no military skill or experience, they knew that he had to encounter Brasidas, and their imbecility or their party-hatred sacrificed an Athenian army and lost the Thrace-ward possessions.

σχὼν ἐς—‘landing, putting in at’; so iv. 42, 2, ἔσχον ἐς τὸν αἰγιαλόν. ἔτι πολιορκουμένην—Scione was completely invested by the end of the summer before; see iv. 133 (fin.). The long duration of the blockade became proverbial; cf. Ar. Vesp. 209 (exhibited in 422), ἦ μοι κρεῖττον ἦν τηρεῖν Σκιώνην ἀντὶ τοῦδε τοῦ πατρός.

Κωφὸν λιμένα—a conjectural alteration of the manuscript reading Κολοφωνίων λιμένα, which is unintelligible, unless it possibly denoted a name derived from some resemblance in appearance. κωφὸς λιμήν=ἄκλυστος, silent, as in Xen. Hel. ii. 4, 31. Strabo speaks of a κωφὸς λιμήν near Torone; and a harbour south of the city is still called Kufo; see Jowett's note.

τῶν Τορωναίων—ambiguously placed (ch. 29, 23). Poppo and Kruger connect it with τῆς πόλεως, Classen with λιμένα. The latter way of taking it seems right, as it gives the explanation that the harbour in question was in the territory of Torone. Torone had been taken by Brasidas in 424 (iv. 110—116).

αἰσθόμενος ὑπ̓ αὐτομόλων—the quasi-passive force of αἰσθόμενος=‘informed by’, seems sufficient to justify ὑπό, which is read in all the manuscripts. Kruger would read ἀπό

ἐν τῇ Τορώνῃ—sc. εἴη, a very awkward ellipse. Krüger notes that ἀξιόμαχος is not found in classical Greek writers besides Thucydides and Herodotus. ἐς τὴν πόλιν—ἐς here denotes approach, not entrance; so ii. 18, 1, ἀφίκετο ἐς Οἰνόην πρῶτον. The harbour here spoken of is different from the κωφὸς λιμήν. For the infinitive περιπλεῖν cf. iv. 132, 3, ἐπιδεῖν πεμψάντων τὰ πράγματα: see Goodwin § 97. περιτείχισμα—περιτειχίζω and its compounds are commonly used by Thucydides of the works of a besieger, not of defensive fortifications (τεῖχος, τείχισμα, περίβολος): see ch. 115, 12, etc. Possibly therefore προτείχισμα ought to be read, or τείχισμα as in the next chapter, line 8. In Ar. Av. 551 however περιτειχίζειν is used of defensive lines. ποιῆσαι—i. 109, 3, τὰς ναῦς ἐπὶ τοῦ ξηροῦ ἐποίησε: vi. 67, 2, τοὺς σκευοφόρους ἐντὸς τούτων ἐποιήσαντο.

διελὼν τοῦ—‘making a breach in’, so as to open a free passage between the city and the suburb. τείχους is partitive genitive, as in ii. 75, 4, διελόντες τοῦ τείχους. In iv. 111, 2 we have ἡ πυλὶς διῄρητο, ‘had been forced open’ or ‘broken through’. Note the demonstrative form which the second clause of the relative sentence assumes, as in ch. 5, 8: cf. note on iv. 67, 1, ὅθεν ἐπλίνθευον τὰ τείχη καὶ ἀπεῖχεν.