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

πρὸς ἔαρ ἤδη—ch. 17, 9. ὡς ἐργ́μου—‘They expected that the forces of the Epidaurians would be dispersed over their whole territory in defending forts and strong positions, on account of the plundering warfare which the Argives were carrying on, and that the city would thus be left defenceless’ (Arnold).

αὐτοῖς—‘seeing their allies’ etc.; ch. 3, 24. τἆλλα— ‘the other powers’ i.e. states: vi. 16, fin. Πελοποννήσου τὰ δυνατώτατα: cf. ch. 59, 2. The construction which follows is resolved apposition, like ch. 54, 16. οὐ καλῶς—‘in an unsatisfactory state’, i.e. disaffected or disheartened.

προκαταλήψονται—without object expressed; so iii. 2, 3, εἰ μή τις προκαταλήψεται ἡδη: iii. 3, 2: iii. 46, 4, with ὅπως following. αὐτά—‘this’, i.e. the spirit of disaffection, ‘the evil would spread’ (Jowett): iv. 61, 4, etc. For the whole phrase, cf. Cic. Att. i. 13, 3, vereor ne hoc quod infectum est serpat longius.

ὅσοι ἄλλοι—see ch. 67, 8. ἐς Φλιοῦντα—Phlius was in the north of Peloponnesus, nearly south of Sicyon. ἅμιπποι— Xen. Hell. vii. 5, 23, πεζοὶ ἅμιπποι. Foot-soldiers, armed with missiles, who accompanied the cavalry, and probably if necessary mounted their horses. ‘They seem to be the same sort of troops with the ἱπποδρόμοι ψιλοί of Hdt. vii. 158. Their use is described by Caesar B. G. i. 48: B. C. iii. 84’ (Arnold). ἴσοι— equal in number, as in iv. 1, 1, Λοκρίδες ἴσαι.