Charles D. Morris, Commentary on Thucydides Book 1

οὐδέ: i.e. just as little as you will violate colonial obligations.

μηδετέρων: not οὐδετέρων, because, though expressing a fact, it is under the influence of the cond. partic. δεχόμενοι.

εἴρηται : it is expressly stipulated. Cf. c. 40. 4; 139. 7; 140. 14; iv.23.6; v.21.6; 25. 10; vii.18.14.

ἥτις...ξυμμαχεῖ : rel. sent. = logical cond. GMT. 61, 1; H. 914.— 4. παῤ...ἐλθεῖν : to join whichever side it may feel itself inclined. The verb is used pers. with dat., c. 129. 14; ii. 68.7; viii.84.16; without obj., v.4.11; 37. 19. Cf. Hdt. vi.128.11; ix.79.10. In c. 40. 5, we have βούλεται for it.—καὶ δεινὸν...ἃ δεόμεθα : the period has its two members, the coexistence of which is said to be δεινόν, arranged in parataxis, though we should naturally make the former subord. with ‘while’ (see on c. 121. 19); and each member comprises the ascending steps of indignity (a) ἀπό τε κτἑ., καὶ προσέτι κτἑ., καὶ οὐχ ἥκιστα κτἑ.; (b) ἀπὸ τῆς κτἑ., καὶ ἀπό κτἑ., εἶτα κτἑ. The use of εἶτα, actually, expresses lively indignation; without a conj. also in Ar. Pl. 79; Plat. Apol. 23 c; Theaet. 151 c; Dem. 1. 12. This arrogance is strongly protested against in the simple words πολὺ δὲ . . . ἕξομεν, as in iii.63.13. See App.

ἃ δεόμεθα: see on c. 32. 4.

ἐν αἰτίᾳ (or δἰ αἰτίας) ἔχειν: is used by Thuc. for αἰτιᾶσθαι; the former in ii.59.4; v.60.10; 65. 24; vii.81.3; the latter in ii.60.16. On the position of πολύ before the prep., see Kühn. 452, note 3. Cf. c. 63. 5.

οὐκ ἐχθρούς: as the Corinthians are, c. 33. 20.—οὐχ ὅπως: = non modo non. When the οὐχ ὅπως clause precedes, it always contains the weaker of the two contrasted notions. But since here there is no relation of climax between ‘hindering’ and ‘promoting,’ the required meaning forces us to take the notion of ‘hindering’ negatively. Aken, T. u. M. § 119 ff.; Kühn. 525, 3 b.—κωλυταὶ γενήσεσθε: will plant yourselves as opponents: not a simple periphrasis for κωλύσετε. On iii.2.11, Cl. refers, among other examples, to iii.23.13; v.9.38; viii.86.23. Cf. c. 4. 3; ii.43.8.

προσλαβεῖν: see on c. 24. 17.

ἥν: grammatically in same const. as δύναμιν, but referring in adversative relation to the whole preceding sentence, = “this, however, is not right, but it is right—.” For this force of the rel., cf. c. 10. 20; 39. 2, 10; 69. 20; 95. 20.—κἀχείνων: see on c. 30. 14. Instead of μισθοῦσθαι, we have strangely τοὺς μισθοφόρους. We should say rather, “you should prevent them from raising mercenaries in places under your control.” The reading of Codex Monacensis, τὰς . . . μισθοφορίας, though suiting the sense, must be regarded as a gloss. The use of καί before ἐκείνων and ἡμῖν implies that impartiality requires perfect equality of treatment: “If you will not help us, stop them also; if you allow them to enlist men among your subjects, send help to us also.”

καθ᾽ ὅ τι ἂν πεισθῆτε: in so far as we may succeed in persuading you. Cf. c. 69. 10; iv.118.54.

ἀπὸ τοῦ προφανοῦς: adv., see on c. 34. 10.

§ 5. By receiving us you will gain allies who are perfectly trustworthy and very powerful on the sea.

ὑπείπομεν: we premised, we alleged as the basis of our proposal, in c. 32. § 1. Cf. Dem. XVIII. 60. In the two other passages in Thuc. where this verb occurs, c. 90. 25; ii.102.30, it means ‘say besides.’

καὶ μέγιστον: see on c. 142. 1; and, what is most important.—οἵ τε αὐτοί: the correlative of this is not καὶ οὗτοι, which means iique, and these too, but καὶ ναυτικῆς κτἑ., which in consequence of the parenthetical insertions takes the form of a new sentence. The force of ἀποδείκνυμεν is felt in what follows only generally as a verb of exhortation.—ἡμῖν: both of us. Cf. ἡμέτερον, c. 33. 24.

ἦσαν: they are as we saw, c. 33. § 3. Kr. Spr. 53, 2, 5, calls this the didactic impf. GMT. 11, N. 6; H. 833; Kühn. 383, 5. But Cl. thinks that the tense is used as if the desired alliance were already realized.—ὅπερ...πίστις : and this is the surest guarantee of fidelity. On ὅπερ (for which Cobet reads ἥπερ, comparing Eur. Med. 14; Thuc. iii. 116.4), see Kühn. 369, 2.

τοὺς μεταστάντας: i.e. the Corcyraeans themselves, since they have fully abandoned their mother-city. Cf. c. 107. 27; ii.67.8; v.29.12; viii.53.19. The fact that those whom they had deserted were able to punish them if they stood alone, would induce them to hold fast to their new allies.—ναυτικῆς...διδομένης : i.e. ναυτικῆς οὔσης τῆς ξυμμαχίας ἣν δίδομεν (see on c. 33. 25).

οὐχ ὁμοία: i.e. ὑμῖν βλαβερωτέρα ἢ εἰ ἠπειρῶτις ἡ ξυμμαχία ἐδίδοτο.

ἡ ἀλλοτρίωσις : the rejection; only here in classic writers.

μάλιστα μέν: best of all. Cf. c. 32. 4; 40. 13. On εἰ δὲ μή, see on c. 28. 10.—ἐᾶν and ἔχειν: may be taken as imv. infs., as in v.9.26. Or, as Kr. thinks, they may depend on κράτιστόν ἐστι implied in μάλιστα μέν. Cl. seems to govern them by ἀποδείκνυμεν, 19.

τοῦτον φίλον ἔχειν : cf. iv.86.5. ἔχειν expresses a fixed relation better than χρῆσθαι would do.