Charles D. Morris, Commentary on Thucydides Book 1

ταύτης τοιαύτης πόλεως: although this state with such characteristics stands facing you. It is better to make ταύτης, with appos. τοιαύτης πόλεως (sc. οὔσης) subj. of ἀντικαθεστηκυίας, than, with Kr. and B., to make ταύτης alone the subj., and τοιαύτης πόλεως pred. with the partic. The elaborate delineation of the last chap. requires to be resumed here with something more than the simple ταύτης. Cf. ii.60.16, ἐμοὶ τοιούτῳ ἀνδρί. But in c. 74. 1, τοιούτου ξυμβάντος τούτου, τούτου alone is the subj.

διαμέλλετε: you persist in your dilatory course. Cf. c. 142. 3; iv.27.22; vi.25.3; 49. 18, etc.

ἀρκεῖν: from the meaning ‘suffice’ comes naturally that of hold out, last.—οἳ ἂν κτἑ.: the condition under which quiet behaviour can maintain adequate security for a considerable time is expressed in the first member by a description of the persons in question, “who, in the use they make of their own warlike preparation, do only what is just, but show also a decided purpose not to submit to wrong.” The neg. μή is used because in a generic rel. sentence. Kr. Spr. 67, 9. For ἐπιτρέπειν, cf. c. 82. 4; 95. 5; ii.72.20; vi.40.9; viii.27.6.

ἀλλ̓ ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ κτἑ.: in these words the sentence is continued as if the former portion had begun with οὐκ οἴεσθε τούτοις (instead of οἴεσθε οὐ τούτοις). The sense is: “but on the principle of doing no offence to others, and of receiving no damage yourselves in being compelled to resist injuries, you maintain what you consider to be an impartial attitude”; whereas this is really a course which is wholly in favour of the aggressive Athenians. But Cl. explains τὸ ἴσον νέμειν ‘attach equal importance,’ comparing iii.3.6; 48. 2; vi.88.10; Plat. Prot. 337 a; in which passages, however, the phrase is followed by the dat. and not by ἐπί with dat. Others explain, ‘you form your notions of right,’ ‘your conception of political justice is founded’; but Cl. rightly objects that no instances can be quoted of the words used in this sense.

μόλις δ̓ ἂν κτἑ.: but you could hardly carry out such a policy successfully, if you had a city just like yourselves for your neighbour.

νῦν δέ: introduces the real state of the case, οὐχ ὁμοίᾳ πόλει παροικεῖτε.

ἀρχαιότροπα : old-fashioned; not elsewhere in Attic.—ἐπιτηδεύματα: see on c. 32. 10.—πρός: see on c. 6. 15. πρὸς αὐτούς = πρὸς τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα αὐτῶν, comparatio compendiaria. Cf. 14; c. 77. 24; 143. 14; Hom. P 51, κόμαι Χαρίτεσσιν ὁμοῖαι. Kühn. 543, 3; Kr. Spr. 48, 13, 9.

τέχνης: not ‘art’ in the higher sense, but any competence resting on exercise and experience; especially in matters of war and seamanship. Cf. c. 49. 6; 142. 24; 87. 19; vii.36.22; 70. 21; of medicine, ii.47.15. Elsewhere of artifice, v.8.8; 18. 16; 47. 9. The gen. depends on τὰ ἐπιγιγνόμενα. Cf. c. 52. 11; 68. 7; iii.30.4. As in the case of any technical dexterity.—τὰ ἐπιγιγνόμενα: what is new (cf. c. 70. 9), whether of inventions (as with τέχνη), or of new views and plans in politics.—κρατεῖν: sc. τῶν ἀρχαιοτρόπων.

νόμιμα : like ἐπιτηδεύματα, principles, habits.

πρὸς πολλὰ ἰέναι: = πολλοῖς ἐπιχειρεῖν, as viii.27.18, πρὸς αὐθαιρέτους κινδύνους ἰέναι.

ἐπιτεχνήσεως : here only in Attic; chosen in reference to τέχνη: progressive improvement. ἐπι- as in ἐπισκευάζειν. The emphatic repetition of πολλῆς makes καί take the second place.

ἀπό: in consequence of, through the influence of. Cf. c. 12. 5; 23. 27; 24. 10.

ἐπὶ πλέον: cf. c. 9. 20.

μέχρι τοῦδε ὡρίσθω: cf. c. 51. 9; iii.82.62.—ὑμῶν: for position, see on c. 30. 14.

ὥσπερ ὑπεδέξασθε: see c. 58. 8.

ἄνδρας τε: correlated with καὶ ἡμᾶς, 19.

πρὸς...ξυμμαχίαν : a similar threat made by the Corcyraeans, c. 28. § 3. If we must suppose a definite plan, the Argives are probably thought of, as enemies to the Lacedaemonians.

δρῷμεν ἄν: sc. εἰ πρὸς ἑτέραν ξυμμαχίαν τραποίμεθα.

πρὸς θεῶν : in the face of, and so, ‘in the judgment of.’ Cf. ii.71.22; iii.58.1, θεῶν τῶν ξυμμαχικῶν. Hom. A 339. For the position of the epithets, see on c. 1. 6.— αἰσθανομένων: abs., who have judgment, insight. Cf. v.26.23.

ἐρημίαν: abandonment, isolation. Cf. iii.67.10, 18.—ἄλλοις προσιόντες: cf. c. 40. 23; 75. 6.

βουλομένων...εἶναι : this presumption, for the fulfilment of which the whole speech presses, is the condition of each of the following clauses, “for then should we—.” For the gen. προθύμων, see G. 138, N. 8; H. 941; Kühn. 475.

πρὸς τάδε: in view of this; therefore. Also πρὸς ταῦτα, at the close of longer speeches; Lat. proinde. Freq. in Soph. Cf. Aj. 971, 1313; El. 383, 820; O. R. 426; O. C. 956; Ant. 658.

ἐξηγεῖσθαι: Cl. refers to vi.85.7 for another instance of the acc. with this verb. But there he now reads, with the best Mss., τοῖς ξυμμάχοις, notwithstanding the following acc. in appos. So St. The dat. occurs also iii.55.14, along with an acc. of the inner obj. The verb must be regarded here as trans. Kühn. 420, note 6.—μὴ ἐλάσσω: expresses the result of ἐξηγεῖσθαι, proleptic pred. Kühn. 405, 3.