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μάχους κατείργον αὐτοὺς τῷ πολέμῳ καὶ κατὰ γῆν καὶ κατὰ θάλασσαν· ὥστε τὴν γενομένην ἐπὶ Λάχητος καὶ τοῦ προτέρου πολέμου Λεοντίνων οἱ Ἐγεσταῖοι ξυμμαχίαν ἀναμιμνήσκοντες τοὺς Αθηναίους ἐδέοντο σφίσι ναῦς πέμψαντας ἐπαμῦναι, λέγοντες ἄλλα τε πολλὰ καὶ κεφάλαιον, εἰ Συρακόσιοι Λεοντί νους τε ἀναστήσαντες ἀτιμώρητοι γενήσονται καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἔτι ξυμμάχους αὐτῶν διαφθείροντες αὐτοὶ τὴν ἅπασαν δύναμιν τῆς Σικελίας σχήσουσιν, κίνδυνον εἶναι μή ποτε μεγάλη παρασκευῇ Δωριῆς τε Δωριεῦσι κατὰ τὸ ξυγγενὲς καὶ ἅμα ἄποικοι τοῖς ἐκπέμψασι Πελοποννησίοις βοηθήσαντες καὶ τὴν ἐκείνων δύναμιν ξυγκαθέλωσιν· σῶφρον δ ̓ εἶναι μετὰ τῶν ὑπολοίπων ἔτι ξυμμάχων ἀντέχειν τοῖς Συρακοσίοις, ἄλλως τε καὶ χρή ματα σφῶν παρεξόντων ἐς τὸν πόλεμον ἱκανά. ὧν ἀκούοντες οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις τῶν τε Εγεσταίων πολλάκις λεγόντων καὶ τῶν ξυναγορευόντων αὐτοῖς ἐψηφίσαντο πρέσ βεις πέμψαι πρῶτον ἐς τὴν Ἔγεσταν περί τε τῶν χρημάτων σκεψομένους εἰ ὑπάρχει ὥσπερ φασὶν ἐν τῷ κοινῷ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς, καὶ τὰ τοῦ πολέμου ἅμα πρὸς τοὺς Σελινουντίους ἐν ὅτῳ ἐστὶν εἰσομένους.

προσαγόμενοι would be “bringing over to their side.'

κατείργον] ‘Were then engaged in hemming them completely in.' The proper force of the imperfect appears to be, the representation of an action which, at a definite past time was going on, but was not yet completed. From this seem to be really derived its other meanings of comparatively long duration, intention never fulfilled, attempt unsuccessful, and the like. The aorist, on the contrary, is used to describe single past occurrences, put forward barely and purely in the way of narrative, without relation of time. In continued narratives, an imperfect often differs very

tle from an aorist; the action being

pointed out as the beginning of one or more undertakings; or as rather longer. Such words as πέμπειν, κελεύειν, are often thus used.

ἀναμιμνήσκοντες] For this word, and ἀναστήσαντες, see on ch. 14, under ἀναψηφίσαι.

ξυγκαθέλωσι] join in utterly pulling down, or destroying.'

ὧν ἀκούοντες] This is a rare instance of ἀκούω governing two genitives ; one of the thing heard, and the other of the person from whom it is heard ; “hearing this both from the repeated statements of the ambassadors from Segesta, and their advocates at Athens.' The usual construction is an accusative of the thing, and a genitive of the person.

CH. VII. Hostilities between Argos and Sparta. Movements of the Athenians in Macedonia.

ΚΑΙ οἱ μὲν πρέσβεις τῶν ̓Αθηναίων ἀπεστάλησαν ἐς τὴν 7 Σικελίαν· Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ τοῦ αὐτοῦ χειμῶνος καὶ οἱ ξύμμα χοι πλὴν Κορινθίων στρατεύσαντες ἐς τὴν ̓Αργείαν τῆς τε γῆς ἔτεμον οὐ πολλὴν καὶ σῖτον ἀνεκομίσαντό τινα ζεύγη και μίσαντες, καὶ ἐς Ορνεὰς κατοικίσαντες τοὺς ̓Αργείων φυγάδας καὶ τῆς ἄλλης στρατιᾶς παρακαταλιπόντες αὐτοῖς ὀλίγους, καὶ σπεισάμενοί τινα χρόνον ὥστε μὴ ἀδικεῖν Ορνεάτας καὶ ̓Αρ γείους τὴν ἀλλήλων, ἀπεχώρησαν τῷ στρατῷ ἐπ ̓ οἴκου. ἐλθόντων δὲ ̓Αθηναίων οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον ναυσὶ τριάκοντα καὶ ἑξακοσίοις ὁπλίταις, οἱ Ἀργεῖοι μετὰ τῶν ̓Αθηναίων πανστρατιᾷ ἐξελθόντες τοὺς ἐν Ὀρνεαῖς μίαν ἡμέραν ἐπολιόρκουν ὑπὸ δὲ νύκτα αὐλισαμένου τοῦ στρατεύματος ἄποθεν ἐκδιδράσ κουσιν οἱ ἐκ τῶν Ὀρνεῶν. καὶ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ οἱ ̓Αργεῖοι ὡς ᾔσθοντο, κατασκάψαντες τὰς Ὀρνεὰς ἀνεχώρησαν, καὶ οἱ Αθηναῖοι ὕστερον ταῖς ναυσὶν ἐπ ̓ οἴκου.

Καὶ ἐς Μεθώνην τὴν ὅμορον Μακεδονίᾳ ἱππέας κατὰ θάλασσαν κομίσαντες Αθηναῖοι σφῶν τε αὐτῶν καὶ Μακεδόνων τοὺς παρὰ σφίσι φυγάδας ἐκακούργουν τὴν Περδίκκου. Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ πέμψαντες παρὰ Χαλκιδέας τοὺς ἐπὶ Θρᾴκης, ἄγοντας πρὸς ̓Αθηναίους δεχημέρους σπονδάς, ξυμπολεμεῖν ἐκέλευον Περδίκκα· οἱ δ ̓ οὐκ ἤθελον. καὶ ὁ χειμὼν ἐτελεύτα, καὶ ἕκτον καὶ δέκατον ἔτος ἐτελεύτα τῷ πολέμῳ τῷδε ὃν Θουκυδίδης ξυνέγραψεν.

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to a species of attraction exerted by the sense of 'motion out of' existing in the verb ἐκδιδράσκουσιν. The whole phrase may be considered a contracted expression for οἱ ἐν Ὀρνεαῖς ἐκ τῶν Ὀρνεῶν ἐκδιδράσκουσιν. Cf. οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν καταστρωμάτων ἐχρῶντο, VII. 70, ‘the men on deck hurled javelins from it.' Cf. also oi ek Πύλου ληφθέντες, those who were taken at, and brought from Pylus.'

ἐτελεύτα] was drawing to its close.' The aorist would be 'absolutely ended.'

8

CH. VIII.

B. C. 415.

Return of the ambassadors from Segesta; war determined on, and generals appointed.

ΤΟΥ δ ̓ ἐπιγιγνομένου θέρους ἅμα ἦρι οἱ τῶν Αθηναίων πρέσβεις ἧκον ἐκ τῆς Σικελίας, καὶ οἱ Εγεσταίοι μετ ̓ αὐτῶν ἄγοντες ἑξήκοντα τάλαντα ἀσήμου ἀργυρίου ὡς ἐς ἑξήκοντα ναῦς μηνὸς μισθόν, ἃς ἔμελλον δεήσεσθαι πέμπειν. καὶ οἱ ̓Αθηναῖοι ἐκκλησίαν ποιήσαντες καὶ ἀκούσαν τες τῶν τε Εγεσταίων καὶ τῶν σφετέρων πρέσβεων τά τε ἄλλα ἐπαγωγὰ καὶ οὐκ ἀληθῆ, καὶ περὶ τῶν χρημάτων ὡς εἴη ἑτοῖμα ἔν τε τοῖς ἱεροῖς πολλὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς κοινοῖς, ἐψηφίσαντο ναῦς ἑξήκοντα πέμπειν ἐς Σικελίαν καὶ στρατηγοὺς αὐτοκράτο ρας ̓Αλκιβιάδην τε τὸν Κλεινίου καὶ Νικίαν τὸν Νικηράτου καὶ Λάμαχον τὸν Ξενοφάνους, βοηθοὺς μὲν Εγεσταίοις πρὸς Σελινουντίους, ξυγκατοικίσαι δὲ καὶ Λεοντίνους, ἤν τι περιγίγνηται αὐτοῖς τοῦ πολέμου, καὶ τἆλλα τὰ ἐν τῇ Σικελίᾳ πρᾶξαι ὅπῃ ἂν γιγνώσκωσιν ἄριστα Αθηναίοις. μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο ἡμέρᾳ

VIII. ἀκούσαντες τῶν τε Εγεσταίων . . . τά τε άλλα] This is an instance of the proper construction of ἀκούω ; viz. a genitive of the person from whom, and an accusative of the thing which. Cf. ταῦτα Καλυψούς ἤκουσα, Od. XII. 389. In the sentence before this, the use of ἔμελλον with a future is to be observed. The present tense after this verb is more rare, and the aorist is altogether doubtful.

ὡς εἴη] The optative is used because the clause represents in the way of narrative what the ambassadors said, and therefore falls under the rule of the 'oratio obliqua.' The corresponding clauses in this sentence are τά τε άλλα, and καὶ περὶ τῶν χρημάτων.

ἤν τι περιγίγνηται] ' If anything connected with the war remain over and above to them:' 'if they gain any superiority.' Just before, the two objects of the expedition are stated in different ways, βοηθοὺς μέν, and ξυγκατοικίσαι δέ.

ὅπῃ ἂν γιγνώσκωσιν] The ἄν must be taken with öπy in the sense of 'soever,'

not with the verb. When av is added to a relative pronoun, it gives the sense of 'cunque' to the pronoun, and then, to suit this sense of indefiniteness, the conjunctive must be used. So in the next chapter, ἂν γιγνώσκω, is, in what way soever,' 'quocunque modo,' 'I think best.' In the 'oratio obliqua,' this conjunctive passes into the optative, without dr. This is true also, if the verb on which the relative clause depends is in the past tense. For instance, βουλεύσομαι ὅτι ἂν δύνωμαι ἀγαθόν, becomes ἔφη ὅτι βουλεύσοιτο ὅτι δύναιτο ἀγαθόν, and ἀποκτείνουσι ὅσους ἂν λάβω σιν, in the past becomes ἀπέκτειναν ὅσους λάβοιεν. When, consequently, in a clause both a relative and the optative with dv occur, the av goes with the optative in the regular way; ἄρξομαι ἐντεῦθεν ὅθεν ἂν μάθοιτε, i. e. ὅθεν μάθοιτε ἄν. In somewhat later writers av alone is found with a conjunctive; but this is a different word, and is a contraction from ἐάν, ‘if. In the tragedians and Thucydides this is almost invariably written ήν.

πέμπτῃ ἐκκλησία αὖθις ἐγίγνετο, καθ ̓ ὅ τι χρὴ τὴν παρασκευὴν ταῖς ναυσὶ τάχιστα γίγνεσθαι, καὶ τοῖς στρατηγοῖς, εἴ του προσδέοιντο ψηφισθῆναι ἐς τὸν ἔκπλουν. καὶ ὁ Νικίας ἀκούσιος μὲν ᾑρημένος ἄρχειν, νομίζων δὲ τὴν πόλιν οὐκ ὀρθῶς βεβουλεῦσθαι, ἀλλὰ προφάσει βραχείᾳ καὶ εὐπρεπεῖ τῆς Σικελίας ἁπάσης, μεγάλου ἔργου, ἐφίεσθαι, παρελθὼν ἀποτρέ ψαι ἐβούλετο, καὶ παρῄνει τοῖς Αθηναίοις τοιάδε.

CH. IX. XIV. Nicias' speech against the expedition.

«Ἡ μὲν ἐκκλησία περὶ παρασκευῆς τῆς ἡμετέρας ἥδε ξυνε- 9 λέγη, καθ ̓ ὅ τι χρὴ ἐς Σικελίαν ἐκπλεῖν· ἐμοὶ μέντοι δοκεῖ καὶ περὶ αὐτοῦ τούτου ἔτι χρῆναι σκέψασθαι, εἰ ἄμεινόν ἐστιν ἐκπέμπειν τὰς ναῦς, καὶ μὴ οὕτω βραχείᾳ βουλῇ περὶ μεγάλων πραγμάτων ἀνδράσιν ἀλλοφύλοις πειθομένους πόλεμον οὐ προσήκοντα ἄρασθαι. καίτοι ἔγωγε καὶ τιμῶμαι ἐκ τοῦ τοιούτου καὶ ἧσσον ἑτέρων περὶ τῷ ἐμαυτοῦ σώματι ὀρρωδῶ, νομί ζων ὁμοίως ἀγαθὸν πολίτην εἶναι ὃς ἂν καὶ τοῦ σώματός τι καὶ τῆς οὐσίας προνοῆται· μάλιστα γὰρ ἂν ὁ τοιοῦτος καὶ τὰ τῆς πόλεως δι ̓ ἑαυτὸν βούλοιτο ὀρθοῦσθαι. ὅμως δὲ οὔτε ἐν τῷ πρότερον χρόνῳ διὰ τὸ προτιμᾶσθαι εἶπον παρὰ γνώμην οὔτε νῦν, ἀλλὰ ᾗ ἂν γιγνώσκω βέλτιστα, ἐρῶ. καὶ πρὸς μὲν τοὺς τρόπους τοὺς ὑμετέρους ἀσθενὴς ἄν μου ὁ λόγος εἴη, εἰ τά τε ὑπάρχοντα σώζειν παραινοίην καὶ μὴ τοῖς ἑτοίμοις περὶ τῶν ἀφανῶν καὶ μελλόντων κινδυνεύειν· ὡς δὲ οὔτε ἐν καιρῷ σπεύδετε οὔτε ῥᾴδιά ἐστι κατασχεῖν ἐφ ̓ ἃ ὥρμησθε, ταῦτα

μεγάλου ἔργου] This genitive is in apposition to τῆς Σικελίας.

ΙΧ. ἡ μὲν ἐκκλησία] This μέν bas no dé to correspond to it, but is followed instead by μέντοι in the next clause as a stronger particle.

μέντοι] The particle του seems to be an old dative for Tê, 'in this respect,' in this view.' Taking therefore into account the proper force of μév mentioned in ch. I, the meaning will be, 'for one thing this certainly is true,' with an idea of opposition to something preceding. Its general force in actual use

may be given by 'however,' 'to be sure,' with an opposition, as I said, to something going before.

καίτοι] This particle seems to mean 'and that,' with the notion of something yet to be considered. Hence it is always corrective, and equivalent to 'and yet.'

ἐκ τοῦ τοιούτου] sc. ἐκ τοῦ πολέμου. Below, καὶ τὰ τῆς πόλεως is, the city as well as himself.'

καὶ πρὸς μὲν] Τo this ὡς δὲ οὔτε ἐν καιρῷ corresponds.

ἐφ ̓ ἃ ὥρμησθε] sc. οὔτε ταῦτα ἐφ' ἃ ὥρμησθε ῥᾴδιά ἐστι. Κατασχεῖν is ‘to

το διδάξω. φημὶ γὰρ ὑμᾶς πολεμίους πολλοὺς ἐνθάδε ὑπολιπόντας καὶ ἑτέρους ἐπιθυμεῖν ἐκεῖσε πλεύσαντας δεῦρο ἐπαγαγέ σθαι. καὶ οἴεσθε ἴσως τὰς γενομένας ὑμῖν σπονδὰς ἔχειν τι βέβαιον, αἳ ἡσυχαζόντων μὲν ὑμῶν ὀνόματι σπονδαὶ ἔσονται (οὕτω γὰρ ἐνθένδε τε ἄνδρες ἔπραξαν αὐτὰς καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἐναν τίων), σφαλέντων δέ που ἀξιόχρεῳ δυνάμει ταχεῖαν τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν ἡμῖν οἱ ἐχθροὶ ποιήσονται, οἷς πρῶτον μὲν διὰ συμφορῶν ἡ ξύμβασις καὶ ἐκ τοῦ αἰσχίονος ἢ ἡμῖν κατ ̓ ἀνάγκην ἐγένετο, ἔπειτα ἐν αὐτῇ ταύτῃ πολλὰ τὰ ἀμφισβητούμενα ἔχομεν. εἰσὶ δ ̓ οἳ οὐδὲ ταύτην πω τὴν ὁμολογίαν ἐδέξαντο, καὶ οὐχ οἱ ἀσθενέστατοι· ἀλλ ̓ οἱ μὲν ἄντικρυς πολεμοῦσιν, οἱ δὲ καὶ διὰ τὸ Λακεδαιμονίους ἔτι ἡσυχάζειν δεχημέροις σπονδαῖς καὶ αὐτοὶ κατέχονται. τάχα δ' ἂν ἴσως, εἰ δίχα ἡμῶν τὴν δύναμιν λάβοιεν, ὅπερ νῦν σπεύδομεν, καὶ πάνυ ἂν ξυνεπιθεῖντο μετὰ Σικελιωτῶν, οὓς πρὸ πολλῶν ἂν ἐτιμήσαντο ξυμμάχους γενέσθαι ἐν τῷ πρὶν χρόνῳ. ὥστε χρὴ σκοπεῖν τινὰ αὐτά, καὶ μὴ μετεώρῳ τε πόλει ἀξιοῦν κινδυνεύειν, καὶ ἀρχῆς ἄλλης ὀρέγεσθαι πρὶν ἣν ἔχομεν βεβαιωσώμεθα, εἰ Χαλκιδῆς γε οἱ

obtain possession ; κατέχειν, ‘to possess; the usual distinction between an aorist and a present infinitive.

Χ. αὐτάς] Another reading is αὐτά, viz. 'matters in general connected with the treaty.' The words do not mean that the concluders of the peace purposely made it on this unsatisfactory footing, but that certain individuals had contrived, by their intrigues, to instil mutual suspicions into the minds of the two parties between whom the treaty had been made.

ταχεῖαν τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν] This position of the adjective before the article and noun, is to be noticed. Here it assumes the certainty of an attempt, and states the celerity of it: "The attempt they intend to make, they will make quickly.' Cf. πολλὰ τὰ ἀμφισβητούμενα ἔχομεν, just below.

πρῶτον μέν] Το this, ἔπειτα ἐν αὐτῇ &c. corresponds, the δέ being omitted ; cf. πρῶτον μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς Σικελίας... ἔπειτα εἰ

κατορθώσειαν, VII. 66. The reason of its omission is that words like ἔπειτα, εἶτα, in themselves express an opposition to what goes before.

καὶ αὐτοί] i. e. ‘They, as well as the Lacedæmonians,' and oi dè κaí is, 'others besides them.'

οὓς πρὸ πολλῶν] sc. καὶ τὸ συμμάχους γενέσθαι τούς δε, &c. resolving the relative pronoun into a copulative and a demonstrative.

μετεώρῳ] This word is used in Thucydides of a ship out in the open sea, in deep water; cf. καθορῶσι τὰς τῶν Κερκυραίων ναῦς μετεώρους τε καὶ ἐπὶ σφᾶς πλεούσας, Ι. 48. Οσοι μὴ μετέωροι ἑάλωσαν, κατενεχθέντες ἐξέπεσον ἐς τὸ στρατόπεδον, VII. 71. Perhaps the word is used in the same sense metaphorically, 'not to risk the state in deep water, out at sea,' as it were, and far from land.'

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πρὶν ἣν ἔχομεν βεβαιωσώμεθα] Πρὶν ἄν (occasionally as here the av is omitted,

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