Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 3

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Eurymedon leaves Corcyra. Those of the oligarchical party in Corcyra who had escaped establish themselves first on the mainland opposite, then on Mount Istone, and harass their opponents.

οἱ κατὰ τὴν πόλιν Κερκυραῖοι: opp. to οἱ φεύγοντες τῶν Κερκυραίων in But since these fugitives were such as the result of the events described in c. 81, to which events also, in explanation of their existence, the parenthesis διεσώθησαν . . . ἐς πεντακοσίους refers back, Steup suspects κατὰ τὴν πόλιν to be an interpolation.—

τοιαύταις ὀργαῖς ταῖς πρώταις: i.e. outbreaks of party passion. τοιαύταις, pred. referring to c. 81. Cf. vi. 44. 1 τοσαύτη ἡ πρώτη πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον διέπλει.—2. ταῖς πρώταις: usually understood as contrasted with the cruelties described in iv. 46 ff. But Cl. and Jow. think it more natural to consider the words a repetition of c. 82. 2 ἐν τοῖς πρώτη (i.e. ἡ στάσις) ἐγένετο, supplying πασῶν. St. takes ταῖς πρώταις as opp. to ὕστερον in l. 4. But ἵστερον prob. refers only to the departure of Eurymedon with his ships, after which the fugitives could make their venture. Besides, this seizure by the oligarchs of a point on the mainland does not come under the notion of the ὀργαί above.—3.

ἀπέπλευσαν: sc. after remaining seven days, c. 81. 17.

διεσώθησαν: sc. ναυσὶ ἐς τὴν ἤπειρον.—5. ἐς πεντακοσίους: see on c. 20. 11.—6.

τῆς πέραν οἰκείας γῆς: i.e. the territory belonging to Corcyra on the mainland opposite.— 7.

ἐλῄζοντο: (not ἔλῃζον) with Bk. and most Mss., all of which have the mid. in i. 5. 15; 24. 14; v. 56. 12; 115. 7; and only in iv. 41. 8 all have the active. See on iv. 41. 8.—8.

καὶ λιμὸς ἰσχυρὸς kte(.: cf. iv. 2. 12. MüllerStrübing's objections to this statement are refuted by B. Schmidt, p. 80 f.

περὶ καθόδου: of fugitives, as in v. 16. 18; viii. 47. 3.—10.

οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς ἐπράσσετο: dat. of agent, as in ii. 101. 17. See on c. 64. 15. οὐδὲν πράσσεσθαι in this sense also v. 46. 31; 50. 26.—

ὕστερον χρόνῳ: denotes always a considerable interval. See on i. 8. 17. The conjectures of Köhler, Hermes xxvi. p. 45 ff., that the fugitives did not cross over to Corcyra till 425 B.C., and that in the winter of 426-25 they took part in the Amphilochian war, are very improbable. In the first case, Thuc. would hardly have mentioned the crossing over to the island until iv. 2; in the second, he could surely not have passed over the matter in complete silence here, and still less in the detailed account of the Amphilochian war (c. 105 ff.). Köhler bases his assumption, that the 500 Corcyraeans belonged to those who were conquered by the Athenians in the Amphilochian war, forming part of the 3000 Ambracian hoplites of c. 105. § 1, on the very fragmentary remains of a popular decree, in which the word Κερκυραίων occurs. But it is quite possible, of course, that in this decree Κερκυραίων had a very different application from the one which Köhler assumes.—

πλοῖα: i.e. transports, not warships. —11.

ἐπικούρους: see on c. 18. 3.— 12.

ἑξακόσιοι: compared with ἐς πεντακοσίους, l. 5, this number seems rather small.—

οἱ πάντες: in all. See on i. 60. 6; vii. 1. 31. Kr. Spr. 50, 11, 13.

ἀπόγνοια: not found elsewhere. —

ἄλλο τι ἤ: as in v. 87. 2. After the negative ἀπόγνοια there is the same ellipse of ποιεῖν as with οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἤ, ii. 16. 10; iv. 14. 18; vii. 75. 25; viii. 5. 1. See on c. 39. 10.—

κρατεῖν τῆς γῆς: the words τῆς γῆς are bracketed by Kr., as borrowed from τῆς γῆς ἐκράτουν, l. 15, with the approval of B. Schmidt, p. 81, who thinks that Thuc. could not have used κρατεῖν τῆς γῆς in two different senses in the same sentence. But τῆς γῆς may be understood in both places of the open country as opp. to the πόλις. For the oligarchical Corcyraeans it sufficed for the time to establish themselves on the island and to get the upper hand in the open field; hence we need not think here, with the Schol., of the whole of Corcyra. κρατεῖν τῆς γῆς occurs also in c. 6. 8; 18. 13; i. 111. 5; iv. 46. 6; vi. 23. 7; 37. 19; vii. 4. 31. Cf. also l. 6 above, and c. 115. 9 τῆς γῆς αὐτῶν ἐκράτουν.—14. τὴν Ἰστώνην: also iv. 46. 5. The situation is uncertain. See App.—

τεῖχος ἐνοικοδομησάμενοι: Cf. iv. 46. 4 τοὺς ἐν τῷ ὄρει . . . καθιδρυμένους.—15. ἔφθειρον . . . καὶ . . . ἐκράτουν: the impfs. represent the action as in progress. This state of affairs is to be regarded as lasting until the further events related in iv. 46. Cf. also iv. 2. § 3.