Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 3

τοιόνδε τι: without following γάρ, as in ii. 75. 23; viii. 50. 5. See on c. 92. 2. In such connexions, Thuc. uses also the simple τοιόνδε, τόδε and τάδε. See on ii. 75. 23.— 2.

ὅπερ καὶ τὸ πρῶτον: cf. c. 94. § 3 ff. Steup removes the colon after τὸ πρῶτον, on the ground that the words ἀναδιδάσκοντες . . . αἵρεσις are confusing if connected with what follows rather than with τὸ πρῶτον. —ἀναδιδάσκοντες: = διδάσκοντες, teaching, as in i. 32. 4; viii. 86. 4, not teaching otherwise or better. Nothing indicates that Dem. had held a different opinion with regard to an attack upon the Aetolians.—

τῶν Αἰτωλῶν . . . αἵρεσις: cf. c. 94. § 4. —

τῶν Αἰτωλῶν: emphatic position before the conj. See on c. 88. 8.— 4.

τὰς κώμας: cf. c. 94. 20.—5.

τὴν ἐν ποσὶν αἰεί: the first village in his way. κώμην can be supplied the more easily, since καὶ μὴ μένειν . . . ἀντιτάξωνται is only inserted as an explanation of ὅτι τάχιστα. For the expression τὴν ἐν ποσίν, cf. Hdt. iii. 79. 7 ἔκτεινον πάντα τινὰ τῶν Μάγων τὸν ἐν ποσὶ γινόμενον, Soph. Ant. 1327 βράχιστα γὰρ κράτιστα τἀν ποσὶν κακά, Eur. Alc. 739 τοὐν ποσὶν γὰρ οἰστέον κακόν, also Androm. 397; Pind. Pyth. 8. 33. It is used also by Dio C. and Lucian.

τῇ τύχῃ ἐλπίσας: confident on account of his good fortune. The dat. with ἐλπίζειν gives the ground of the hope, as in c. 98. 27; ii. 89. 24 with φοβεῖσθαι; iv. 85. 9; vii. 63. 13 with θαυμάζειν, and freq. with πιστεύειν (c. 46. 1, etc.).—7.

τοὺς Λοκρούς: cf. c. 95. 17.—8.

ψιλῶν ἀκοντιστῶν: of this kind of ψιλοί consisted, acc. to the following account, the army of the Aetolians. Cf. c. 94. 21 σκευῇ ψιλῇ χρώμενον.—9.

Αἰγιτίου: in the territory of the Apodotians. See Bursian i. p. 142.—

κατὰ κράτος: by storm, as in c. 18. 19; 103. 3, etc. See on i. 64. 14.—10.

ἐπιών: at the first onset.—

ὑπέφυγον: had stolen away. So, with v. H., for ὑπέφευγον of the Mss. After the impf., καὶ ἐκάθηντο would be unsuitable, since it denotes the holding, not the taking, of a position.—

οἱ ἄνθρωποι: i.e. the inhabitants of Aegitium.—12.

ἐφ̓ ὑψηλῶν χωρίων: cf. c. 105. 5. The pl. is doubtless to be explained by κατὰ κώμας οἰκεῖν, c. 94. 20 (cf. l. 4), i.e. the open place consisted of a number of villages scattered over the hills. Steup explains, near, in the neighbourhood of, high points, comparing ἐπὶ Θρᾴκης (i. 56. 11, etc.) and v. 34. 7 κείμενον ἐπὶ τῆς Λακωνικῆς καὶ τῆς Ἠλείας. Kr. would omit χωρίων. But for χωρίον in this sense, cf. v. 65. 2 χωρίον ἐρυμνὸν καὶ δυσπρόσοδον, ibid. 6 χωρίον καρτερόν, vii. 73. 9 τὰ στενόπορα τῶν χωρίων.

βεβοηθηκότες ἦσαν: on the periphrasis, see on c. 2. 8 and App. on i. 1. 5.—14.

ἐπὶ τὸ Αἰγίτιον: for the const. βοηθεῖν ἐπὶ τόπον, carry aid to a place, cf. iv. 8. 3; 72. 2; vi. 65. 20; Hdt. iv. 125. 18; βοηθεῖν ἐς τόπον, iv. 42. 15; vii. 18. 4; viii. 60. 15; Hdt. vi. 103. 2. βοηθεῖν ἐπί τινα = carry aid against one, as c. 110. 8; i. 107. 21; 126. 22, etc.—16.

ὅτε μὲν ἐπίοι . . . ἐπέκειντο: const. of sent. and tactics as in ii. 79. 24; vii. 79. 21. —19.

ὑπαγωγαί: ἀναχωρήσεις, Schol. Only here in Thuc. For this signification, which seems not to occur elsewhere in the earlier Greek writers, cf. the use of the verb ὑπάγειν in iv. 126. 34; v. 10. 15; viii. 10. 8.—

οἷς ἀμφοτέροις: neut. after two fem. substs., as in vi. 72. 20. Cf. Dem. xviii. 171; Sall. Cat. 5 inopia rei familiaris et conscientia scelerum, quae utraque his artibus auxerat. Kr. Spr. 58, 3, 5.