T. G. Tucker, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 8

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Ὠρωπὸν. The possession of this town had long been and continued to be a bone of contention between Athens and Boeotia. The Oropians are Ἀθηναίων ὑπήκοοι in ii. 23 (B.C. 431). In iv. 96 (B.C. 424) the Athenians managed to hold the place after their defeat by the Boeotians, and to leave a garrison there.

Ἐρετριῶν Eretria was the second town in Euboea, Chalcis being the chief. In c. 95, § 3, Eretria is said to be 60 stadia from Oropus.

ἐπὶ τῇ Ἐρετρίᾳ Cf. iv. 75, μὴ ὥσπερ τὰ Ἄναια ἐπὶ τῇ Σάμῳ γένηται. This gives the reason of the action of the Eretrians in the matter. If they revolted, Oropus would be dangerous to them.

τὸ χωρίον κ.τ λ. Const. ἀδύνατα ἦν τὸ χωρίου (subj.) μὴ οὐ μεγάλα βλάπτειν, sc. εἰ ἀποσταῖεν. Ἀθηναίων ἐχόντων= εἰ Ἀθηναῖοι ἔχοιεν. It might seem tempting to read μεγάλ᾽ ἂν βλάπτειν, but the expression ‘impossible for the place not to injure’ in the sense ‘impossible that the place should not injure’ is as good Greek as English.

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ὥρμηντο, ‘were bent upon.’ Cf. ὡρμημένων, c. 11, § 3.

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ἀπὸ τῆς Χάλκης, v. c. 55, § 1.

ἑώρων . . οἷόν* τέ τινα MSS. have οἶόν τε εἶναι. Kruger, P - S, and editors generally eject εἶναι, on the ground that the regular construction with ὁρᾶν is with the participle, while the infinitive is never found. Cf. Liddell and Scott, ὁρᾶν II. c. In ii. 45, ὁρῶ μέγαν τὸν ἀγῶνα has the predicative adjective without either participle or infinitive. If εἶναι is omitted, however, the participle ὂν must be read, since ἑώρων οἷόν τε alone cannot be paralleled. It is true that αἰσθάνεσθαι occurs in rare instances with the infinitive, e g. vi. 59, αἰσθανομένους αὐτούς . . . δύνασθαι, and v. 4, αἰσθόμενος οὐκ ἂν πείθειν. It should, however, be noticed (1) that in each of these Thucydidean instances there is some reason for avoiding the participle, (2) that αἰσθάνεσθαι is akin to ἀκούω and πυνθάνεσθαι (which also take infin. occasionally), while ὁράω is akin to οἶδα (which does not take infinitive). Similarly parts of γιγνώσκω may here and there take infinitive in the sense of ‘resolving that’ (akin to αἰσθάνεσθαι, etc.), but ἔγνωκα = οἶδα can only take a participle. Cf. Shilleto on i. 43. I read therefore ἑώρων οὐκέτι . . . οἷόν τέ τινα, which is analogous to ὁρῶ μέγαν τὸν ἀγῶνα of ii. 45, and which arose from a confusion of OIONTETINA with OIONTEINAI. ‘They saw that it was no longer possible for one (i.e. themselves) to proceed to Chios without a naval battle.’