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οὐκέτι κατὰ τέλεα ... ἀλλ᾽ ἅμα πάντας: there is a development in the tactics of the Persian cavalry, not necessarily for the better; it is indeed a result of ‘there being no one to order them.’ The phrase can hardly mean that the distinction of τέλεα was disregarded, the horsemen charging simply pêle-mêle; but rather that now all the τέλεα charged together. Nor, again, does this involve a more extended formation, or front, they may have charged en masse, almost in column. In any case the description tends to reduce the actual numbers engaged.
ἐπεβώσαντο: the Megarians, a while before in somewhat similar straits, had to send a message; the Athenians have only to call, to cry alond, for support. But to whom do they call? In c. 25 below οἱ Ἕλληνες appear to be given the credit of the victory in the ἱππομαχίη, but even there the phrase is not unambiguous, while here it is not made quite clear that τὴν ἄλλην στρατιήν and ὁ πεζὸς ἅπας refer to more than the Athenian forces. which in any case would presumably be nearest at hand. However that may be, there is here distinctly a second tactical moment, or development, in the Greek position, finally culminating in the retirement of the Persian cavalry, leaving the body of Masistios in the hands of the Athenians.
ἕως μέν νυν μοῦνοι ἦσαν οἱ τριηκόσιοι: if the τοξόται can be ignored in this fashion, why not the Megarians, Lakedaimonians, and others? In any case τὸ πλῆθος could not come up as one man, and least of all if it means not merely τῶν Ἀθηναίων but τῶν Ἑλλήνων.
ἐξεγένετο: cp. 5. 51.
ἀποστήσαντες: they halted (their horses) at a distance; cp. 5. 51 ἀποστάς ‘he retired’—passages whieh might tempt the inference that even the aor. 1. of ἵστημι came dangerously near being used intransitively. Blakesley regarded this use of ἀποστῆσαι as quite ‘technical’; Kuehner, Ausf. Gramm. p. 1069, as simply a case of brachylogy, where a substantive is to be understood “out of a cognate substantive, or adjective, or adverb, or out of the general context” (aus dem Zusammenhange der Rede); cp. also App. Crit. and l. 14 supra.
ὅσον τε δύο στάδια, ‘about four hundred yards’—say, quarter of a mile; this halt might leave them still a couple of miles from the tête du pont on the Asopos. ἐβουλεύοντο: the officers, of course. Eaeh τέλος must have had a leader, to say nothing of dekarchs, etc. But as far as Hdt. is concerned the consultation might be conducted by the entire number, rank and file. ἐδόκεε might surely be ἔδοξε, but cp. c. 5 l. 4 supra.
ἀναρχίης ἐούσης: their ἄρχων was gone—they had no commander, for which reason they decided to ride back (ἀπελαύνειν) to headquarters (παρὰ Μαρδόνιον). These statements will have been based rather on the observations and inferences made on the Greek side than on authorities (Greek or other) in the Persian camp (Thersander, for example, c. 16 supra).
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