William Watson Goodwin, Commentary on Demosthenes: On the Crown

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This is closely connected in thought with the beginning of § 145. How, thought Philip, can I induce the Thessalians and Thebans to join me? He remembered their zeal in the Phocian war: see XIX. 50, τοῖς Ἀμφικτύοσι:...ποίοις; οὐ γὰρ ἦσαν αὐτόθι πλὴν Θηβαῖοι καὶ Θετταλοί. A new Sacred war, or any war for the rights of the Amphictyonic Council, would be sure to rouse their interest again.

1. εἰ μὲν...συμπείθοι, i.e. if he were to join in an attempt to persuade them etc.: συμ- implies that he would depend greatly on the influence of his friends in Thebes and Thessaly.— ἕνεκ̓, on the ground of.

2. οὐδέν᾽ ἡγεῖτο προσέξειν: I omit ἂν before ἡγεῖτο, with L, A 1, and most recent editors, because its insertion is accounted for by the v. l. προσέχειν, with which it would be required. (See M.T. 208.) The simple προσέξειν is also supported by the following παρακρούσεσθαι and πείσειν and by the infinitives in § 148. For the conditional forms in this section and the following, see note on § 148.5.

3. ἐὰν...αἱρεθῇ, i.e. if he should adopt (as his own) some grounds common to both Thebans and Thessalians, and so be chosen general. See τὰς ἰδίας προφάσεις, opposed to τὰς Ἀμφικτυονικὰς (the real κοινάς), in § 158.1. The actual result of the scheme is seen in §§ 151, 152.

5. τὰ μὲν...πείσειν, i.e. to succeed sometimes by deception, sometimes by persuasion. For the tense of the infinitive with ἐλπίζω, see M.T. 136.

6. θεάσασθ᾽ ὡς εὖ, see how craftily: cf. § 144.5.—πόλεμον ποιῆσαι (not ποιήσασθαι), to get up a war, i.e. to get the Amphictyons into a war.

7. τὴν Πυλαίαν: the meeting of the Amphictyonic Council was so called, because twice in each year (in the spring and the autumn) the Council met first at Thermopylae in the sanctuary of Demeter Amphictyonis, and afterwards proceeded to Delphi, where the regular sessions were held. See Hyper. Epitaph. § 18, ἀφικνούμενοι γὰρ δὶς τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ εἰς τὴν Πυλαίαν, θεωροὶ γενήσονται τῶν ἔργων κ.τ.λ., with Aesch. III. 126, πορεύεσθαι εἰς Πύλας καὶ εἰς Δελφοὺς ἐν τοῖς τεταγμένοις χρόνοις, and Strab. p. 429 (of Thermopylae) Δήμητρος ἱερὸν, ἐν ᾧ κατὰ πᾶσαν Πυλαίαν θυσίαν ἐτέλουν οἱ Ἀμφικτύονες. Records of Amphictyonic meetings at Delphi in the spring as well as the autumn are found in inscriptions.—εἰς ταῦτ̓...δεήσεσθαι, would need him for these, especially for the war, as the only available commander.