οὔτε . . τε —a common idiom (cf. neque . . que or et ), by which emphasis is thrown on the second clause.
 τά τε ἄλλα . . ἐφύλασσον —‘and besides ( τὰ ἄλλα , adverbial ) having protected with rapidly constructed defences all round the half-finished (works) of the walls and docks they guarded them.’ This is the best way of taking this puzzling sentence. None of the changes in the text that have been proposed is an improvement. περί is an adverb = πέριξ , as in Homer (Wilamowitz on Eur. HF. 1035 ).
 l 1. οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι —the subject of the subord. verb is put at the head of the sentence to contrast the action of Athenians and Lesbians sharply; a good parallel occurs at VII. 32 
 
 οἱ δὲ . . πρέσβεις . . ἐπειδὴ . . ἔμελλον ἄξειν τὸν στρατόν, o( *niki/as . . pe/mpei . The imperf., ἑώρων (sc. τὰ γιγνόμενα ), is used because the action overlaps that of ἀπήγγειλαν .