Plato, Protagoras, ed. John Burnet, 317

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[317]

ΣΩ.

ἐγὼ δὲ τούτοις 317 317a ἅπασιν κατὰ τοῦτο εἶναι οὐ συμφέρομαι· ἡγοῦμαι γὰρ αὐτοὺς οὔ τι διαπράξασθαι ὃ ἐβουλήθησαν—οὐ γὰρ λαθεῖν τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοὺς δυναμένους ἐν ταῖς πόλεσι πράττειν, ὧνπερ ἕνεκα ταῦτʼ ἐστὶν τὰ προσχήματα· ἐπεὶ οἵ γε πολλοὶ ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν οὐδὲν αἰσθάνονται, ἀλλʼ ἅττʼ ἂν οὗτοι διαγγέλλωσι, ταῦτα ὑμνοῦσιν—τὸ οὖν ἀποδιδράσκοντα μὴ δύνασθαι ἀποδρᾶναι, ἀλλὰ καταφανῆ εἶναι, πολλὴ μωρία καὶ τοῦ ἐπιχειρήματος, 317b καὶ πολὺ δυσμενεστέρους παρέχεσθαι ἀνάγκη τοὺς ἀνθρώπους· ἡγοῦνται γὰρ τὸν τοιοῦτον πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις καὶ πανοῦργον εἶναι. ἐγὼ οὖν τούτων τὴν ἐναντίαν ἅπασαν ὁδὸν ἐλήλυθα, καὶ ὁμολογῶ τε σοφιστὴς εἶναι καὶ παιδεύειν ἀνθρώπους, καὶ εὐλάβειαν ταύτην οἶμαι βελτίω ἐκείνης εἶναι, τὸ ὁμολογεῖν μᾶλλον ἢ ἔξαρνον εἶναι· καὶ ἄλλας πρὸς ταύτῃ ἔσκεμμαι, ὥστε, σὺν θεῷ εἰπεῖν, μηδὲν δεινὸν πάσχειν διὰ 317c τὸ ὁμολογεῖν σοφιστὴς εἶναι. καίτοι πολλά γε ἔτη ἤδη εἰμὶ ἐν τῇ τέχνῃ· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὰ σύμπαντα πολλά μοί ἐστιν— οὐδενὸς ὅτου οὐ πάντων ἂν ὑμῶν καθʼ ἡλικίαν πατὴρ εἴην —ὥστε πολύ μοι ἥδιστόν ἐστιν, εἴ τι βούλεσθε, περὶ τούτων ἁπάντων ἐναντίον τῶν ἔνδον ὄντων τὸν λόγον ποιεῖσθαι.
καὶ ἐγώ—ὑπώπτευσα γὰρ βούλεσθαι αὐτὸν τῷ τε προδίκῳ καὶ τῷ Ἱππίᾳ ἐνδείξασθαι καὶ καλλωπίσασθαι ὅτι ἐρασταὶ 317d αὐτοῦ ἀφιγμένοι εἶμεν— τί οὖν, ἔφην ἐγώ, οὐ καὶ πρόδικον καὶ Ἱππίαν ἐκαλέσαμεν καὶ τοὺς μετʼ αὐτῶν, ἵνα ἐπακούσωσιν ἡμῶν;
πάνυ μὲν οὖν, ἔφη ὁ Πρωταγόρας.
βούλεσθε οὖν, ὁ Καλλίας ἔφη, συνέδριον κατασκευάσωμεν, ἵνα καθεζόμενοι διαλέγησθε;
ἐδόκει χρῆναι· ἅσμενοι δὲ πάντες ἡμεῖς, ὡς ἀκουσόμενοι ἀνδρῶν σοφῶν, καὶ αὐτοί τε ἀντιλαβόμενοι τῶν βάθρων καὶ τῶν κλινῶν κατεσκευάζομεν παρὰ τῷ Ἱππίᾳ—ἐκεῖ γὰρ προϋπῆρχε τὰ βάθρα—ἐν δὲ τούτῳ Καλλίας τε καὶ Ἀλκιβιάδης 317e ἡκέτην ἄγοντε τὸν πρόδικον, ἀναστήσαντες ἐκ τῆς κλίνης, καὶ τοὺς μετὰ τοῦ Προδίκου.
ἐπεὶ δὲ πάντες συνεκαθεζόμεθα, ὁ Πρωταγόρας, νῦν δὴ ἄν, ἔφη, λέγοις, ὦ Σώκρατες, ἐπειδὴ καὶ οἵδε πάρεισιν, περὶ ὧν ὀλίγον πρότερον μνείαν ἐποιοῦ πρὸς ἐμὲ ὑπὲρ τοῦ νεανίσκου.

Protagoras. Plato. ed. John Burnet. Oxford. 1903.

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Current edition Perseus

Πρωταγόρας (Greek) (Platonis Opera, Tomus III: Tetralogia V-VII. Burnet, John, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1903.)

Translations (1)

Protagoras Perseus (Plato in Twelve Volumes, Vol. 2. Lamb, W.R.M., translator. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1924 (printing).) — 317 focus

Soc.

But I do not conform to the method of all these persons, since I believe they did not accomplish any of their designs: for the purpose of all this disguise could not escape the able men of affairs in each city; the multitude, of course, perceive practically nothing, but merely echo this or that pronouncement of their leaders. Now to try to run away, and to fail through being caught in the act, 317b shows sad folly in the mere attempt, and must needs make people far more hostile; for they regard such an one, whatever else he may be, as a rogue. Hence the road I have taken is one entirely opposite to theirs: I admit that I am a sophist and that I educate men; and I consider this precaution, of admitting rather than denying, the better of the two. There are others besides that I have meditated, so as to avoid, under Heaven, 317c any harm that may come of admitting that I am a sophist. And yet many long years have I now been in the profession, for many in total number are those that I have lived: not one of you all, but in age I might be his father.¹ Hence it suits me by far the best, in meeting your wishes, to make my discourse on these matters in the presence of all who are in the house.
On this, as I suspected that he wished to make a display before Prodicus and Hippias, and give himself airs on the personal attachment shown by our coming to him, I remarked: 317d Then surely we must call Prodicus and Hippias and their followers to come and listen to us
By all means, said Protagoras.
Then do you agree, said Callias, to our making a session of it, so that we may sit at ease for our conversation?
The proposal was accepted; and all of us, delighted at the prospect of listening to wise men, took hold of the benches and couches ourselves and arranged them where Hippias was, since the benches were there already. Meanwhile Callias and Alcibiades came, 317e bringing with them Prodicus, whom they had induced to rise from his couch, and Prodicus’ circle also.
When we had all taken our seats,— So now, Socrates, said Protagoras, since these gentlemen are also present, be so good as to tell what you were mentioning to me a little while before on the young man’s behalf.

Commentary

Commentary on Plato, Protagoras (Plato. Platonis Protagoras. Adam, James; Adam, Adela Marion, editors. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1921.) focus

κατὰ τοῦτο εἶναι. εἶναιis redundant as in Isaeus, περὶ τοῦ Μενεκλέους κλήρου , 32 ἡμεῖς ὠμόσαμεν εὖ ποιεῖν ἀλλήλους— κατὰ δύναμιν εἶναι, καὶ λόγῳ καὶ ἔργῳ , and in the common ἑκὼν εἶναι : but no other instance of the precise phrase κατὰ τοῦτο εἶναι is quoted.

οἵ γε πολλοὶ—οὐδὲν αἰσθάνονται . Cf. Gorg. 474A τοὺς δὲ πολλοὺς ἐῶ χαίρειν, καὶ ἕνα ἐπιψηφίζειν ἐπίσταμαι, τοῖς δὲ πολλοῖς οὐδὲ διαλέγομαι. For ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν (to be taken with οὐδὲν ) see on Apol. 17A . The phrase is used to qualify the comprehension of a word or phrase, generally οὐδείς or πάντες .

τὸ οὖν—ἐπιχειρήματος . B and T read τὸν for τό , by a natural error. Heindorf compares Theaet. 144A τὸ γὰρ εὐμαθῆ ὄντα—ρπᾷον αὖ εἶναι διαφεπόντως—ἐγὼ μὲν οὔτ’ ἂν ᾠόμην γενέσθαι κτλ.and Rep. I. 331B τὸ γὰρ μηδὲ ἄκοντά τινα ἐξαπατῆσαι—μέγα μέρος εἰς τοῦτο ἡ τῶν χρημάτων κτῆσις συμβάλλεται. Here καὶ τοῦ ἐπιχειρήματος is a virtual repetition of ἀποδιδράσκοντα : cf. τὸν ταῦτα πράττοντα above in 316C The sentence reminds one of the practice observed in Spartan education—to punish the youths not for stealing but for failing to escape with their booty: Xen. Rep. Laced. 2. 8 εἴποι δ’ ἂν οὖν τις· τί δῆτα, εἴρεπ τὸ κλέρτειν ἀγαθὸν ἐνόμιζε, ρολλὰς ρληγὰς ἐρέβαλε τῷ ἁλισκομένῳ; ὅτι, φημὶ ἐγώ, καὶ τἄλλα, ὅσα ἄνθπωροι διδάσκουσι, κολάζουσι τὸν μὴ καλῶς ὑπηρετοῦντα : cf. Rep. I. 361A τὸν ἁλισκόμενον δὲ φαῦλον ἡγητέον.

τούτων τὴν ἐναντίαν ἅπασαν ὁδόν . ‘h. e. τὴν ὁδὸν ἣ ἅπασά ἐστιν ἐναντία τούτων . pro τούτων eadem comparatione quae vocatur compendiaria dici potuit τούτοις . Andocid. or. I. 4 ἐγὼ πολὺ τὴν ἐναντίαν τούτοις γνώμην ἔχω ’ (Kroschel). For ἅπασαν with an adjective compare (with Kroschel) Xen. Anab. I. 5. I ἧν ἡ γῆ πεδίον ἅπαν ὁμαλὲς ὥσπερ θάλαττα and the common phrase πᾶν τοὐναντίον .

σοφιστὴς εἶναι καὶ παιδεύειν ἀνθρώπους . The σοφιστὴς σοφίζει , i.e. παιδεύει : see note on 312C above. Theaet. 167C (where Socrates is speaking for Protagoras) ὁ σοφιστὴς τοὺς ραιδευομένους οὕτω δυνάμενος ραιδαγωγεῖν σοφός τε καὶ ἄξιος πολλῶν χρημάτων τοῖς παιδευθεῖσιν .

σὺν θεῷ εἰπεῖν . ‘Crebra modestiae formula, bene explicat Steph., quod ita dico, ut in eo opem divinam agnoscam ’. Heindorf on Theaet. 151B καὶ σὺν θεῷ εἰπεῖν, πάνυ ἱκανῶς τοπάζω οἶς ἂν συγγενόμενοι ὄναιντο.

πολλά γε ἔτη ἤδη εἰμὶ ἐν τῇ τέχνῃ . Meno, 91E οἶμαι γὰρ αὐτὸν(i.e. Πρωταγόραν ) ἀποθανεῖν ἐγγὺς καὶ ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτη γεγονότα, τετταράκοντα δὲ ἐν τῇ τέχνῃ ὄντα . The phrases εἶναι ἐν τῇ τέχνῃ, ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ and the like are common.

οὐδενὸς ὅτου οὐ . For the asyndeton Heindorf compares Hom. Od. XIV. 96 ἧ γάρ οἱ ζωή γ’ ἦν ἄσπετος· οὔ τινι τόσση ἀνδρῶν ἡρώων. The nearest parallel to πάντων (which Cobet rejects) after οὐδενὸς ὅτου οὐ seems to be in Dem. adv. Lept. § 3 οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἐφ’ ὅτου τοῦτο οὐ πεπόνθατε τῶν πάντων (quoted by Heindorf).

ἁπάντων goes with τῶν ἔνδον ὄντων . It seems better to take περὶ τούτων with βούλεσθε than with τὸν λόγον ποιεῖσθαι : otherwise it is hardly possible to separate τούτων from ἁπάντων .

ἐνδείξασθαι καὶ καλλωπίσασθαι—ὅτι ἐρασταί. ὅτιdepends rather on ἐνδείξασθαι than on καλλωπίσασθαι : cf. below, 327A ἐδίδασκε καὶ ἐπέπληττε τὸν μὴ καλῶς αὐλοῦντα , and ibid. B τῶν δικαίων καὶ τῶν νομίμων οὐδεὶς φθονεῖ οὐδ’ ἀποκρύπτεται ὥσπερ τῶν ἅλλων τεχνημάτων , Phaedo, 94D τὰ μὲν ἀπειλοῦσα, τὰ δὲ νουθετοῦσα ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις. See also notes on 327A and 335E below.

εἶμεν . BT read εἴημεν , but in Plato's time the short form of the optative plural is regular: see on Apol. 22E .

τί οὖν—οὐ—ἐκαλέσαμεν . See above on 310A and for ἐπακούσωσιν note on 315A

καθεζόμενοι . So T: B has καθιζόμενοι , but presently in 317E both MSS. read συνεκαθεζόμεθα .

καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀντιλαβόμενοι . This passage is difficult and different views are possible as to the construction and meaning. The MSS. read καὶ αὐτοί τε . If the MSS. reading is retained, τε must be regarded as answering to δέ in ἐν δὲ τούτῳ (cf. Euthyphr. 3E), and καὶ αὐτοί = etiam ipsi, i.e. even without waiting for servants—a harsh explanation both for καί and αὐτοί . If τε is left out (with most of the editors, following Heindorf), καὶ αὐτοί means ‘ourselves also’ as opposed to Callias and Alcibiades in ἐν δὲ τούτῳ Καλλίας τε καὶ Ἀλκιβιάδης . There is still a slight difficulty in contrasting αὐτοί with these two, because they also would seem to be included in αὐτοί ( πάντες ἡμεῖς—καὶ αὐτοί ), but such slight inaccuracies of expression are common in actual dialogue, which Plato's style is intended to imitate.

Καλλίας . Hermann read Κριτίας in order to escape the slight difficulty remarked on in the preceding note: ‘sed hospitis erat Prodicum ut accederet invitare’ (Kroschel).

ἀναστήσαντες : but ἄγοντε just before. Euthyd. 273B offers an exact parallel (if we follow the reading of the Bodleian MS.): ἰδόντες δὲ αὐτὸν ὅ τε Διονυσόδωρος καὶ ὁ Εὐθύδημος πρῶτον μὲν ἐριστάντε διελεγέσθην ἀλλήλοιν, ἄλλην καὶ ἄλλην ἀροβλέροντες εἰς ἡμᾶς : cf. ibid. 273A εἰσελθόντες—περιεπατείτην and D ἐγελασάτην γοῦν ἄμφω βλέψαντες εἰς ἀλλήλους . The dual in Plato as in Greek generally is apt to sink into the plural.

Plato Protagoras 317

ed. John Burnet

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