Plato Republic 4.429

ἣν μόνην ‐‐ σοφίαν καλεῖσθαι . Pfleiderer ( Zur Lösung d. Pl. Frage pp. 46 ff.) compares Symp. 209 A ff. πολὺ δὲ μεγίστη—καὶ καλλίστη τῆς φρονήσεως ἡ περὶ τὰς τῶν πόλεών τε καὶ οἰκήσεων διακοσμήσεις, ᾗ δὴ ὄνομά ἐστι σωφροσύνη τε καὶ δικαιοσύνη. The difference in phraseology does not obscure the essential kinship of the two passages.

ὁ νομοθέτης ‐‐ παιδείᾳ . The δόξα is then prescribed by the legislator (i.e. in Plato's city, by Plato, cf. ὑπὸ νόμου below, νομίμου in 430 B, and σὺ ὁ νομοθέτης in VI 497 D), not by the rulers from time to time. It is important to notice this point, because it shews that the rulers are not here, as in a certain sense they are in VI—VII, in the position of the original legislator: see VI 497 C note Cf. however III 414 A note and infra 442 C note

ποίαν δὴ σωτηρίαν ; ποίαν expresses incredulity and wonder, which δή saves from falling into contempt. See I 330 A note On the definition of courage given here see 430 C note

γεγονυίας . Cf. γεγονυῖαν in 430 B.

αὐτῆς σωτηρίαν . See cr. n. αὐτήν of the MSS must mean either (1) the σωτηρία or (2) ἀνδρεία (so Hartman). In either case the αὐτήν which follows has a different antecedent viz. τὴν περὶ τῶν δεινῶν δόξαν, so that the sentence becomes both awkward and obscure. Moreover, in whichever way we understand αὐτήν, the MSS leave us with three accusatives ( αὐτήν, σωτηρίαν and the clause introduced by τό), the precise relationship of which is far from clear. Various suggestions have been made to escape these difficulties. Instead of αὐτήν Jackson suggests αὖ τήν ( J. Ph. IV p. 148); while Stallbaum and others read τῷ (eo quod) for τό, before which Hartman for his part wishes to insert διά. Hermann and Baiter cut the knot by expunging both αὐτήν and σωτηρίαν. Jackson's remedy is the simplest, but αὖ creates a difficulty. The new point in the explanation which he supposes it to mark is, I think, emphasized too much by αὖ; nor indeed is it quite easy to separate αὖ from ἔλεγον. I believe Plato wrote αὐτῆς. The words διὰ παντὸς αὐτῆς σωτηρίαν recall and correspond exactly to ἣ διὰ παντὸς σώσει τὴν περὶ τῶν δεινῶν δόξαν, and to 430 B σωτηρίαν διὰ παντὸς δόξης κτλ., and the meaning is ‘by preserving it perpetually I meant preserving it throughout when one is in pains and in pleasures’ etc. Grammatically, the infinitives are the direct object of ἔλεγον (‘I called’), and διὰ παντὸς αὐτῆς σωτηρίαν is its secondary object. The presence of αὐτῆς σωτηρίαν is necessary to correspond to διασῴζεσθαι αὐτήν, but διὰ παντὸς takes the first place, because it is the phrase requiring elucidation. The corruption of αὐτῆς to αὐτήν is of a piece with that of γεγονυίας to γεγονυῖαν (see cr. n.) and its all but inevitable consequence. The correction printed above is accepted by a reviewer of my Text of the Republic in Hermathena XXIV p. 252.

λύπαις ‐‐ φόβοις . III 412 E ff.

ἁλουργά =‘purple’: see Tim. 68 B , with Archer-Hind's note. Herwerden cuts out ὥστ’ εἶναι, but without these words the wool which we are dyeing would be purple, whereas it is white, and we are making it purple. See on ἐάν τε καὶ ταῦτα in E.

πρῶτον μὲν κτλ. As far as concerns the language and grammatical construction of this passage it is clear that the object of ἐκλέγονται should be the same as that of προπαρασκευάζουσιν, θεραπεύσαντες, and βάπτουσι, and identical with the subject of δέζεται. Now the object of βάπτουσι is the wool selected to be dyed; it is therefore the wool which is subjected to προπαρασκευή, and consequently white substances of wool are meant by μίαν φύσιν τὴν τῶν λευκῶν (so also Blümner Technologie etc. I pp. 221 ff.). That this interpretation is right, appears also from the application of the simile. The guardians are the white woollen substances specially selected (note ἐξελεγόμεθα 429 E), their education is the προπαρασκευή; and the δόξα περὶ δεινῶν κτλ. is the dye. This is expressly pointed out in 429 E—430 A. τοσούτων is strictly in point, for woollen substances may be of any colour, since they may have been already dyed. Plato informs us that dyers selected white woollen substances when they wished to impart a lasting purple hue. Cf. Tim. 50 D , E. The προπαρασκευή included the process called στύψις, i.e. steeping the wool in an astringent solution ( πρόστυμμα) to make it take the dye better (Arist. de Col. 4. 794^{a} 29 and Probl. XXII 11. 931^{a} 13 ff. προβρέχουσιν ἐν τοῖς στρυφνοῖς τῷ διεργασθὲν μᾶλλον δέχεσθαι τὴν βαφήν: cf. also Theoph. de Odor. 17 ὑποστύφουσι γὰρ πᾶν εἰς τὸ δέξασθαι μᾶλλον τὴν ὀσμὴν ὥσπερ τὰ ἔρια εἰς τὴν βαφήν). Aristotle uses a metaphor from dyeing in a similar way in Eth. Nic. II 2. 1105^{a} 3. Cf. also Cicero Hortens. Fr. 62 ed. Nobbe “ut ei qui combibi purpuream volunt, sufficiunt prius lanam medicamentis quibusdam, sic litteris talibusque doctrinis ante excoli animos et ad sapientiam concipiendam imbui et praeparari decet,” and see on the whole subject Blümner l. c. I pp. 221 ff., 238 ff.

θεραπεύσαντες . If the text is sound, we must suppose either that two processes of preparation are alluded to, viz. θεραπεία and προπαρασκευή; or else that θεραπεύσαντες is used for θεραπεύοντες. The first alternative is inadmissible: for προθεραπεύσας in E shews that the θεραπεία and προπαρασκευή are identical. As for the second, Schneider remarks “aoristum ipsum pro praesenti positum vix credo.” There are some instances in which “an aorist participle denoting that in which the action of a verb of past time consists may express time coincident with that of the verb, when the actions of the verb and the participle are practically one” (Goodwin MT. p. 52: cf. Kühner Gr. Gr. II pp. 161 ff.), but as προπαρασκευάζουσιν is a verb of present or universal time, Goodwin's rule is inapplicable here. Hartman ejects the participle, and Schneider is anxious to read θεραπεύοντες. In my edition of the Text, I had recourse to transposition, and placed θεραπεύσαντες before οὕτω δή (‘and they do not dip the wool till they have finished dressing it’). It is, however, safer to adhere to the MSS and regard θεραπεύσαντες as one of those ‘timeless aorists,’ of which many examples are quoted by F. Carter in Cl. Rev. V pp. 4 ff. The MS reading is supported not only by Stobaeus ( Flor. 43. 97), but also (as Jackson has pointed out to me) by Theo Smyrnaeus de utilit. math. p. 13 ed. Hiller.

τὸ ἄνθος : the colour, as appears from Arist. de Col. l. c. 794^{a} 34 et al. Though it is used of purple here, it was not confined to purple: see on VIII 557 C.

δευσοποιὸν ‐‐ βαφέν . δευσοποιόν· ἔμμονον καὶ δυσαπόπλυτον (Timaeus Lex. s. v. δευσοποιόν, where Ruhnken illustrates the word very fully). The point of course is that such προπαρασκευή rendered the colour proof against washing. δευσοποιός, ἀνέκπλυτος, and μόνιμος were constantly used in connexion with dyeing: see Blümner l. c. I p. 221 notes The words τὸ βαφέν are bracketed by Herwerden; but ὃ ἄν is not ‘quod,’ but ‘si quid’ (Schneider).

ῥυμμάτων . ῥύμματα is the generic word for detergents of any kind (Blümner Privatalt. p. 214 note 1): cf. παντὸς ἄλλου ῥύμματος 430 B.

ἐάν τε καὶ ταῦτα . ταῦτα is τὰ λευκά i.e. white substances: cf. τῶν λευκῶν in D above. Even white wool, unless specially prepared, will not retain the dye when it is dipped: much less other colours. This is the force of καί in καὶ ταῦτα. The words ἄλλα χρώματα refer to the colour of the wool which is dipped, not to the colour of the dye, as Herwerden supposes when he calls for τοῦτο: cf. note on ὥστ’ εἶναι in D above.

ἔκπλυτα καὶ γελοῖα : a sort of hendiadys: cf. VIII 558 A θεσπεσία καὶ ἡδεῖα. Stallbaum's suggestion ἀγελαῖα for γελοῖα is itself γελοιότερον. For τοιοῦτον cf. III 388 D note