James Adam, Commentary on Plato, Republic, ed. James Adam, 8.548C

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[548C] μεμιγμένην and μέμικται sound half-technical, and it is clear from Laws 712 D ff., 691 E, 693 D, Isocr. Nicocles 24 (with Areop. 61) and Arist. Pol. Δ 9. 1294^{b} 18 ff. that Greek political theorists were in the habit of viewing the Spartan constitution as a ‘mixed polity,’ although they did not always analyse the μῖξις in the same way: cf. Henkel Studien zur Gesch. d. Gr. Lehre v. Staat p. 62 notes 35, 36, and Whibley Gk Olig. pp. 14, 19. The analysis which is attributed to Archytas may serve as a specimen: δεῖ δὴ τὸν νόμον τὸν κάρρονα καὶ τὰν πόλιν ἐκ πασᾶν σύνθετον ἦμεν τᾶν ἄλλαν πολιτειᾶν, καὶ ἔχεν τι δαμοκρατίας, ἔχεν τι ὀλιγαρχίας, ἔχεν τι βασιλῄας καὶ ἀριστοκρατίας, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐν τᾷ Λακεδαίμονι. τοὶ μὲν γὰρ βασιλέες τᾶς μοναρχίας, τοὶ δὲ γέροντες τᾶς ἀριστοκρατίας, τοὶ δὲ ἔφοροι τᾶς ὀλιγαρχίας, ἱππαγρέται δὲ καὶ κόροι τᾶς δαμοκρατίας (Stobaeus Flor. 43. 134). On mixed polities in ancient political science see Henkel l.c. pp. 85 ff., 102, 106 ff., 112, 115 and Greenidge Gr. Const. Hist. pp. 74—121.

ἕν τι μόνον . For τι μόνον Apelt conjectures τιμώμενον: but Plato expresses himself emphatically in case the oligarchical features of the Spartan polity should make us forget that after all it is and must be essentially θυμο‐κρατία—the expression of θυμοειδές and not φιλοχρήματον (547 C note).

φιλονικίαι κτλ. Cf. Plut. Ages. 5. 4. Plato is not thinking of ‘divisions in Sparta between the partisans of the ephors and kings’ (as J. and C. suppose), but of the passion ὑπείροχον ἐμμέναι ἄλλων: for this and not ‘quarrelsomeness’ is the distinctive feature of timarchy. We are in danger of misconceiving the whole position of ‘timarchy’ and the ‘timarchical’ man if φιλόνικος (or φιλόνεικος) is connected with νεῖκος instead of with νίκη. On the spelling and derivation of the word see IX 581 B note

Commentary on Plato, Republic. James Adam. ed. James Adam. Cambridge. 1926-1929.

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Current edition Perseus

Commentary on Plato, Republic (English) (Plato. The Republic, Vol 1-2. Adam, James, editor. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1902-1903.)

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Πολιτεία Perseus (Platonis Opera Tomus IV: Tetralogia VIII. Burnet, John, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.) — 8.548 focus

[548]
ναί.
ἐπιθυμηταὶ δέ γε, ἦν δʼ ἐγώ, χρημάτων οἱ τοιοῦτοι ἔσονται, ὥσπερ οἱ ἐν ταῖς ὀλιγαρχίαις, καὶ τιμῶντες ἀγρίως ὑπὸ σκότου χρυσόν τε καὶ ἄργυρον, ἅτε κεκτημένοι ταμιεῖα καὶ οἰκείους θησαυρούς, οἷ θέμενοι ἂν αὐτὰ κρύψειαν, καὶ αὖ περιβόλους οἰκήσεων, ἀτεχνῶς νεοττιὰς ἰδίας, ἐν αἷς 548b ἀναλίσκοντες γυναιξί τε καὶ οἷς ἐθέλοιεν ἄλλοις πολλὰ ἂν δαπανῷντο.
ἀληθέστατα, ἔφη.
οὐκοῦν καὶ φειδωλοὶ χρημάτων, ἅτε τιμῶντες καὶ οὐ φανερῶς κτώμενοι, φιλαναλωταὶ δὲ ἀλλοτρίων διʼ ἐπιθυμίαν, καὶ λάθρᾳ τὰς ἡδονὰς καρπούμενοι, ὥσπερ παῖδες πατέρα τὸν νόμον ἀποδιδράσκοντες, οὐχ ὑπὸ πειθοῦς ἀλλʼ ὑπὸ βίας πεπαιδευμένοι διὰ τὸ τῆς ἀληθινῆς Μούσης τῆς μετὰ λόγων 548c τε καὶ φιλοσοφίας ἠμεληκέναι καὶ πρεσβυτέρως γυμναστικὴν μουσικῆς τετιμηκέναι.
παντάπασιν, ἔφη, λέγεις μεμειγμένην πολιτείαν ἐκ κακοῦ τε καὶ ἀγαθοῦ.
μέμεικται γάρ, ἦν δʼ ἐγώ· διαφανέστατον δʼ ἐν αὐτῇ ἐστὶν ἕν τι μόνον ὑπὸ τοῦ θυμοειδοῦς κρατοῦντος, φιλονικίαι καὶ φιλοτιμίαι.
σφόδρα γε, ἦ δʼ ὅς.
οὐκοῦν, ἦν δʼ ἐγώ, αὕτη μὲν ἡ πολιτεία οὕτω γεγονυῖα καὶ τοιαύτη ἄν τις εἴη, ὡς λόγῳ σχῆμα πολιτείας ὑπογράψαντα 548d μὴ ἀκριβῶς ἀπεργάσασθαι διὰ τὸ ἐξαρκεῖν μὲν ἰδεῖν καὶ ἐκ τῆς ὑπογραφῆς τόν τε δικαιότατον καὶ τὸν ἀδικώτατον, ἀμήχανον δὲ μήκει ἔργον εἶναι πάσας μὲν πολιτείας, πάντα δὲ ἤθη μηδὲν παραλιπόντα διελθεῖν.
καὶ ὀρθῶς, ἔφη.
τίς οὖν ὁ κατὰ ταύτην τὴν πολιτείαν ἀνήρ; πῶς τε γενόμενος ποῖός τέ τις ὤν;
οἶμαι μέν, ἔφη ὁ Ἀδείμαντος, ἐγγύς τι αὐτὸν Γλαύκωνος τουτουὶ τείνειν ἕνεκά γε φιλονικίας. 548e
ἴσως, ἦν δʼ ἐγώ, τοῦτό γε· ἀλλά μοι δοκεῖ τάδε οὐ κατὰ τοῦτον πεφυκέναι.
τὰ ποῖα;

Translations (1)

Republic Perseus (Plato in Twelve Volumes, Vol. 5-6. Shorey, Paul, translator. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1935-37 (printing).) — 8.548 focus

[548] Yes. Such men, said I, will be avid of wealth, like those in an oligarchy, and will cherish a fierce secret lust for gold¹ and silver, owning storehouses² and private treasuries where they may hide them away, and also the enclosures³ of their homes, literal private love-nests⁴ in which they can lavish their wealth on their women⁵ 548b and any others they please with great expenditure. Most true, he said. And will they not be stingy about money, since they prize it and are not allowed to possess it openly, prodigal of others’ wealth⁶ because of their appetites, enjoying⁷ their pleasures stealthily, and running away from the law as boys from a father,⁸ since they have not been educated by persuasion⁹ but by force because of their neglect of the true Muse, the companion of discussion and philosophy, 548c and because of their preference of gymnastics to music? You perfectly describe, he said, a polity that is a mixture¹⁰ of good and evil. Why, yes, the elements have been mixed, I said, but the most conspicuous¹¹ feature in it is one thing only, due to the predominance of the high-spirited element, namely contentiousness and covetousness of honor.¹² Very much so, said he. Such, then, would be the origin and nature of this polity if we may merely outline the figure 548d of a constitution in words and not elaborate it precisely, since even the sketch will suffice to show us the most just and the most unjust type of man, and it would be an impracticable task to set forth all forms¹³ of government without omitting any, and all customs and qualities of men. Quite right, he said.
What, then, is the man that corresponds to this constitution? What is his origin and what his nature? I fancy, Adeimantus said, that he comes rather close¹⁴ to Glaucon here 548e in point of contentiousness. Perhaps, said I, in that, but I do not think their natures are alike in the following respects. In what?

James Adam Commentary on Plato, Republic 8.548C

ed. James Adam

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