Literally (70b6), 'tell a tale'. Cf.61e2. Socrates has earlier remarked that he is no tale-teller himself (61b). The ensuing proofs of immortality are not, of course, 'tales' like that of the afterlife in 107c-114c. But the argument from opposites that now follows contains a striking fusion of myth with logic, and the verb &WLixvQo\orfelv may possibly be used with this in mind (though it need mean no more than 'converse', as at Apology 39e5).
iieixvr}p.eQa (70c6) has been taken to mean 'we've recalled'. With this meaning, Socrates will be glancing back to his earlier references (63c5, 69c7) to religious teachings about the afterlife. The meaning may, however, simply be 'we recall' ('comes into my mind', Hackforth). afiinop-evat has been taken in apposition to the subject of eioiv, and eioiv as 'they do exist', rather than 'they are there'. See Loriaux.
Placing a semicolon at 70d2 after oboai and taking Kai, as often, with concluding force (Verdenius).
It seems preferable to place a full stop after frepov at 71b2 and to read yap with T. Thus Robin.
The translation at 73a7 takes evi in its ordinary sense of'one', and follows Verdenius in taking kirena to mean 'for example'. 73b 1—2 will then be an application of the questioning procedure
Socrates has mentioned in 73a7—9 and not a new way of proving his point, as the translation 'secondly' (Burnet, Hackforth) would require.
Reading Xeyco Se nva rpoirov rovSe, with Verdenius, at 73c5—6.
Taking abro both as object of e-niardiieda and with eoriv at 74b2. L.S.J. s.v. cfc give several examples of oc, though not of 6, introducing an indirect question. See note 26.
The translation follows Burnet's text at 74b8—9, reading rcjj fxeu .. .ro} 5', and preserves the ambiguity of the contrast. If the articles are masculine, they must be taken with (paiverai, in sense (a) discussed in the Notes—see on 74b7—c6 (p. 122). If they are neuter, they will be governed by taa, and will bear sense (b). For sense (c) one would expect, rather, rf? yev ... rfj 5'. R. P. Haynes (Phronesis 1964,20—1) suggests that rw could give this sense if taken as dative of the indefinite pronoun. But there seems no parallel for rep tiev ... Tq) Se being used in this way. Reading Tore iiev . .. fore 6' with TW, the meaning will be as in sense (d).
It seems necessary to read cbc eai> for the MSS. ewe av at 74cl3 to obtain the sense 'so long as', 'provided that'. See Hackforth, 193.
The translation 'what it is itself' follows Burnet's text at 74d6 and takes the use of eanv as incomplete. But the meaning may be 'that which is, itself'. See also notes 25 and 28, and on 75c7—d6 (p. 130). The text is very uncertain. But on any reading or interpretation it seems that eanv toov has to be understood as completing the &onep clause.
For the translation 'what equal is' at 75b 1—2 see on 75c7—d6 (p. 131). Taking loop as subject brings the grammar close to that suggested for 74b2—see note 21. The interpretation 'the equal which is' seems ruled out by the fact that tov is in a different case from hov. But the meaning might be 'that which is equal.'
Sri 'eanv, which Hackforth leaves untranslated at 75b6, must refer to the nature, not the existence, of the equal. Hence 'eanv should be taken as incomplete, and on as an interrogative 'what'. Cf.74b2, and note 21.
The translation follows Burnet and Hackforth in taking e« elae dvoioetv at 75b7 as equivalent to ineiae &va4>epovreq tvvofioew. But this is very awkward, and there is much to be said for supplying am evvcriioew after hvoioeiv, or deleting ort. .. 0avXorepa, with
NOTES ON THE TEXT AND TRANSLATION Archer-Hind, as a gloss.
Reading tovto, 6 'eon at 75d2 with BTW, and taking eon as incomplete. There seems no justification for Burnet's departure from the united MSS.' reading, since 8 eon may occur without abrd—cf. 92d9. But the original reading may have been tovto, to 6 'eon, the article marking the use of 8 'eon as a name, as at 92d9, but omitted by haplography. For the translation 'what it is' see on 75c7-d6 (p. 130), and notes 24—6.
The single word e-niarquas (75d4) has to be translated 'pieces of knowledge', since 'knowledge' has no plural. Cf.75e4 and 76cl5.
Or perhaps, taking <j>voet. with -npooriKei (78cl—2), 'then is it true that what has been put together and is composite is naturally liable to undergo this'. With the translation adopted, some contrast may, as Burnet suggests, be intended between artificial and natural compounds. But nothing in the argument turns on the distinction.
Literally 'each thing, what it is itself (78d3-4), 'each of them, what it is' (d5), taking eon as incomplete. See on 75c7—d6 (p. 131) and notes 24-6. Cf. also 65dl3-el and note 7.
to ov (78d4) has been taken as referring back to avrri f? oboia (78dl) with Verdenius and Loriaux, and not closely with abrd maoTov 5 eonu - 'the being itself whatever it may be' (Hackforth).
It seems necessary to bracket nakcov either in 78dl0 or in 78el. The translation follows Burnet, bracketing f) naktiv in 78el. If koKcov is bracketed in 78dl0, the meaning will be: 'But what about the many things, such as men or horses or cloaks or anything else at all of that kind? Equal things or beautiful things or all things that bear the same name as those objects?'
TOiv ovTiov is used at 79a6 broadly to include the seen as well as the unseen world. See on 65c2—4.
The translation follows Verdenius' and Loriaux's account of 80c5—7. xapi&rcoc has been translated 'in beautiful condition', rather than 'in favourable condition (sc. to preservation)' (Hackforth). The eav clause need not be taken to specify favourable conditions. It is better translated 'even if', and understood to specify relatively unfavourable ones, the thought being that 'a healthy body decomposes more rapidly than an old and withered one' (Burnet). If so, Kai Travv fiaXa will not contrast sharply with femeuedxr avxydv xpouov, but will represent a rather weak case, in contrast with the stronger ones which follow, eu TOiavrij copa has been translated 'in the flower of youth', rather than 'at a fine season of the year' (Burnet, Bluck). Burnet says that if ojpa mearit 'flower of youth', toixwtq would be otiose, and that when mentioned in connection with death it means 'a ripe old age'. However, as Verdenius says, these objections neutralize each other, since roiadry may be added to avoid a misunderstanding of copa.