James Adam, The Republic of Plato

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ὅπως μέντ᾽ ἂν κτλ. Cf. Laws 663 E—664 A. Grote justly observes that “Plato has fair reason for his confident assertion that if such legends could once be imprinted on the minds of his citizens, as portions of an established creed, they would maintain themselves for a long time in unimpaired force and credit” (l. c. III p. 188). The first generation of citizens would remain incredulous, but the γενναῖον φεῦδος would be impressed upon their children, and soon be universally believed. It would require but little effort for a Greek city like Plato's (V 470 E) to entertain in course of time a view which has so many points of contact with Greek tradition. Here Plato seems to hint that even his Rulers (for οἱ τούτων ὑεῖς must include these also) will in time believe; the Rulers of VI—VII might teach the legend as an ἐν δέοντι ψεῦδος, but would themselves refuse their assent.

σχεδὸν -- λέγεις: viz. that the story is intended to form part of the city's permanent religious creed, and so encourage patriotism and fraternity.

415D - 417B Our Rulers and Auxiliaries shall have a camp within the city, so as to check lawless citizens and ward off foreign foes. Their education will prevent them from preying on the others, provided we arrange their circumstances rightly. We shall assign them common property and houses, as well as common meals, to be furnished by the other citizens in return for the protection they enjoy. The use of gold and silver must be forbidden to our Guardians.

ff. The communism of the Republic is, next to its educational curriculum, the principal guarantee which Plato provides against the abuse of political power on the part of his Guardians (Nohle die Statslehre Platos pp. 129 ff.). At the present stage Socrates gives only a brief and exoteric account of the system, reserving the full and final exposition for Book V. Plato may have been thinking of certain Spartan and Pythagorean institutions when he framed some of the regulations in this section: but his communism is much more thorough-going than anything of the kind before his day. See Steinhart Einleitung pp. 179—181, and especially Grote l. c. III pp. 207—216. Aristotle's criticisms (Pol. B 5. 1262^{b} 37—1263^{b} 29) are interesting and acute, although he ignores some essential points, and is unable throughout to rise to the level of Plato's idealism. See also Jowett Introd. pp. 175—179 and Nettleship Lect. and Rem. II pp. 136 f.

τοῦτο -- ἀγάγῃ: ‘this will be as the vox populi shall determine’: i.e. it will depend upon φήμη whether our fable is believed or not. φήμη is not of course an oracle (as Ficinus supposed), but the half-personified voice of popular belief. Cf. Laws 838 C, D.

τούς τε ἔνδον κτλ. Henkel (Studien zur Gesch. d. Gr. Lehre vom Staat p. 52 note 13) remarks that the prevention of faction inside the city is characteristically put in the foreground. The greatest danger to a Greek city was from internal dissension: cf. V 470 C ff. notes