Speech of Phaedrus
ἀξιομνημόνευτον. We should expect rather
the plural. We must suppose that the sentence is slightly confused, the original idea
being to put
ἃ δὲ μάλιστα ἔδοξέ μοι
ἀξιομνημόνευτα (
ταῦτα ἐρῶ), which was
altered owing to the insertion, as an afterthought, of
καὶ
ὧν: then, instead of proceeding
ὧν ἔδοξέ μοι
ἄξιον τὸ μεμνῆσθαι (or
μεμνῆσθαι τοῦ
λόγου), the word originally in mind was put down, but in the sing.: but it
is tempting to restore either
ἀξιομνημόνευτ᾽ εἶναι
(supposing
εἶναι to be corrupted from a compendium),
or
ἄξιον μνημονεύειν.
Prot. 343 A (
ῥήματα βραχέα
ἀξιομνημόνευτα) is the only other instance of the word in Plato: there
may be an echo of the present passage in Xen.
Symp. I. 1
ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ τῶν καλῶν κἀγαθῶν ἀνδρῶν ἔργα...ἀξιομνημόνευτα
εἶναι. For the significance of the statement here made by Apollod., see
Introd. § II. B (g).
Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ
κτλ. For the discourse of Phaedrus (178
A—180 B) see
Introd. § I. (analysis), §
III. (1).
ὥσπερ λέγω. “As has been
stated”: the present tense (186 E,
193 A,
etc.) is commoner than the past tense (
εἶπον 173 C,
182 D, etc.) in this formula. The reference is to
177 D.
ἐνθένδε ποθὲν. “Roughly at
this point,”
hinc fere: the combination recurs
199 C,
Phaedrus 229 B,
Euthyd. 275 E; so
ἐντεῦθέν ποθεν
Phaedrus 270 A,
Rep. 524 C.
κατὰ τἠν γένεσιν. “In respect
of his origin.”
ἐν τοῖς πρεσβύτατον. For the doctrine of
the antiquity of Eros, cp. Xen.
Symp. VIII. 1
τῷ μὲν χρόνῳ ἰσήλικος τοῖς ἀειγενέσι θεοῖς...Ἔρωτος: Ar.
Av. 700
πρότερον δ᾽ οὐκ ἦν γένος
ἀθανάτων, πρὶν Ἔρως συνέμιξεν ἅπαντα. Agathon, in
195 A, expressly contradicts Phaedrus on this point. Bast
excised
ἦ δ᾽ ὅς on the ground that “in
fine periodi Platonicae non magis usurpatur quam
inquit
Latinorum.”
