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ὡσαύτως. εἰκοστὴν κτλ. The reading εἰκοστήν is confirmed by Plut. Conv. Disp. VIII 5. 739 E ff. (διὰ τί Πλάτων εἰκοστὴν ἔφη ψυχην τοῦ Αἴαντος ἐπὶ τὸν κλῆρον ἐλθεῖν;) as well as by Proclus l.c. 265. 20 and elsewhere. It appears from these passages that some of the ancients found a subtle significance in εἰκοστήν: but the particular number is probably only a circumstantial detail intended to add verisimilitude to the narrative. See also on 614 B. Herwerden conjectures ὡσαύτως, ὡς τὸ <εἰκός: ....> εἰκοστὴν δὲ κτλ., and inserts between εἰκός and εἰκοστήν the words καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἄλλωνμίγνυσθαι from 620 D. There is however nothing to indicate that the text has suffered dislocation: see on 620 D below.

λέοντος βίον. Ettig (Acheruntica l.c. p. 310) explains the choice of Ajax by referring to Tim. 91 E τὸ δ᾽ αὖ πεζὸν καὶ θηριῶδες γέγονεν ἐκ τῶν μηδὲν προσχρωμένων φιλοσοφίᾳ, but the conspicuous feature in Ajax was θυμός, and that is why he selects the life which typifies τὸ θυμοειδές: see IX 588 E. Cf. Proclus l.c. 316. 31 ff. μὲν Αἴαντος ψυχὴ πᾶσαν δηλοῖ ζωὴν ἀνδρικὴν μέν, πλεονάζουσαν δὲ κατὰ τὸν θυμὸν διὰ δή τινα φιλόνικον ψυχῆς ἕξιν, καὶ διὰ ταύτην ἐνδυομένην εἰς ἀνδρικὸν μὲν ζῷον, ἄλογον δέ. Empedocles, as we are told, held τὴν ἀρίστην εἶναι μετοίκησιν τὴν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, εἰ μὲν εἰς ζῷον λῆξις αὐτὸν μεταγάγοι, λέοντα γίγνεσθαι, εἰ δὲ εἰς φυτόν, δάφνην (Ael. Hist. An. XII 7): see Karsten on vv. 382 ff. of the περὶ φύσεως.

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