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ξυνωμοσίας -- ἑταιρίας. An allusion to the political life of Athens: cf. Ap. 36 B, Theaet. 173 D, Thuc. VIII 54 ξυνωμοσίας, αἵπερ ἐτύγχανον πρότερον ἐν τῇ πόλει οὖσαι ἐπὶ δίκαις καὶ ἀρχαῖς. In the Laws, Plato would suppress all such secret clubs and cabals with a strong hand: see 856 B ff. The πειθοῦς διδάσκαλοι mentioned presently are the Sophists. ὡς for ὥστε (except in idiomatic phrases like ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν, ὥς γε ἐντεῦθεν ἰδεῖν) is a curious archaism, tolerably frequent in Xenophon (e.g. Cyrop. I 2. 8, V 2. 5, VI 4. 16, VIII 5. 1 and 7. 27), but almost unexampled in Plato. The Protagoras (330 E) furnishes an instance with οὕτως preceding (cf. Xen. Cyr. IV 2. 13). ὡς in Phaed. 108 E is perhaps to be explained in the same way: cf. also Alc. II 141 B and Symp. 213 B παραχωρῆσαι γὰρ τὸν Σωκράτη ὡς ἐκεῖνον καθίζειν. See also on ὡς δή in I 337 C. As βιάζομαι can be followed by the simple infinitive, it might seem preferable to connect ὡς πλεονεκτοῦντες as a participial explanatory clause either with βιασόμεθα or with δίκην μὴ διδόναι (‘not to be punished for aggrandisement’); but the first alternative gives a wrong sense to πλεονεκτοῦντες, and the second involves too harsh an inversion. οὐκοῦν κτλ. Cf. Laws 885 B θεοὺς ἡγούμενος εἰναι κατὰ νόμους οὐδεὶς πώποτε οὔτε ἔργον ἀσεβὲς εἰργάσατο ἑκὼν οὔτε λόγον ἀφῆκεν ἄνομον, ἀλλὰ ἓν δή τι τῶν τριῶν πάσχων, ἢ τοῦτο ὅπερ εἶπον οὐχ ἡγούμενος, ἢ τὸ δεύτερον ὄντας οὐ φροντίζειν ἀνθρώπων, ἢ τρίτον εὐπαραμυθήτους εἶναι θυσίαις τε καὶ εὐχαῖς παραγομένους. These three classes of heretics are severally refuted in 886 A—899 D, 899 D— 905 D, 905 D—907 B. It is clear both from this passage and from the Laws that the air was full of such heresies in Plato's day. The first was doubtless fostered by the sceptical attitude of Protagoras—περὶ μὲν θεῶν οὐκ ἔχω εἰδέναι οὔθ᾽ ὡς εἰσὶν οὔθ᾽ ὡς οὐκ εἰσίν (ap. D. L. IX 51): for the second cf. Aesch. Ag. 369—372 οὐκ ἔφα τις | θεοὺς βροτῶν ἀξιοῦσθαι μέλειν | ὅσοις ἀθίκτων χάρις | πατοῖθ᾽ : ὁ δ᾽ οὐκ εὐσεβής: the third—the most pernicious of all, according to Plato Laws 948 C—furnished the raison d'être of a degenerate priesthood. τί καὶ ἡμῖν κτλ. ‘If the gods do not care for us, why should we in our turn (καί） care’ etc. For the text see cr. n. and App. III.
The Republic of Plato. James Adam. 1902. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press.
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