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αἳ -- ἁπτόμεναι. Aristotle read βάλλοντος, and not βαλόντος (see cr. n.), as appears from Rhet. III 4. 1406^{b} 33, where he refers to Plato's illustration as follows: καὶ τὸ ἐν τῇ πολιτείᾳ τῇ Πλάτωνος, ὅτι οἱ τοὺς τεθνεῶτας σκυλεύοντες ἐοίκασι τοῖς κυνιδίοις, τοὺς λίθους δάκνει τοῦ βάλλοντος οὐχ ἁπτόμενα. The present is more picturesque and true to nature: the dog worries the stones, while his tormentor amuses himself by throwing more. It is true that the simile is not quite accurate, because a ‘flown antagonist’ cannot continue to do mischief; but βαλόντος, which is generally read, though not by Schneider, is also inexact, because you cannot attack a vanished foe. In either case, the analogy is near enough. Moreover the consensus of all the other MSS, coupled with Aristotle, outweighs the authority of A where lipography is possible. See Introd. § 5.

ἀναιρέσεων. The laws of Greek warfare permitted ἀναίρεσις of the dead, unless the petitioning parties had forfeited their rights by robbing a temple or desecrating a shrine (Busolt Gr. Alterth. p. 55, where the authorities are cited).

οὐδὲ μὴν -- Ἑλλήνων: as was usual in Greece: see for example Thuc. III 114. 1. Plutarch however implies that the Spartans were an honourable exception to this rule (Apophtheg. Lac. 224 B). With Plato's sentiment cf. “aeternum inimicitiarum monumentum Graios de Graiis statuere non oportet” (Cic. de Inv. II 70. Cicero is referring to an incident arising out of a war between Sparta and Thebes).

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