James Adam, The Republic of Plato

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φαίη. In 487 C we have φαίη ἄν τις, and Richards would add ἄν here. But the hypothetical critic (with whom Socrates himself agrees 487 E) is now treated as what he really is—the exponent of opinions held by all. We should translate ‘after you objected that all men would be compelled to agree with what we say, but when they set words aside, and looked at the actual people of whom the argument spoke, they declared that’ etc. For φαίη after ἀναγκασθήσεται (rather than ἀναγκασθήσοιτο) see Kühner Gr. Gr. II p. 1061.

τῆς διαβολῆς . Π and the majority of MSS have τῆς ἤδη διαβολῆς. If ἤδη is right, it must, I think, be taken with τῆς διαβολῆς in the sense of ‘ea διαβολή quae iam apparebat et in conspectum venerat, cum antea animadversa non fuisset’ (so Bernhardy and Schneider Addit. p. 46). Even so, it is harsh, but not so harsh as if we take it with ἐπισκοποῦντες, as Stallbaum—and formerly Schneider—did. So extreme a hyperbaton would be more difficult than that in Soph. O. T. 1245, and scarcely admissible in prose. Perhaps Plato wrote τῆς διαβολῆς ἤδη. Otherwise we must suppose that A and other MSS are right in omitting the word.