James Adam, The Republic of Plato

---

τὸ μεταξύ means ‘in the interval before entering upon’ (Richards in Cl. Rev. II p. 324). The correlating or contrasting notion is idiomatically omitted: cf. note on περιαγωγῆς in VII 518 E. Plentiful examples of this usage are supplied by Shilleto on Dem. F. L. 181, and Blaydes on Ar. Ach. 434 μεταξὺ τῶν Ἰνοῦς and Birds 187. With the sentiment cf. 487 C note Richards was, I believe, the first to point out the true meaning of this passage: see also Solomon in Cl. Rev. VII p. 11. The traditional view, that μεταξὺ κτλ. means ‘in the spare moments of housekeeping and business,’ though still given as an alternative by J. and C., is untenable.

οἱ -- ποιούμενοι: ‘and they it is, forsooth, who are regarded as accomplished in philosophy.’ Sarcasm is often expressed by an appositional participial clause at the end of a sentence: cf. e.g. Ap. 34 A, Crito 51 A. ποιεῖσθαι here is the passive of ποιεῖν in the sense of ‘to construct in fancy,’ ‘represent,’ as e.g. in Theaet. 197 D and infra X 609 C. The usage is at first sight strange, but occurs again in VIII 538 C, IX 573 B and 574 D, where no other meaning is suitable. Stallbaum's attempt to explain the passages differently is unsuccessful, and the proposed emendations (such as Ast's δοκούμενοι for ποιούμενοι） are unsatisfactory in each of the four cases. See notes ad ll.

ἐὰν καί goes with ἐθέλωσιν (Schneider): ‘if they do consent’ (cf. καὶ ἁπτόμενοι above). It is implied that many, or most of them, do not.

μεγάλα κτλ. Plato distinguishes three stages. In the first, τὸ περὶ λόγους is a man's ἔργον after boyhood until he begins practical life; it then becomes his πάρεργον, and he ‘thinks it great things’ to go to an occasional lecture: towards old age all but very few neglect philosophy entirely. The proper study of philosophy reverses all this (πᾶν τοὐναντίον) as is shewn in B and C.

τοῦ Ἡρακλειτείου ἡλίου. Heraclitus Fr. 32 Bywater νέος ἐφ᾽ ἡμέρῃ ἥλιος. Heraclitus meant the saying to be taken literally, and not merely as an expression of the universal law of change: see the authorities cited by Bywater ad loc. and Zeller^{5} I p. 684 note 2.