James Adam, The Republic of Plato

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περαίνει=‘performs’: cf. Plut. Crass. 33. 3 ἀναβακχεύσας ἐπέραινεν ἐκεῖνα τὰ μέλη κτλ., Tim. 29 D τὸ μὲν οὖν προοίμιον θαυμασίως ἀπεδεξάμεθά σου, τὸν δὲ δὴ νόμον ἡμῖν ἐφεξῆς πέραινε, and Laws 723 E. The metaphor is still from music, though D. and V. erroneously translate “of which dialectical reasoning is the consummation.”

ἣν ἐλέγομεν κτλ. It follows that the progress of the prisoner after he has begun to look on real objects outside the Cave represents Dialectic: cf. 516 A note and 532 B.

αὐτὰ ἄστρα. I formerly read αὐτὰ <τὰ> ἄστρα with Baiter; but there is no MS authority for the article, and its presence is unnecessary even between αὐτὰ τὰ ζῷα and αὐτὸν τὸν ἥλιον.

οὕτω καὶ κτλ.: ‘so also whenever by means of dialectic one attempts through discourse of reason’ etc. On τοῦ λόγου and ἄνευ πασῶν τῶν αἰσθήσεων see VI 511 B note and App. III. Ast's conjecture ὁρμᾶν (see cr. n.) is supported by Clement Strom. V 112 B Migne (quoted by Schneider) ἐὰν ἐπιχειρῇ τις ἄνευ πασῶν τῶν αἰσθήσεων διὰ τοῦ λόγου ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸ ὃ ἔστιν ἕκαστον ὁρμᾶν κτλ., and closely corresponds with ἐπιχειρεῖν ἀποβλέπειν in the last sentence. There is no occasion for Stallbaum's professional ridicule of Schneider's view: ‘quasi vero recte dici potuerit: τῷ διαλέγεσθαι ἐπιχειρεῖν διὰ τοῦ λόγου ὁρμᾶν ἐπί τι!’ for οὗ αὐτὸς ὁ λόγος ἅπτεται τῇ τοῦ διαλέγεσθαι δυνάμει in VI 511 B is an exact parallel. On other views see App. XII.

ἕκαστον is omitted in A (see cr. n.) and some other MSS. It is however necessary both in itself, and in order to provide a proper contrast with αὐτὸ ὃ ἔστιν ἀγαθόν. For the process here described see App. III.