Preface
Δοκῶ μοι
κτλ. The speaker, Apollodorus (see
Introd. § II. A), is replying to certain unnamed
ἑταῖροι who had been questioning him concerning the
incidents and speeches which took place at Agathon's banquet. The plural
πυνθάνεσθε (and
ὑμῖν,
ὑμεῖς 173 C, D below) indicates that there were several
ἑταῖροι present: the traditional heading of the dialogue,
ΕΤΑΙΡΟΣ, is due to the fact that all but one
are
κωφὰ πρόσωπα.
οὐκ ἀμελέτητος
. μελέτη and
μελετᾶν
are regular terms for the “conning over” of a speech or
“part”: cp.
Phaedrus
228 B.
καὶ γὰρ ἐτύγχανον. These words explain
the preceding statement
δοκῶ... οὐκ ἀμελέτητος
εἶναι, and serve to introduce not only the sentence immediately following
but the whole of the succeeding passage down to
173 B
where the initial statement is resumed by the words
ὥστε...οὐκ ἀμελετήτως ἔχω.
Φαληρόθεν. Phalerum, the old port of
Athens, was about 20 stadia (2 1/2 miles) distant from the city on the S.E.
καὶ παίζων...περιμενεῖς; Where does the
joke come in?
(1) Ast, Hommel, Stallbaum and Jowett look for it in the word
Φαληρεύς, which they take to be a play on
φαλαρὸς (“bald-headed,” so Jowett) or
φαλαρίς (“bald-coot”) in allusion to the
bald crown or the peculiar gait of Apollodorus. But what evidence is there to show
that A. either was bald or walked like a coot?
(2) Another suggestion of Hommel's is to write (with the vulgate)
ὁ Ἀπολλόδωρος and assume an etymological allusion to the
opportuneness of the meeting (as “Apollo-given”). This also is
far-fetched.
(3) Schütz, followed by Wolf and Hug, finds the
παιδιά in the playfully official style of the address, in
which the person is designated by the name of his deme, this being the regular
practice in legal and formal proceedings (cp.
Gorg. 495 D
Καλλικλῆς ἔφη Ἀχαρνεύς...Σωκράτης...ὁ
Ἀλωπεκῆθεν: Ar.
Nub. 134); but (as Stallb. objected) the
order of the words in that case should be rather
ὦ οὗτος
Ἀ. ὁ Φαληρεύς. Hug also finds
παιδιά
in the hendecasyllabic rhythm (
ὦ Φαλ. οὗτος
Ἀπ.), and the poetic combination
ὦ
οὗτος (
Soph. O. C. 1627,
Aj. 89).
(4) Rettig, reading
ὁ Φαληρεύς, omits (with
Badham) the proper name
Ἀπολλόδωρος as an adscript.
This seems, on the whole, the best and simplest solution. Glaucon, at a distance
behind, feigns ignorance of the identity of “the Phalerian,” and
shouts after Apollodorus “Ho there! you Phalerian, halt,” in a
“stop thief!” tone. It is plausible to suppose also that a certain
contempt is conveyed in the description
Φαληρεύς
(“Wapping-ite”): porttowns are often places of unsavoury repute:
cp.
Phaedrus 243 C
ἐν ναύταις που τεθραμμένον: Juv.
Sat. VIII. 174 “permixtum nautis et furibus ac
fugitivis.”
For the summons to halt cp. Ar.
Plut. 440
οὗτος, τί δρᾷς; ὦ δειλότατον σὺ θηρίον,
|
οὐ περιμενεῖς;
Thesm. 689
ποῖ ποῖ σὺ φεύγεις;
οὗτος, οὗτος, οὐ μενεῖς; also
Eq. 240, 1354. These
passages support the future
περιμενεῖς rather than
the present: “futurum est fortius imperantis; praesens modeste cohortantis
aut lenius postulantis” (Stallb.). For the future as a lively imperative cp.
175 A,
212 D.
