Speech of Socrates
Καὶ σὲ...ἐάσω. “You I will
now release”: this is said with reference to the phrase used in
199 B
ἔτι...πάρες μοι Ἀγάθωνα κτλ.
Μαντινικῆς Διοτίμας. Probably both
these names are meant to be etymologically significant: the resemblance of the adj. to
μαντικὴ is patent (in fact some MSS. give
μαντικῆς, and Ficin.
fatidica
muliere), while as illustrating the omen of
Διοτίμα one might cite Soph. fr. 226 N.
σοφὸς γὰρ
οὐδεὶς πλὴν ὃν ἂν τιμᾷ θεός. See further
Introd.
§ IV. C. Hug quotes an imitative passage from Dio. Chrys. I. p. 59 R.
μῦθον...ὃν ἐγώ ποτε ἤκουσα γυναικὸς Ἠλείας ἢ
Ἀρκαδίας ὑπὲρ Ἡρακλέους διηγουμένης. See also Max. Tyr.
diss. XXIV. 4, p. 588; Clem. Al.
Strom. VI. p. 631
B.
πρὸ τοῦ λοιμοῦ
κτλ. For the Great Plague at Athens in 430 B.C. see
Thuc. II. 47, Bury
H. G. p. 407. That the plague had been rife
elsewhere for some time previously is implied by Thuc.
l. c.
For similar instances of the averting or postponing of impending evils by divine or
prophetic agency, see Hdt. I. 91
τρία γὰρ ἔτεα
ἐπανεβάλετο (sc.
ὁ Λοξίης)
τὴν Σαρδίων ἅλωσιν: Athen. XIII. 602 B:
Euseb.
praep. evang. V. 35, p.
233
B, C: cp. Virg.
Aen. VII. 313 ff., VIII. 398 ff. (where
“decem annos” is the interval named). A specially interesting
parallel, as mentioning the same 10 years' interval, is
Laws 642 D
ἀκήκοας ὡς Ἐπιμενίδης γέγονεν ἀνὴρ θεῖος...ἐλθὼν δὲ
πρὸ τῶν Περσικῶν δέκα ἔτεσι πρότερον παρ᾽ ὑμᾶς...θυσίας τε ἐθύσατο
τινας...καὶ δὴ καὶ φοβουμένων τὸν Περσικὸν Ἀθηναίων στόλον εἶπεν ὅτι
δέκα μὲν ἐτῶν οὐχ ἥξουσιν κτλ.
αὐτὸς ἐπ᾽ ἐμαυτοῦ. Rückert
alone retains the lection
ἀπ᾽ ἐμαυτοῦ. Cp.
I
Alc. 114 B
εἰ μὲν βούλει, ἐρωτῶν με, ὥσπερ
ἐγὼ σέ, εἰ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπὶ σαυτοῦ λόγῳ διέξελθε:
Soph. 217 C.
ὥσπερ σὺ διηγήσω. I think the
traditional text, supported also by the Papyrus, may stand, taking
διηγήσω to imply—with veiled contempt—a
lengthy or meticulous disquisition. Schanz's
δὴ
ἡγήσω is open to a double objection, (1) the repeated
δὴ is unpleasing, and (2)
ἡγήσω is a feeble word to apply to Agathon's dogmatic exposition (in
195 A) of the rules of method. Sauppe's
ὑφηγήσω is appropriate enough (cp.
Gorg. 455 D,
Crat. 392 D), but does not explain the corruption.
