Gonzalez Lodge, Commentary on Plato: Gorgias

οὐδαμοῦ ἂν φανῆναι: cf. Xen. Mem. i. 2. 52 ἀναπείθοντα οὖν τοὺς νέους ὡς αὐτὸς εἴη σοφώτατος, καὶ ἄλλους ἱκανώτατος ποιῆσαι σοφούς, οὕτω διατιθέναι τοὺς ἑαυτῷ συνόντας, ὥστε μηδαμοῦ παρ᾽ αὐτοῖς ἄλλους εἶναι πρὸς ἑαυτόν. Also Phaedo 72 c. Similarly in Latin. Cf. Cic. de Fin. v. 30. 90 tantam vim esse virtutis ut omnia, si ex altera parte ponantur, ne appareant quidem and ii. 28. 90 Socrates voluptatem nullo loco numerat. Compare also the exactly similar Eng. colloquialisms, ‘to be nowhere,’ and ‘to be left quite out of sight.’

11 f.

τον εἰπεῖν δυνατόν: λέγειν is more usual; but the same difference which exists between ἔλεγε and ἔλεξε or εἶπε exists also between their infinitives. So here εἰπεῖν means to make or deliver a speech. Cf. Prot. 329 a τάχ᾽ ἂν καὶ τοιούτους λόγους ἀκούσειεν ἢ Περικλέους ἢ ἄλλου τινὸς τῶν ἱκανῶν εἰπεῖν.

ἐν πλήθει: though properly much more general in its meaning than ἐκκλησίᾳ or συλλόγῳ used above, is probably employed only for the sake of variety. The distinct and definite statement with which Gorgias closes his characterization (ἡ μὲν οὖν κτἑ.) brings up to his mind the thought that perhaps some might object to the indiscriminate employment of such an art. He is thus led to a defence of it which is so injudicious that it affords the adversary the very best weapons for attack.