Gonzalez Lodge, Commentary on Plato: Gorgias

ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν: see on 450 b.

οὐκοῦν κτἑ.: Polus is surprised that Socrates should see any difference in the two phrases.

οὔ φημι (nego): repeats οὔχ, ὥς φησι. Polus does not understand Socrates, who has in mind the results of the admission that the possession of power is a good. The question is merely rhetorical, with an accent of astonishment.

μὰ τόν: the omission of the divinity occurs not infrequently. Cf. Ar. Ran. 1374 μὰ τόν, ἐγὼ μὲν οὐδ᾽ ἄν, εἴ τις ἔλεγέ μοι τῶν ἐπιτυχόντων, ἐπιθόμην κτἑ. H., 723 a, says that the deity is omitted with humorous effect; but it is much more likely here that Socrates is a little vexed, but stops at once any exhibition of it. The Scholiast's note, εὐλαβείας χάριν, may be interpreted as indicating this motive, or the motive assigned to Socrates on 461 b.

φῄς: with a clear reference to Polus' previous statements in b, which he is thus led to reiterate.

γὰρ οὖν: is frequently found thus in phrases of acquiescence.

οὐκοῦν ἀποδείξεις κτἑ.: the fut. in neg. questions forms a lively expression for urgent demand. Kr. 53, 7, 4; H. 844 a.—The pred. noun with the supplementary partic. follows the same rule of agreement, as with the supplementary infinitive.