Gonzalez Lodge, Commentary on Plato: Gorgias

ἐὰν... λανγ̂γρεεκ>δοκῶ, χρὴ κτἑ.: is an anticipatory cond. sentence, χρή with the inf. having the force of an imv. Cf. ἐπιλαμβάνου in b below.

ὁμολογεῖν ἐμαυτῷ: Socrates is about to combine the two roles of questioner and respondent, and hence will have to assent to his own statements.

15 f.

ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι: with the gen., means to “break in upon a discourse for the purpose of contesting a point,” as in Rep. i. 336 b καὶ ὁ Θρασύμαχος πολλάκις καὶ διαλεγομένων ἡμῶν μεταξὺ ὥρμα ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι τοῦ λόγου. On the other hand ἐπιλαμβάνεσθαι, used below in b, means simply “to arrest the discussion.” See on 469 c.

ἂν τὶ φαίνηται κτἑ.: the emphasis is on the indefinite, as in 472 a.

ἀλλ᾽ ἐμοὶ κτἑ.: on the assumption by Gorgias of the role of mediator, and the justice of his claim to speak in the name of all, see Introd. § 13 fin. Cf. 497 b. His request to proceed is a part of the artistic machinery of the dialogue, in that it affords an opportunity for a general summary of what has been already learned in the discussion, which was necessary in order to proceed intelligently.

οὐ . . . τω: a rather unusual ‘tmesis,’ of which another example is found in Meno 72 d οὐ μέντοι ὡς βούλομαί γέ πω κατέχω τὸ ἐρωτώμενον.