36. νέμονται ὥσπερ ἄφετοι. νέμεσθαι is properly ‘to graze’,
and ἄφετος is said de grege numini alicui consecrato (Heindorf):
cf. Critias, 119D ἀφέτων ὄντων ταύρων ἐν τῷ τοῦ Ποσειδῶνος
ἱερῷ. The same expression occurs in Rep. VI. 498C ὅταν δὲ λήγη̣
μὲν ἡ π̔ώμη, ρολιτικῶν δὲ καὶ στπατειῶν ἐκτὸς γίγνηται, τότε ἤδη
ἀφέτους νέμεσθαι καὶ μηδὲν ἄλλο πράττειν. Here the object of
νέμεσθαι is virtually the clause ἐάν που—τῇ ἀρετῇ ‘going to and
fro by themselves they graze like creatures set apart upon whatever excellence etc.’: cf. (for the use of ἐάν) Rep. VII. 528A
φθονοῖς μὴν οὐδ᾽ ἂν ἄλλῳ εἴ τίς τι δύναιτο ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν ὄνασθαι.
ἐάν που αὐτόματοι περιτύχωσιν τῇ ἀρετῇ. αὐτομάτω̣
(used as in Theaet. 180C, Polit. 271D ὃ δ᾽ ἤρου περὶ τοῦ πάντα
αὐτόματα γίγνεσθαι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις) agreeing with ἀρετῇ would
make the expression more pointed, and avoid the slight contradiction involved in the expression αὐτόματοι περιτύχωσιν
(since one cannot spontaneously fall in with a thing), but
αὐτόματοι is not to be pressed, and should be understood as
equivalent to ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐτομάτου (cf. 323C.
37. Κλεινίαν. The author of the First Alcibiades makes
Alcibiades himself speak of his younger brother as μαινόμενος
ἄνθρωπος (118E).
39. μὴ διαφθαρῇ δή. δή adds a touch of irony to spare the
feelings of Alcibiades.
41. καταθέμενος ἐν Ἀρίφρονος. According to Plutarch
(Alcib. ch. 1) Ariphron shared with Pericles the guardianship of
Alcibiades. Ariphron was Pericles' brother.
Plato. Protagoras. J. Adam & A. M. Adam. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. 1893.
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