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12. τῶν τί σοφῶν. τῶν πρὸς τί σοφῶν would be more precise,
but the accusative of reference is preferred for brevity. For the
construction Kroschel compares Theages, 125C τῶν τί σοφῶν
συνουσίᾳ φῂς σοφοὺς εἶναι τοὺς τυράννους, where, however, σοφῶν
is masculine. The neuter of σοφός is not here used ironically as
in Theaet. 157C παρατίθημι ἑκάστων τῶν σοφῶν ἀπογεύσασθαι.
15. ὁ δὲ σοφιστὴς τῶν τί σοφῶν ἐστιν. Heusde suggested
ἐπιστήμων after ἐστιν, but the sense can be supplied out of the
-ιστής of σοφιστής, according to the derivation of the word just
given: the full sense is as it were ὁ δὲ σοφιστὴς τῶν τί σοφῶν ἐστιν
(σοφ）ιστής.
16. τί ἂν ἀποκρινοίμεθα αὐτῷ. There is no need to change
the verb to ἀποκριναίμεθα, as was done by Bekker to suit ἔροιτο:
cf. below, 354Aεἰ ἐροίμεθα—φαῖεν ἄν and Phaedr. 259A εἰ οὖν
ἴδοιεν—δικαίως ἂν καταγελῷεν.
17. ποίας ἐργασίας ἐπιστάτης. These words are not of course
part of the imaginary questioner's interrogation, but are spoken
by Socrates to help out Hippocrates' answer. Socrates suggests
that Hippocrates should say that the sophist is ἐπιστάτης of
some sort of ἐργασία, but in order that the answer should come
from Hippocrates himself, he substitutes for the desired
answer: ‘(The sophist is) ἐπιστάτης—of what kind of ἐργασία?’
Hippocrates then replies by explaining the ἐργασία, viz. τὸ
ποιῆσαι δεινὸν λέγειν. The full grammatical construction would
be ποίας ἐργασίας ἐπιστάτης (ὅτι ἐστὶν ἀποκριναίμεθα ἂν αὐτῷ）; If
we take this view, it is not necessary to insert ἐστίν after
ἐπιστάτης (with Hirschig).
Note that ἐπιστάτης is substituted here for ἐπιστήμων: it is
clear from Crito, 47B, that Plato connected the two words—
probably because both contain the syllable -ιστ- as in ἵστωρ: he
frequently plays on the similarity of form between ἐπίσταμαι
ἐπιστήμη and ἐπιστατεῖν: see the Editor's note on ἐπιστάτῃ καὶ
ἐπαΐοντι in the Crito, loc. cit.
17. τί ἂν εἴποιμεν—ὦ Σώκρατες; Hippocrates is on the
verge of ἀπορία, and merely throws out his suggestion ἐπιστάτην
τοῦ ποιῆσαι δεινὸν λέγειν for what it is worth. The words
ἐπιστάτην τοῦ ποιῆσαι δεινὸν λέγειν are strictly speaking a reply to
the question of Socrates ποίας ἐργασίας ἐπιστάτης; for τοῦ
ποιῆσαι δεινὸν λέγειν answers ποίας ἐργασίας, and but for the
intervening clause (τί ἂν εἴποιμεν αὐτὸν εἶναι;) the word ἐπιστάτην would have been in the nominative.
Thus explained, the MSS. reading need not be changed.
The next best view is to read (with Schanz) τί ἂν <εἰ> εἴποιμεν
αὐτὸν εἶναι, ὦ Σώκρατες, ἐπιστάτην τοῦ ποιῆσαι δεινὸν λέγειν;
22. ὥσπερ ὁ κιθαριστὴς κτλ. Cf. Gorg. 449E and 451A ff.,
where much the same reasoning is employed to discover τί ἐστι
τοῦτο τῶν ὄντων, περὶ οὗ οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι εἰσίν, οἷς ἡ ῥητορικὴ χρῆται
(Gorg. 451D). Rhetoric and Sophistic were regarded by Plato
as sisters: cf. Gorg. 464B ff. The clause ὥσπερ ὁ κιθαριστὴς κτλ.
is logically the protasis to εἶεν: ὁ δὲ δὴ σοφιστὴς κτλ.: see on 311Eabove.
Plato. Protagoras. J. Adam & A. M. Adam. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. 1893.
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