James Adam, The Republic of Plato

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ὄντος τοσούτου. The same duration of human life is postulated also in Phaedr. 248 D ff., but retribution in that dialogue appears to be ἐννάκις, and not δεκάκις as here; cf. 256 E with 248 E. The number 100 is the square of the Pythagorean ‘perfect’ number 10, so that Pythagorean influence is doubtless at work again. See App. I to Book VIII p. 301, and cf. 614 B note It should also be remarked that the Greeks, like other races, had many stories to tell of the μακρόβιοι of early days, and the ‘Naturvölker’ of historic times were also credited with preternaturally long lives: see the evidence collected by Rohde Griech. Roman pp. 218, 236, 247 notes

καὶ ο<*>ον κτλ. : ‘and for example if’ etc. κομίσαιντο depends of course on ἵνα. Plato somewhat awkwardly coordinates his illustration with the principle itself (ἵνα—ἐκτίνοιεν): but there is not sufficient ground for expunging καί (with q^{2}, Stephanus and others).

πολλῶν. See cr. n. Par. D—followed here by Burnet—has πολλοῖς, “quod propter pluralem θανάτων ferri nequit” (Schneider). The passage quoted by J. and C. in defence of πολλοῖς from Laws IX 870 D τοὺς οὖν τούτων μηνυτὰς ἀναιροῦσι θανάτοις is not quite parallel.

πόλεις προδόντες κτλ. So in Virg. Aen. VI 620 vendidit hic auro patriam. Antiphon (de Her. Caed. 10) names as the three chiefest sins τὸ ἀποκτείνειν καὶ τὸ ἱεροσυλεῖν καὶ τὸ προδιδόναι τὴν πόλιν. Cf. also Dieterich Nek. pp. 66 ff.

εἰς δουλείας ἐμβεβληκότες is parallel, as Schneider points out, to αἴτιοι and not to προδόντες.

καὶ αὖ -- κομίζοιντο. It is not at first sight clear whether this applies to those who have come ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, or to those who, though condemned on the whole account, have done some good actions in their lives, and occasionally shewn themselves just and pious. The latter view is supported by Phaed. 113 D ἐκεῖ (in Acheron) οἰκοῦσί τε καὶ καθαιρό- μενοι τῶν τε ἀδικημάτων διδόντες δίκας ἀπολύονται, εἴ τίς τι ἠδίκηκεν, τῶν τε εὐεργεσιῶν τιμὰς φέρονται κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν ἕκαστος, and is, I believe, what Plato means. Cf. 616 B note

εὐεργετηκότες. A few MSS, including q, have εὐηργετηκότες, which Rutherford (New Phryn. p. 245) and the grammarians regard as the regular Attic form: but εὐεργέτηκεν is found on Inscriptions of the 4th Century B.C. See Meisterhans^{3} p. 172 and Kühner-Blass I 2. p. 33.