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Ancient Greek Page · Branch 11 of 65
Alcibiades I · 107e–108c
Ancient Greek
p. 16συμβουλεύσειεν οἷς δεῖ προσπαλαίειν καὶ οἷς μή, καὶ ὁπότε καὶ ὅντινα τρόπον; λέγω δὲ τὸ τοιόνδε· ἆρα τούτοις δεῖ προσπαλαίειν οἷς βέλτιον, ἢ οὔ;
ΑΛ. Ναί.
108aΣΩ. Ἆρα καὶ τοσαῦτα ὅσα ἄμεινον;
ΑΛ. Τοσαῦτα.
ΣΩ. Οὐκοῦν καὶ τότε ὅτε ἄμεινον;
ΑΛ. Πάνυ γε.
ΣΩ. Ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ ᾄδοντα δεῖ κιθαρίζειν ποτὲ πρὸς τὴν ᾠδὴν καὶ βαίνειν;
ΑΛ. Δεῖ γάρ.
ΣΩ. Οὐκοῦν τότε ὁπότε βέλτιον;
ΑΛ. Ναί.
ΣΩ. Καὶ τοσαῦθ’ ὅσα βέλτιον;
ΑΛ. Φημί.
ΣΩ. Τί οὖν; ἐπειδὴ βέλτιον μὲν ὠνόμαζες ἐπ’ ἀμφο108bτέροις, τῷ τε κιθαρίζειν πρὸς τὴν ᾠδὴν καὶ τῷ προσπαλαίειν, τί καλεῖς τὸ ἐν τῷ κιθαρίζειν βέλτιον, ὥσπερ ἐγὼ τὸ ἐν τῷ παλαίειν καλῶ γυμναστικόν· σὺ δ’ ἐκεῖνο τί καλεῖς;
ΑΛ. Οὐκ ἐννοῶ.
ΣΩ. Ἀλλὰ πειρῶ ἐμὲ μιμεῖσθαι. ἐγὼ γάρ που ἀπεκρινάμην τὸ διὰ παντὸς ὀρθῶς ἔχον, ὀρθῶς δὲ δήπου ἔχει τὸ κατὰ τὴν τέχνην γιγνόμενον· ἢ οὔ;
ΑΛ. Ναί.
ΣΩ. Ἡ δὲ τέχνη οὐ γυμναστικὴ ἦν;
ΑΛ. Πῶς δ’ οὔ;
108cΣΩ. Ἐγὼ δ’ εἶπον τὸ ἐν τῷ παλαίειν βέλτιον γυμναστικόν.
ΑΛ. Εἶπες γάρ.
ΣΩ. Οὐκοῦν καλῶς;
ΑΛ. Ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ.
Alcibiades I
p. 17when he advised with whom one ought to wrestle and with whom not, and when, and in what way? What I mean is this: ought one to wrestle with those it is better to, or not?
Alc. Yes.
Soc. 108a And as much as is better?
Alc. As much.
Soc. And at the time when it is better?
Alc. Certainly.
Soc. Again, one who is singing must sometimes play the lyre to accompany the song, and keep step?
Alc. He must.
Soc. At the time when it is better?
Alc. Yes.
Soc. And as much as is better?
Alc. I say so.
Soc. Well then: since you used the word “better” of both, 108b of playing the lyre to accompany the song and of wrestling, what do you call the better in lyre-playing, as I call the better in wrestling “gymnastic”? What do you call that?
Alc. I can’t think.
Soc. Then try to imitate me. My answer, I take it, named what is right in every case; and what is done according to the craft is surely right, isn’t it?
Alc. Yes.
Soc. And wasn’t the craft gymnastics?
Alc. Of course.
Soc. 108c And I said that the better in wrestling was gymnastic.1
Alc. You did.
Soc. Well said, wasn’t it?
Alc. I think so.
Socrates
Reading Alcibiades I · Alcibiades I · 107e–108c
Ask about a concept, passage, contradiction, or connection.
Socrates will begin with this book and its sources.About This Reading Edition
Socrates and Alcibiades examine political ambition, education, justice, and the care of the soul. Their inquiry turns on what it means to know oneself. This complete revised edition presents the dialogue, 103a–135e, across fifty-eight Greek–English page pairs, with an introduction, Key Words of the Dialogue, an outline, glossary, critical apparatus, and translator’s notes. The dialogue is transmitted among Plato’s works; its authorship remains disputed.
Historical Text and Translation
The Greek follows John Burnet’s Platonis Opera, volume II (Oxford, 1901), in a later Oxford impression printed by John Johnson and published by Humphrey Milford. The words were taken from the Perseus Digital Library transcription and checked against the supplied printed pages. Burnet’s lineation and critical apparatus are retained, including the extended mirror passage at 133c. The supplied PDF preserves the complete printed layout.
About Diotimos Editions
Diotimos Editions prepared and revised this independent English translation directly from the Greek, preserving the argument’s distinctions, consistent key terms, Socrates’ humor, and the quick exchanges with Alcibiades. Each English dialogue page translates the Greek page opposite it. Translator’s notes accompany their passages. The introduction and Key Words of the Dialogue precede the text; the Outline, Editorial Note, Glossary of Key Terms, and Note on this Edition follow it. Introductory and concluding matter reflows for the screen.
Rights
The ancient Greek work and Burnet’s printed edition are in the public domain. The Perseus digital Greek transcription and its modifications are attributed to the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, and reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. The independent English translation and Diotimos editorial matter are © 2026 Diotimos Editions.