Diotimos Library · Plato Collection · Bilingual Edition
Swipe or use the arrow keys.
Ancient Greek Page · Branch 5 of 28
Alcibiades II · 138c–139a
Ancient Greek
p. 4τινα εὔξασθαι, ἕτερα πρὸς τοῖς ὑπάρχουσιν κατηρᾶτο· τοιγαροῦν ταῦτά τε ἐξετελέσθη, καὶ ἐκ τούτων ἄλλα πολλὰ καὶ δεινά, ἃ τί δεῖ καθ’ ἕκαστα λέγειν;
ΑΛ. Ἀλλὰ σὺ μέν, ὦ Σώκρατες, μαινόμενον ἄνθρωπον εἴρηκας· ἐπεὶ τίς ἄν σοι δοκεῖ τολμῆσαι ὑγιαίνων τοιαῦτ’ εὔξασθαι;
ΣΩ. Τὸ μαίνεσθαι ἆρά γε ὑπεναντίον σοι δοκεῖ τῷ φρονεῖν;
ΑΛ. Πάνυ μὲν οὖν.
138dΣΩ. Ἄφρονες δὲ καὶ φρόνιμοι δοκοῦσιν ἄνθρωποι εἶναί τινές σοι;
ΑΛ. Εἶναι μέντοι.
ΣΩ. Φέρε δή, ἐπισκεψώμεθα τίνες ποτ’ εἰσὶν οὗτοι. ὅτι μὲν γάρ εἰσί τινες, ὡμολόγηται, ἄφρονές τε καὶ φρόνιμοι, καὶ μαινόμενοι ἕτεροι.
ΑΛ. Ὡμολόγηται γάρ.
ΣΩ. Ἔτι δὲ ὑγιαίνοντές εἰσί τινες;
ΑΛ. Εἰσίν.
ΣΩ. Οὐκοῦν καὶ ἀσθενοῦντες ἕτεροι;
139aΑΛ. Πάνυ γε.
ΣΩ. Οὐκοῦν οὐχ οἱ αὐτοί;
ΑΛ. Οὐ γάρ.
ΣΩ. Ἆρ’ οὖν καὶ ἕτεροί τινές εἰσιν, οἳ μηδέτερα τούτων πεπόνθασιν;
ΑΛ. Οὐ δῆτα.
ΣΩ. Ἀνάγκη γάρ ἐστιν ἄνθρωπον ὄντα ἢ νοσεῖν ἢ μὴ νοσεῖν.
ΑΛ. Ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ.
ΣΩ. Τί δέ; περὶ φρονήσεως καὶ ἀφροσύνης ἆρά γε τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχεις σὺ γνώμην;
ΑΛ. Πῶς λέγεις;
Alcibiades II
p. 5he called down others on top of those he had already.1 And so these were fulfilled, and from them many other dreadful things as well; but what need is there to tell them one by one?
Alc. But you, Socrates, have spoken of a madman; for who do you think would dare, if he were healthy, to pray for such things?2
Soc. Do you think that being mad is the opposite of being intelligent?
Alc. Certainly.
Soc. 138d And do you think some men are unintelligent and some intelligent?
Alc. They are indeed.
Soc. Come, then, let us look into who on earth these are. For that there are some, unintelligent and intelligent, and others who are mad, has been agreed.
Alc. Yes, it has been agreed.
Soc. And again, are there some who are healthy?
Alc. There are.
Soc. And others who are sick?
Alc. 139a Certainly.
Soc. And they are not the same people?
Alc. No.
Soc. Are there, then, some others besides, who are in neither of these conditions?
Alc. Certainly not.
Soc. For a man, being a man, must either be ill or not be ill.
Alc. I think so.
Soc. What, then? About intelligence and unintelligence, do you hold the same view?
Alc. What do you mean?
Socrates
Reading Alcibiades II · Alcibiades II · 138c–139a
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 prayer, ignorance, and the knowledge of what is best. Their inquiry asks whether receiving what we desire can harm us when we do not know what is good. This complete revised edition presents the dialogue, 138a–151c, across twenty-one 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, verse quotations, and critical apparatus are retained. 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 and the vocabulary of prayer and ritual. 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.