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Ancient Greek Page · Branch 8 of 19
Hipparchus · 227c–228a
Ancient Greek
p. 10ΕΤ. Εἴ τις, ὦ Σώκρατες οἶμαι ὀρθῶς λαμβάνοι τὸν 227d φιλοκερδῆ. ὀρθῶς δ’ ἐστὶ τοῦτον ἡγεῖσθαι φιλοκερδῆ, ὃς ἂν σπουδάζῃ ἐπὶ τούτοις καὶ ἀξιοῖ κερδαίνειν ἀπ’ αὐτῶν, ἀφ’ ὧν οἱ χρηστοὶ οὐ τολμῶσι κερδαίνειν.
ΣΩ. Ἀλλ’ ὁρᾷς, ὦ γλυκύτατε, τὸ κερδαίνειν ἄρτι ὡμολογήσαμεν εἶναι ὠφελεῖσθαι.
ΕΤ. Τί οὖν δὴ τοῦτο;
ΣΩ. Ὅτι καὶ τόδε αὐτῷ προσωμολογήσαμεν, βούλεσθαι τὰ ἀγαθὰ πάντας καὶ ἀεί.
ΕΤ. Ναί.
ΣΩ. Οὐκοῦν καὶ οἱ ἀγαθοὶ πάντα τὰ κέρδη βούλονται ἔχειν, εἴπερ ἀγαθά γέ ἐστιν.
227eΕΤ. Οὐκ ἀφ’ ὧν γε μέλλουσιν, ὦ Σώκρατες, βλαβήσεσθαι τῶν κερδῶν.
ΣΩ. Βλαβήσεσθαι δὲ λέγεις ζημιώσεσθαι ἢ ἄλλο τι;
ΕΤ. Οὔκ, ἀλλὰ ζημιώσεσθαι λέγω.
ΣΩ. Ὑπὸ τοῦ κέρδους οὖν ζημιοῦνται ἢ ὑπὸ τῆς ζημίας ἄνθρωποι;
ΕΤ. Ὑπὸ ἀμφοτέρων· καὶ γὰρ ὑπὸ τῆς ζημίας ζημιοῦνται καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ κέρδους τοῦ πονηροῦ.
ΣΩ. Ἦ δοκεῖ οὖν τί σοι χρηστὸν καὶ ἀγαθὸν πρᾶγμα πονηρὸν εἶναι;
ΕΤ. Οὐκ ἔμοιγε.
228aΣΩ. Οὐκοῦν ὡμολογήσαμεν ὀλίγον πρότερον τὸ κέρδος τῇ ζημίᾳ κακῷ ὄντι ἐναντίον εἶναι;
ΕΤ. Φημί.
ΣΩ. Ἐναντίον δὲ ὂν κακῷ ἀγαθὸν εἶναι;
ΕΤ. Ὡμολογήσαμεν γάρ.
ΣΩ. Ὁρᾷς οὖν, ἐπιχειρεῖς με ἐξαπατᾶν, ἐπίτηδες ἐναντία λέγων οἷς ἄρτι ὡμολογήσαμεν.
Hipparchus
p. 11Comp. If one were rightly to take the 227d lover of gain, Socrates, I think. And it is right to think that man a lover of gain who is in earnest about those things, and thinks fit to gain from them, from which decent men do not dare to gain.1
Soc. But you see, my sweetest friend, we agreed just now that to gain is to be benefited.
Comp. Well, what of it?
Soc. That in addition to it we also agreed to this: that everyone wishes for good things, and always.2
Comp. Yes.
Soc. Then good men too wish to have all gains, if indeed they are good things.
Comp. 227e Not the gains, at any rate, Socrates, from which they are going to be harmed.
Soc. By “going to be harmed” do you mean “going to suffer loss”, or something else?
Comp. No: I mean “going to suffer loss”.
Soc. Then do men suffer loss by gain, or by loss?
Comp. By both: for they suffer loss both by loss and by base gain.
Soc. Well, does any decent and good thing seem to you to be base?
Comp. Not to me.
Soc. 228a Didn’t we agree a little earlier that gain is the opposite of loss, which is bad?
Comp. I say so.
Soc. And that, being the opposite of a bad thing, it is good?
Comp. We did agree to it.
Soc. You see, then: you are trying to deceive me, saying on purpose things that are the opposite of what we agreed just now.
Socrates
Reading Hipparchus · Hipparchus · 227c–228a
Ask about a concept, passage, contradiction, or connection.
Socrates will begin with this book and its sources.About This Reading Edition
Socrates and an unnamed companion examine the love of gain, the difference between gain and loss, and whether everyone desires what is good. This complete revised edition presents the dialogue, 225a–232c, across twelve 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; second edition, 1910), in a later impression printed by John Johnson. The words were taken from the Perseus Digital Library transcription and checked against the supplied printed pages. Burnet’s lineation, verse quotations, editorial signs, 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, consistent key terms, and Socrates’ humor. Each English dialogue page translates the Greek page opposite it. All 26 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.