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Plato

Theages

Ancient Greek with an independent English translation.

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TheagesTheages · 125b–125d

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Theages · 125b–125d

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Ancient Greek

p. 16

ΣΩ. Ἔασον, ὠγαθέ. διαπυθώμεθα αὐτοῦ πρῶτον ἱκανῶς.

ΔΗ. Πυνθάνου δή.

ΣΩ. Τί οὖν ἂν εἰ Εὐριπίδῃ τι προσχρησαίμεθα, ὦ Θέαγες; Εὐριπίδης γάρ πού φησιν—

  σοφοὶ τύραννοι τῶν σοφῶν συνουσίᾳ·

εἰ οὖν ἔροιτό τις τὸν Εὐριπίδην· “Ὦ Εὐριπίδη, τῶν τί 125c σοφῶν συνουσίᾳ φῂς σοφοὺς εἶναι τοὺς τυράννους;” ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ εἰπόντα—

  σοφοὶ γεωργοὶ τῶν σοφῶν συνουσίᾳ,

ἠρόμεθα “Τῶν τί σοφῶν;” τί ἂν ἡμῖν ἀπεκρίνατο; ἆρ’ ἂν ἄλλο τι ἢ τῶν τὰ γεωργικά;

ΘΕ. Οὔκ, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο.

ΣΩ. Τί δὲ εἰ εἶπε—

  σοφοὶ μάγειροι τῶν σοφῶν συνουσίᾳ,

εἰ ἠρόμεθα· “Τῶν τί σοφῶν;” τί ἂν ἡμῖν ἀπεκρίνατο; οὐχ ὅτι τῶν μαγείρων;

ΘΕ. Ναί.

ΣΩ. Τί δ’ εἰ—

  σοφοὶ παλαισταὶ τῶν σοφῶν συνουσίᾳ

εἶπεν, εἰ ἠρόμεθα· “Τῶν τί σοφῶν;” ἆρα οὐκ ἂν τῶν 125d παλαίειν ἔφη;

ΘΕ. Ναί.

ΣΩ. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἶπε—

  σοφοὶ τύραννοι τῶν σοφῶν συνουσίᾳ,

ἡμῶν ἐρωτώντων· “Τῶν τί σοφῶν λέγεις, ὦ Εὐριπίδη;” τί ἂν φαίη; ποῖα ἂν εἶναι ταῦτα;

ΘΕ. Ἀλλὰ μὰ Δί’ οὐκ οἶδ’ ἔγωγε.

16

Theages

p. 17

Soc. Let it be, my good friend. Let us first find out from him thoroughly enough.

Dem. Find out, then.

Soc. What, then, if we were to make some further use of Euripides, Theages? For Euripides says somewhere—1

Wise are tyrants by being with the wise.

If someone, then, were to ask Euripides, “Euripides, 125c by being with those wise in what do you say that tyrants are wise?”, just as if he had said—

Wise are farmers by being with the wise,

and we asked, “Those wise in what?”, what would he answer us? Would it be anything other than “those wise in farming”?

Theag. No, that.

Soc. And what if he said—

Wise are cooks by being with the wise,

if we asked, “Those wise in what?”, what would he answer us? Would it not be “the cooks”?

Theag. Yes.

Soc. And what if—

Wise are wrestlers by being with the wise,

he said, if we asked, “Those wise in what?”, would 125d he not say “those wise in wrestling”?

Theag. Yes.

Soc. But since he said—

Wise are tyrants by being with the wise,

when we ask, “Those wise in what do you mean, Euripides?”, what would he say? What sort of things would these be?

Theag. Why, by Zeus, I do not know.

17

About This Reading Edition

Demodocus asks Socrates how his son Theages can become wise. Their conversation turns from political ambition and the sophists to Socrates’ divine sign and the uncertain benefits of keeping his company. This complete edition presents the dialogue, 121a–131a, across seventeen Greek–English page pairs, with an introduction, Key Words of the Dialogue, an outline, glossary, critical apparatus, and thirty-nine 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 III (Oxford, 1903; second impression, corrected, 1909), printed at Oxford by Horace Hart. The supplied edition checks the Perseus Digital Library transcription against the photographed pages and preserves Burnet’s speaker names, verse quotations, editorial signs, and critical apparatus. The companion PDF retains the printed lineation and complete page layout.

About Diotimos Editions

Diotimos Editions prepared this independent English translation directly from the Greek. Each English dialogue page translates the Greek page opposite it, with Stephanus references in the margin and all thirty-nine translator’s notes attached to 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.

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.