Theages

Name: Theages
Author: Plato

Ancient Greek with an independent English translation.

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TheagesTheages · 129a–129d

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Ancient Greek Page · Branch 17 of 24

Theages · 129a–129d

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Ancient Greek

p. 28

129aἃ αὐτῷ συνέβη ἀπὸ ταύτης τῆς ἀσκήσεως. εἰ δὲ βούλεσθε, τὸν Τιμάρχου ἀδελφὸν Κλειτόμαχον ἔρεσθε τί εἶπεν αὐτῷ Τίμαρχος ἡνίκα ἀποθανούμενος ᾔει †εὐθὺ τοῦ δαιμονίου†, ἐκεῖνός τε καὶ Εὔαθλος ὁ σταδιοδρομῶν ὃς Τίμαρχον ὑπεδέξατο φεύγοντα· ἐρεῖ γὰρ ὑμῖν ὅτι εἶπεν αὐτῷ ταυτί.

ΘΕ. Τί;

ΣΩ. “Ὦ Κλειτόμαχε,” ἔφη, “ἐγὼ μέντοι ἔρχομαι ἀποθανούμενος νυνί, διότι Σωκράτει οὐκ ἤθελον πείθεσθαι.” τί δὴ οὖν ποτε τοῦτο εἶπεν ὁ Τίμαρχος; ἐγὼ φράσω. ὅτε 129b ἀνίστατο ἐκ τοῦ συμποσίου ὁ Τίμαρχος καὶ Φιλήμων ὁ Φιλημονίδου ἀποκτενοῦντες Νικίαν τὸν Ἡροσκαμάνδρου, ἠπιστάσθην μὲν αὐτὼ μόνω τὴν ἐπιβουλήν, ὁ δὲ Τίμαρχος ἀνιστάμενος πρὸς ἐμὲ εἶπεν, “Τί λέγεις,” ἔφη, “ὦ Σώκρατες; ὑμεῖς μὲν πίνετε, ἐμὲ δὲ δεῖ ποι ἐξαναστῆναι· ἥξω δὲ ὀλίγον ὕστερον, ἐὰν τύχω.” καί μοι ἐγένετο ἡ φωνή, καὶ εἶπον πρὸς αὐτόν, “Μηδαμῶς,” ἔφην, “ἀναστῇς· γέγονε γάρ μοι τὸ εἰωθὸς σημεῖον τὸ δαιμόνιον.” καὶ ὃς ἐπέσχε. 129c καὶ διαλιπὼν χρόνον αὖθις ὡρμᾶτο ἰέναι, καὶ ἔφη· “Εἶμι δή, Σώκρατες.” αὖθις ἐγένετο ἡ φωνή· αὖθις οὖν αὐτὸν ἠνάγκασα ἐπισχεῖν. τὸ τρίτον, βουλόμενός με λαθεῖν, ἀνέστη οὐκέτι εἰπών μοι οὐδὲν ἀλλὰ λαθών, ἐπιτηρήσας ἄλλοσε τὸν νοῦν ἔχοντα· καὶ οὕτως ᾤχετο ἀπιὼν καὶ διεπράξατο ἐξ ὧν ᾔει ἀποθανούμενος. ὅθεν δὴ τοῦτο εἶπεν πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν ὅπερ νῦν ὑμῖν ἐγώ, ὅτι ἴοι ἀποθανούμενος διὰ τὸ ἐμοὶ ἀπιστῆσαι. ἔτι τοίνυν περὶ τῶν ἐν Σικελίᾳ 129d πολλῶν ἀκούσεσθον ἃ ἐγὼ ἔλεγον περὶ τῆς διαφθορᾶς τοῦ στρατοπέδου. καὶ τὰ μὲν παρεληλυθότα τῶν εἰδότων ἔστιν ἀκοῦσαι· πεῖραν δ’ ἔξεστι νυνὶ λαβεῖν τοῦ σημείου εἰ ἄρα τὶ λέγει. ἐπὶ γὰρ τῇ ἐπὶ στρατείαν ἐξορμῇ Σαννίωνος τοῦ

129a 1.Source editor’s annotationβούλεσθε B² T: βούλεσθαι B

129a 2.Source editor’s annotationἔρεσθαι B T W (sed ε supra αι W)

129a 3.Source editor’s annotationᾔει B² T: εἴηι in marg. B

129a 3.Source editor’s annotationδαιμονίου] δημίου vel δημοσίου Baiter

129a 5.Source editor’s annotationταυτί T W: ταῦτα B

129b 4.Source editor’s annotationἀνιστάμενος T: ἀνισται**μενος B

129b 4.Source editor’s annotationπρὸς ἐμὲ B W: πρός με T

129c 1.Source editor’s annotationδιαλιπὼν B: διαλείπων T

129c 8.Source editor’s annotationτῶν T: τὸν B

129d 1.Source editor’s annotationδιαφθορᾶς B T: διαφορᾶς W

129d 4.Source editor’s annotationτοῦ Καλοῦ Ficinus (Cali filium)

Theages

p. 29

129awhat happened to him as a result of this training. And if you wish, ask Clitomachus, the brother of Timarchus, what Timarchus said to him when he was going to his death †straight for the daimonic†,¹ he and Euathlus the stadion-runner, who took in Timarchus when he was in flight; for he will tell you that he said this to him.

Theag. What?

Soc. “Clitomachus,” he said, “I am indeed going to my death now, because I was not willing to obey Socrates.” Now why in the world did Timarchus say this? I will tell you. When 129b Timarchus was getting up from the drinking party, and Philemon son of Philemonides, to kill Nicias son of Heroscamandrus,² the two of them alone knew of the plot; and Timarchus, getting up, said to me, “What do you say,” he said, “Socrates? You go on drinking; I must get up and be off somewhere; I will come back a little later, if I have the luck.” And the voice came to me, and I said to him, “On no account,” I said, “get up; for the customary sign, the daimonic one, has come to me.” And he held back. 129c And after letting some time pass he made to go again, and said, “I am going now, Socrates.” Again the voice came; so again I made him hold back. The third time, wishing to escape my notice, he got up without saying anything more to me, but escaping my notice, having watched for when I had my mind elsewhere; and so he went off and did the deeds for which he was going to his death. That is why he said to his brother what I am now telling you, that he was going to his death because he had disobeyed me. Further, about the affairs in Sicily 129d you will both hear from many what I said about the destruction of the army.³ And the things that are past one may hear from those who know; but you can make trial of the sign now, whether there is after all anything in what it says. For at the setting out on campaign of Sannion,

1.Burnet marks these words as corrupt; as printed they would mean “straight for the daimonic”. Baiter proposed “the executioner” or “the public prison” (dēmiou or dēmosiou) in place of “the daimonic”.

2.Timarchus, Clitomachus and Nicias son of Heroscamandrus are not otherwise known. A Euathlus, a speaker in the courts, appears in Aristophanes (Acharnians 710, Wasps 592) and as Protagoras’ pupil (Diogenes Laertius 9.56), and a Philemon is mocked as a Phrygian in the Birds (763); nothing shows that either is the man named here.

3.The Athenian expedition to Sicily sailed in 415 BC and ended in 413 with the destruction of the army in its retreat from Syracuse (Thucydides 7.84–87). Plutarch says that Socrates’ sign showed him the expedition would ruin the city, and that the story spread from his friends to many (Nicias 13.6).

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.