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Plato

Theages

Ancient Greek with an independent English translation.

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TheagesTheages · 130c–131a

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Theages · 130c–131a

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Ancient Greek

p. 32

130cἔχω, ὦ Σώκρατες.” “Τί μάλιστα;” ἔφην ἐγώ. “Ὅτι,” ἔφη, “πρὶν μὲν ἐκπλεῖν, ὁτῳοῦν ἀνθρώπῳ οἷός τ’ ἦ διαλέγεσθαι καὶ μηδενὸς χείρων φαίνεσθαι ἐν τοῖς λόγοις, ὥστε καὶ ἐδίωκον τὰς συνουσίας τῶν χαριεστάτων ἀνθρώπων, νυνὶ δὲ τοὐναντίον φεύγω ἄν τινα καὶ αἰσθάνωμαι πεπαιδευμένον· οὕτως αἰσχύνομαι ἐπὶ τῇ ἐμαυτοῦ φαυλότητι.” “Πότερον δέ,” ἦν δ’ ἐγώ, “ἐξαίφνης σε προύλιπεν αὕτη ἡ δύναμις ἢ κατὰ σμικρόν;” “Κατὰ σμικρόν,” ἦ δ’ ὅς. 130d “Ἡνίκα δέ σοι παρεγένετο,” ἦν δ’ ἐγώ, “πότερον μαθόντι παρ’ ἐμοῦ τι παρεγένετο ἤ τινι ἄλλῳ τρόπῳ;” “Ἐγώ σοι ἐρῶ,” ἔφη, “ὦ Σώκρατες, ἄπιστον μὲν νὴ τοὺς θεούς, ἀληθὲς δέ. ἐγὼ γὰρ ἔμαθον μὲν παρά σου οὐδὲν πώποτε, ὡς αὐτὸς οἶσθα· ἐπεδίδουν δὲ ὁπότε σοι συνείην, κἂν εἰ ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ μόνον οἰκίᾳ εἴην, μὴ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ δὲ οἰκήματι, μᾶλλον δὲ ὁπότε ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ οἰκήματι, καὶ ἔμοιγε ἐδόκουν πολὺ μᾶλλον ὁπότε ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ οἰκήματι ὢν λέγοντός σου βλέποιμι πρὸς 130e σέ, μᾶλλον ἢ ὁπότε ἄλλοσε ὁρῴην, πολὺ δὲ μάλιστα καὶ πλεῖστον ἐπεδίδουν ὁπότε παρ’ αὐτόν σε καθοίμην ἐχόμενός σου καὶ ἁπτόμενος· νῦν δέ,” ἦ δ’ ὅς, “πᾶσα ἐκείνη ἡ ἕξις ἐξερρύηκε.”

Ἔστιν οὖν, ὦ Θέαγες, τοιαύτη ἡ ἡμετέρα συνουσία· ἐὰν μὲν τῷ θεῷ φίλον ᾖ, πάνυ πολὺ ἐπιδώσεις καὶ ταχύ, εἰ δὲ μή, οὔ. ὅρα οὖν μή σοι ἀσφαλέστερον ᾖ παρ’ ἐκείνων τινὶ παιδεύεσθαι οἳ ἐγκρατεῖς αὐτοί εἰσιν τῆς ὠφελίας ἣν ὠφελοῦσιν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους μᾶλλον ἢ παρ’ ἐμοῦ ὅτι ἂν τύχῃ τοῦτο πρᾶξαι.

131aΘΕ. Ἐμοὶ μὲν τοίνυν δοκεῖ, ὦ Σώκρατες, ἡμᾶς οὑτωσὶ ποιῆσαι, ἀποπειραθῆναι τοῦ δαιμονίου τούτου συνόντας

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Theages

p. 33

“130cam in a laughable state, Socrates.” “Why, exactly?” I said. “Because,” he said, “before I sailed I was able to talk with anyone at all and to appear worse than no one in arguments, so that I even pursued being with the most cultivated men; but now, on the contrary, I flee if I so much as perceive that anyone is educated, so ashamed am I of my own poor quality.” “And did this power,” I said, “leave you suddenly, or little by little?” “Little by little,” he said. 130d “And when it came to you,” I said, “did it come to you by learning something from me, or in some other way?” “I will tell you, Socrates,” he said, “a thing past belief, by the gods, but true. For I never learned anything from you, as you yourself know; but I made progress whenever I was with you, even if I was only in the same house, not in the same room, but more when I was in the same room, and, as I seemed to myself, much more when, being in the same room while you were speaking, I looked at 130e you, than when I looked elsewhere; and by far the most and the greatest progress I made when I sat beside you, keeping hold of you and touching you. But now,” he said, “all that state has drained away.”

Such, then, Theages, is our being with one another: if it is dear to the god, you will make very great progress, and quickly; if not, not.1 So see whether it may not be safer for you to be educated by one of those who are themselves masters of the benefit with which they benefit men, rather than to come away from me with whatever chance may bring.

Theag. 131a Well, Socrates, it seems to me that we should do this: make trial of this daimonic thing by being with

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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.