ἔχοντι ὡς ἔχω. Cp. ὧδ᾽ ἔχοντι, 215 A.
οὐκ...ἀληθῆ. Notice these repeated protestations of veracity: cp. 214 E, 215 B (and see Introd. § II. A).
οὐκ ἂν καρτερήσαιμι. Contrast with this the καρτερία of Socr., 219 D, 220 A.
βίᾳ...φεύγων. “Invitus mihique ipsi vim inferens aufugio” (Rückert). Hommel wrongly takes βίᾳ with ἐπισχόμενος. βύων, the conjecture of Abresch, based on Hesych. (βύων τὰ ὦτα: ἐπιφράττων) makes the order awkward and produces tautology. ἐπισχόμενος τὰ ὦτα is the opposite of the foregoing παρέχειν τὰ ὦτα: cp. Plut. Pomp. 55; Hor. Ep. II. 2. 105 obturem patulas impune legentibus aures; Acts vii. 57 συνέσχον τὰ ὦτα αὐτῶν: Ps. lviii. 4, 5 (A.V.) “they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear; which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.” For the Σειρῆνες, cp. Hom. Od. XII. 39 ff., and see Harrison Proleg. pp. 197 ff.
αὐτοῦ...παρὰ τούτῳ . αὐτοῦ is not really “redundant” (as Ast)—“sitting still here beside him,” i.e. “müssig und entfernt von Staatsgeschaften” etc. (Rettig); cp. Ar. Ran. 1490 ff.; Apol. 31 C ff.
καταγηράσω. Perhaps a double entendre—A. implying that S.'s moralizings (“rumores senum severiorum”) would soon make an old man of him.
