κοινοὺς κτἑ.: Prodicus gave much attention to the matter of synonyms, ὀρθότης τῶν ὀνομάτων, as he termed it, and his lecture upon the subject cost fifty drachmas. Cf. Crat. 384 b; Spengel συναγωγὴ τεχνῶν pp. 46-59. Since he attached too great value to this art, as it seems, and was always introducing such distinctions, he here, as 340 a, 358
α δ, encounters the raillery of Socrates. For the sake of making a good hit, Plato perhaps goes beyond the reality in his description. κοινός and ἴσος were habitually joined with ἀκροατής. Cf. Dem. de Cor. 7 παρασχὼν ἑαυτὸν ἴσον καὶ κοινὸν ἀμφοτέροις ἀκροα- τήν, XXIX. 1 ἄν περ ἴσοι καὶ κοινοὶ γένησθε ἡμῶν ἀκροαταί, XV. 29 τῶν μὲν γὰρ ἰδίων δικαίων οἱ νόμοι κοινὴν τὴν μετουσίαν ἔδοσαν καὶ ἴσην καὶ τοῖς ἀσθενέσι καὶ τοῖς ἰσχυροῖς. Prodicus's remark takes up the κοινῇ used by Critias.
ἐγὼ μὲν καὶ αὐτὸς κτἑ.: cf. Prisc. viii. 35 Cicero in Protagora: nunc a vobis, o Protagora et Socrates, postulo, ut de isto concedatis alter alteri et inter vos de hujuscemodi rebus controversemini, non concertetis.
