§127ΣΩ. νῦν οὖν ταὐτὰ ταῦτα αὐτὸς πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ποιῶν θαυμάζεις, καὶ μέμφῃ εἰ ἀπορεῖ ὅτι σοι χρήσηται καὶ ὅποι πέμποι;
Socrates: Now then, doing these very same things yourself to your father, do you wonder at and blame him if he is at a loss as to what to do with you and where to send you?
ἐπεὶ Ἀθηναίων γε τῶν καλῶν κἀγαθῶν τὰ πολιτικὰ ὅτῳ ἂν βούλῃ συστήσομέν σε, ὅς σοι προῖκα συνέσται· καὶ ἅμα μὲν ἀργύριον οὐκ ἀναλώσεις, ἅμα δὲ πολὺ μᾶλλον εὐδοκιμήσεις παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἢ ἄλλῳ τῳ συνών.
For indeed, we will introduce you to whichever you wish of the noble and good Athenians, who will associate with you for free; and at the same time, you will not spend money, and at the same time, you will be much more highly esteemed among the multitude of people than by associating with anyone else.
ΘΕ. τί οὖν, ὦ Σώκρατες;
Theages: What then, Socrates?
οὐ καὶ σὺ τῶν καλῶν κἀγαθῶν εἰ ἀνδρῶν;
Are you not also one of the noble and good men?
εἰ γὰρ σύ μοι ἐθέλοις συνεῖναι, ἐξαρκεῖ καὶ οὐδένα ἄλλον ζητῶ.
For if you would be willing to associate with me, that is enough and I seek no one else.
ΣΩ. τί τοῦτο λέγεις, Θέαγες;
Socrates: Why do you say this, Theages?
ΔΗ. ὦ Σώκρατες, οὐ μέντοι κακῶς λέγει, καὶ ἅμα μὲν ἐμοὶ χαριῇ· ὡς ἐγὼ οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅτι τούτου μεῖζον ἂν ἕρμαιον ἡγησαίμην, ἢ εἰ οὗτός τε ἀρέσκοιτο τῇ σῇ συνουσίᾳ καὶ σὺ ἐθέλοις τούτῳ συνεῖναι.
Demodocus: Socrates, indeed he does not speak badly, and at the same time you will do me a favor; since there is nothing I would regard as a greater windfall than if he were pleased with your association and you were willing to associate with him.
καὶ μέντοι καὶ αἰσχύνομαι λέγειν ὡς σφόδρα βούλομαι.
And indeed I am even ashamed to say how much I desire it.
ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ ἀμφοτέρων ὑμῶν δέομαι, σέ τʼ ἐθέλειν τούτῳ συνεῖναι καὶ σὲ μὴ ζητεῖν ἄλλῳ μηδενὶ συγγενέσθαι ἢ Σωκράτει· καί με πολλῶν καὶ φοβερῶν ἀπαλλάξετε φροντίδων.
But I beg both of you, you to be willing to associate with him, and you not to seek to associate with anyone else than Socrates; and you will release me from many and fearful anxieties.
ὡς νῦν πάνυ φοβοῦμαι ὑπὲρ τούτου μή τινι ἄλλῳ ἐντύχῃ οἵῳ τοῦτον διαφθεῖραι.
For now I am terribly afraid for him lest he meet with someone else who might corrupt him.
ΘΕ. μηκέτι νῦν, ὦ πάτερ, ὑπέρ γʼ ἐμοῦ φοβοῦ, εἴπερ οἷός τʼ εἶ πεῖσαι τοῦτον τὴν ἐμὴν συνουσίαν προσδέξασθαι.
Theages: Do not fear for me any longer now, father, if you are indeed able to persuade him to accept my association.
ΔΗ. πάνυ καλῶς λέγεις.
Demodocus: You speak very well.
ὦ Σώκρατες, πρὸς σὲ δʼ ἂν ἤδη εἴη ὁ μετὰ τοῦτο λόγος· ἐγὼ γάρ σοι ἕτοιμός εἰμι, ὡς διὰ βραχέων εἰπεῖν, καὶ ἐμὲ καὶ τὰ ἐμὰ ὡς οἷόν τε οἰκειότατα παρέχειν, ὅτου ἂν δέῃ ἔμβραχυ, ἐὰν Θεάγη τουτονὶ ἀσπάζῃ τε καὶ εὐεργετῇς ὅτι ἂν οἷός τε ᾖς.
Socrates, the next speech would now be addressed to you; for I am ready, to put it briefly, to offer both myself and my possessions as most intimately as possible, for whatever might be needed in short, if you will welcome this Theages here and benefit him in whatever way you can.
ΣΩ. ὦ Δημόδοκε, τὸ μὲν ἐσπουδακέναι σε οὐ θαυμάζω, εἴπερ οἴει ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ μάλιστʼ ἄν σοι τοῦτον ὠφεληθῆναι—οὐ γὰρ οἶδα ὑπὲρ ὅτου ἄν τις νοῦν ἔχων μᾶλλον σπουδάζοι ἢ ὑπὲρ ὑέος αὑτοῦ ὅπως ὡς βέλτιστος ἔσται—ὁπόθεν δὲ ἔδοξέ σοι τοῦτο, ὡς ἐγὼ ἂν μᾶλλον τὸν σὸν ὑὸν οἷός τʼ εἴην ὠφελῆσαι πρὸς τὸ πολίτην ἀγαθὸν γενέσθαι ἢ σὺ αὐτός, καὶ ὁπόθεν οὗτος ᾠήθη ἐμὲ μᾶλλον ἢ σὲ αὐτὸν ὠφελήσειν, τοῦτο πάνυ θαυμάζω.
Socrates: Demodocus, I do not wonder at your being so earnest, if indeed you think that he would be most benefited by me—for I do not know on whose behalf anyone of sound mind would be more earnest than on behalf of his own son, so that he may be as good as possible—but whence this seemed so to you, that I would be more able to benefit your son to become a good citizen than you yourself, and whence he thought that I would benefit him more than you yourself, at this I wonder greatly.
σὺ γὰρ πρῶτον μὲν πρεσβύτερος εἶ ἐμοῦ, ἔπειτα πολλὰς ἤδη ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς μεγίστας Ἀθηναίοις ἦρξας, καὶ τιμᾷ ὑπὸ Ἀναγυρασίων τε τῶν δημοτῶν πολὺ μάλιστα καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς ἄλλης πόλεως οὐδενὸς ἧττον· ἐμοὶ δὲ τούτων οὐδὲν ἐνορᾷ οὐδέτερος ὑμῶν.
For you, first of all, are older than I, and next, you have already held many and the greatest offices for the Athenians, and you are honored highly by your fellow demesmen of Anagyras, and no less than anyone else by the rest of the city; but neither of you sees any of these things in me.