James Adam, The Republic of Plato

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554A - 555B In character, the oligarchical man resembles the oligarchical State. He gratifies his ‘necessary’ desires and no others. He is avaricious, niggardly, sordid, and the blind god of wealth is leader of the chorus of his soul. From time to time, as opportunity offers, the drone-like desires within him assert themselves, but for the most part he forcibly represses them through fear of consequences. Thus, although his soul is a prey to sedition, his better desires generally prevail over those which are worse. In public competitions he is usually content to be beaten and save his money.

ἐργάτης: not simply ‘hardworking’ (D. and V.), but with reference to illiberalis labor.

ἀναγκαίους. This form of the feminine recurs in IV 425 D, supra 558 D, 559 A, 561 A (ter) and IX 572 C; but in 558 D we have ἀναγκαῖαι, and ἀναγκαία in 559 B, C. See Schneider on IV 425 D. There is no justification for making ἀναγκαῖος consistently an adjective of either two or three terminations (as suggested by Richards). The full meaning of ἀναγκαῖοι ἐπιθυμίαι is explained in 558 D ff.

τὰ ἄλλα ἀναλώματα “sunt pecuniae in cetera impendendae, quas hic negatur παρέχεσθαι, de suis praebere” (Schneider). With ἄλλα cf. ἄλλης 554 C, and with παρεχόμενος IV 421 D note The translation ‘not affording or allowing himself’ (J. and C.) is inaccurate. παραδεχόμενος, which was read, with slight MS authority, before Bekker, has been rightly discarded by later editors.

οὓς δή. For the plural cf. (with Stallbaum) Laws 908 D and Eur. Hel. 440 <*>λλην πεφυκώς, οἷσιν οὐκ ἐπιστροφαί. See also on I 347 A.