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ὧν κτλ.: i.e. ἐκείνων ὧν κτλ. The literal translation is ‘through dread of the topics to which cleaving you have shewn that the demonstration thereof is long and difficult.’ (So also Schneider.) ἀντιλαμβανόμενοι (the opposite of ἀφιέναι as used in V 449 B and infra 504 E) refers to Adimantus' and the others' resolute determination not to let Socrates slur over the questions relating to women and children (V 449 B ff.) and to the possibility of realising the perfect city (471 C ff.). Cf. infra 505 A. φόβῳ is explained by V 450 C ff., 457 C, 473 E. J. and C. take ὧν as “ἐκείνων (cognate accusative),” understanding ἀντιλαμβανόμενοι as ‘objecting to’ or ‘attacking,’ but no objections were made by Glauco and Adimantus. They merely asked for further explanation, and were in fact favourably disposed rather than otherwise (V 450 D, 451 B). Herwerden's conjecture ὡς for ὧν refutes itself.

αὐτοῦ (like the subject of ἐδηλώθη) refers to the position of the Rulers in Plato's city—with everything that it involves, including the Community of wives and children, the Philosopher-king and all the leading topics discussed in V—VII; and τὸ λοιπόν is what remains of this topic —the rest of VI and VII in fact.

πάντως. Bekker's πάντων (cf. Laws 779 E οὐ πάντων εὐκολώτατον) is a neat emendation, which Baiter and others have accepted. But οὐ πάντως ῥᾷστον ‘not in every respect quite easy’ (with the usual Greek litotes), is quite unobjectionable, as Schneider points out, and the confusion of ς and ν is rare.

τὸ λεγόμενον κτλ. D. and V. wrongly make τῷ ὄντι part of the proverb. Translate ‘and it is true, as the proverb says, that beautiful things are hard.’ Cf. IV 435 C and (for τῷ ὄντι) VIII 563 E.

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