126a
μάλιστα μὲν πάντων ἀνθρώπων, εἰ δὲ μή, ὡς πλείστων: καὶ σύ γ' ἂν οἶμαι καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι πάντες ἄνθρωποι—ἔτι δέ γε ἴσως μᾶλλον θεὸς γενέσθαι—ἀλλ' οὐ τούτου ἔλεγον ἐπιθυμεῖν.
Σωκράτης:
ἀλλὰ τί δή ἐστί ποτε οὗ ἐπιθυμεῖς; οὐ τῶν πολιτῶν φῂς ἄρχειν ἐπιθυμεῖν;
Θεάγης:
οὐ βίᾳ γε οὐδ' ὥσπερ οἱ τύραννοι ἀλλ' ἑκόντων, ὥσπερ καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι οἱ ἐν τῇ πόλει ἐλλόγιμοι ἄνδρες.
Σωκράτης:
ἆρά γε λέγεις ὥσπερ Θεμιστοκλῆς καὶ Περικλῆς καὶ Κίμων καὶ ὅσοι τὰ πολιτικὰ δεινοὶ γεγόνασιν;
Θεάγης:
νὴ Δία τούτους λέγω.
Σωκράτης:
τί οὖν εἰ τὰ ἱππικὰ ἐτύγχανες ἐπιθυμῶν σοφὸς
126a
if possible, over all men, and failing that, over as many as might be; so would you, I imagine, and everybody else besides: nay, even more, I daresay, that I might become a god; but I did not say I desired that.
Socrates:
Well, what on earth then is it that you do desire? Do you not say you desire to govern the citizens?
Theages:
Yes, but not by force, or as despots do, but with their consent, as is done by all the other men of importance in the state.
Socrates:
Do you mean, as by Themistocles and Pericles and Cimon, and by all those who have shown themselves able statesmen?
Theages:
Yes, in good earnest, I mean those people.