I am having a bit of trouble construing the following passage:…τοῖς τοιοῖσδε δίκαιον τιμᾶν τῶν νέων ὅσοι ἀγαθοί. I take τιμᾶν to be the infinitive. Does the verb take the dative? To give honour to all such youth as are brave? Then what is the function of the adjective δίκαιον? Is the copula omitted? “It is fitting to honour…” I cannot quite seem to put this together.
Copulas are omitted and also omitted is τοσουτους (or perhaps just τουτους): τοις τοιοισδε δικαιον [εστι] τιμαν [τοσουτους/τουτους] των νεων οσοι αγαθοι [εισι].
“It is fitting to honor with such things as many among the young as (or those among the young who) are brave.”
Smyth 2509 (emphasis added)
- Omission of the Antecedent to a Relative.—The demonstrative pronoun antecedent to a relative is often omitted: either when it is in the same case as the relative, or in a different case from the relative. The omission occurs when the antecedent expresses the general idea of person or thing, and often when the relative clause precedes.
ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ (οὗτοι) ὧν κρατῶ μενοῦμεν but I and those whom I command will remain X. C. 5.1.26, καλὸν τὸ θνῄσκειν οἷς (for τούτοις οἷς) ὕβριν τὸ ζῆν φέρει death is sweet to those to whom life brings contumely Men. Sent. 291, > λέγω πάντας εἰσφέρειν ἀφ᾽ ὅσων (for ἀπὸ τοσούτων ὅσα) ἕκαστος ἔχει > I say that all must contribute according to the ability of each (from such means as each man has) D. 2.31.
Excellent explanation. So then, the τοῖς τοιοῖσδε would perhaps be a dative of instrument “honour by means of such things.”
So then, the τοῖς τοιοῖσδε would perhaps be a dative of instrument “honour by means of such things.”
Yes, exactly – an instrumental dative, “such things” being the freedom to have sex with whomever they wanted. And in this regard, we need to remember that Plato (at least in the Republic) maintained that women were as capable of bravery as men.