rder. _Qui veri esse
aliquid_, etc.: cf. _N.D._ I. 12 _non enim sumus ii quibus nihil verum esse
videatur, sed ii qui omnibus veris falsa quaedam adiuncta dicamus_. _Non
obscuros sed tenebricosos_: "not merely dim but darkened." There is a
reference here to the [Greek: skotie gnosis] of Democr., by which he meant
that knowledge which stops at the superficial appearances of things as
shown by sense. He was, however, by no means a sceptic, for he also held a
[Greek: gnesie gnosis], dealing with the realities of material existence,
the atoms and the void, which exist [Greek: eteei] and not merely [Greek:
nomoi] as appearances do. See R. and P. 51.

Sec.74. _Furere_: cf. 14. _Orbat sensibus_: cf. 61, and for the belief of
Empedocles about the possibility of [Greek: episteme] see the remarks of
Sextus _A.M._ VII. 123--4 qu. R. and P. 107, who say "_patet errare eos qui
scepticis adnumerandum Empedoclem putabant_." _Sonum fundere_: similar
expressions occur in _T.D._ III. 42, V. 73, _D.F._ II. 48. _Parmenides,
Xenophanes_: these are the last men who ought to be charged with
scepticism. They advanced indeed arguments against sense-knowledge, but
held that real knowledge was attainable by the reason. Cf. Grote, _Plato_
I. 54, Zeller 501, R. and P. on Xenophanes and Parmenides. _Minus bonis_:
Dav. qu. Plut. _De Audit._ 45 A, [Greek: mempsaito d' an tis Parmenidou ten
stichopoiian]. _Quamquam_: on the proper use of _quamquam_ in clauses where
the verb is not expressed see _M.D.F._ V. 68 and cf. I. 5. _Quasi irati_:
for the use of _quasi_ = almost cf. _In Verr. Act._ I. 22, _Orat._ 41.
_Aiebas removendum_: for om. of _esse_ see n. on I. 43. _Perscripti sunt_:
cf. n. on I. 16. _Scire se nihil se scire_: cf. I. 16, 44. The words
referred to are in Plat. _Apol._ 21 [Greek: eoika goun toutou smikroi tini
autoi toutoi sophoteros einai, hoti a me oida oude oiomai eidenai], a very
different statement from the _nihil sciri posse_ by which Cic. interprets
it (cf. R. and P. 148). That [Greek: episteme] in the strict sense is
impossible, is a doctrine which Socrates would have left to the Sophists.
_De Platone_: the doctrine above mentioned is an absurd one to foist upon
Plato. The dialogues of search as they are called, while exposing sham
knowledge, all assume that the real [Greek: episteme] is attainable.
_Ironiam_: the word was given in its Greek form in 15. _Nulla fuit ratio
persequi_: n. on 17.

Sec.75. _Videorne_: = _nonne videor_, as