"Suppose that we were painting a statue . . . ." although most of those that survive no longer appear to be painted, the statues of this period, of gods, heroes, etc., were actually painted in various natural colors by the artists.
"The newest song which the singers have . . . ." Odyssey I, 352.
agora the marketplace (literally and, as here, figuratively—meaning commerce in general).
nostrum a medicine prepared by the person selling it; a patent medicine, often sold with exaggerated claims.
"neither drug nor cautery nor spell nor amulet . . . ." Socrates refers here to various contemporary means of treatment employed by physicians as well as pseudo-physicians: Drugs and cauterization were accepted medical treatment; magical spells and amulets (protective objects, charms) were also commonly used.
cubit an ancient unit of linear measure, about 18–22 inches; originally, the length of the forearm from middle fingertip to elbow. (A man who believed he was four cubits high, in other words, would believe he was about six-foot-six, unusually tall for an ancient Greek.)
hydra the nine-headed serpent slain by Hercules as one of his twelve labors: When any one of its heads is cut off, it is replaced by two others.
