Abstract
Written between 1321 and 1328 by one of the outstanding figures of the early Palaeologan Age, the Σημειώσεις γνωμικαί of Theodorus Metochita are a collection of 120 essays, dealing with various topics of history, philosophy, literature, which are considered to have no close parallels neither in Greek nor in Byzantine literature. This paper presents the critical edition, with Italian translation and notes, of essay 80: here, Metochita asserts that the ancient Greek philosophers wrote down models of the ideal state which had in fact been impracticable and compares them to some figures, taken from ancient history, whose laws had been successfully applied in real life. The paper focuses on defining the sources of Metochita’s statements and aims to point out that he reveals no hesitation in making intentional omissions, as well as quoting almost literal passages from the works of authors like Plutarchus and Dio Chrysostomus, in order to confirm his conclusions.