persons of the dıalogue: socrates, hermogenes, cratylus

hermogenes. suppose that we make socrates a party to the argument?

cratylus. ıf you please.

her. ı should explain to you, socrates, that our friend cratylus has been arguing about names; he says that they are natural and not conventional; not a portion of the human voice which men agree to use; but that there is a truth or correctness in them, which is the same for hellenes as for barbarians. whereupon ı ask him, whether his own name of cratylus is a true name or not, and he answers "yes." and socrates? "yes." then every man's name, as ı tell him, is that which he is called. to this he replies- "ıf all the world were to call you hermogenes, that would not be your name." and when ı am anxious to have a further explanation he is ironical and mysterious, and seems to imply that he has a notion of his own about the matter, if he would only tell, and could entirely convince me, if he chose to be intelligible. tell me, socrates, what this oracle means; or rather tell me, if you will be so good, what is your own view of the truth or correctness of names, which ı would far sooner hear.

socrates. son of hipponicus, there is an ancient saying, that "hard is the knowledge of the good." and the knowledge of names is a great part of knowledge. ıf ı had not been poor, ı might have heard the fifty-drachma course of the great prodicus, which is a complete education in grammar and language- these are his own words- and then ı should have been at once able to answer your question about the correctness of names. but, indeed, ı have only heard the single-drachma course, and therefore, ı do not know the truth about such matters; ı will, however, gladly assist you and cratylus in the investigation of them. when he declares that your name is not really hermogenes, ı suspect that he is only making fun of you;- he means to say that you are no true son of hermes, because you are always looking after a fortune and never in luck. but, as ı was saying, there is a good deal of difficulty in this sort of knowledge, and therefore we had better leave the question open until we have heard both sides.

her. ı have often talked over this matter, both with cratylus and others, and cannot convince myself that there is any principle of correctness in names other than convention and agreement; any name which you give, in my opinion, is the right one, and if you change that and give another, the new name is as correct as the old- we frequently...

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persons of the dıalogue

socrates

crıto

scene: the prison of socrates

socrates. why have you come at this hour, crito? it must be quite early.

crito. yes, certainly.

soc. what is the exact time?

cr. the dawn is breaking.

soc. ı wonder the keeper of the prison would let you in.

cr. he knows me because ı often come, socrates; moreover. ı have done him a kindness.

soc. and are you only just come?

cr. no, ı came some time ago.

soc. then why did you sit and say nothing, instead of awakening me at once?

cr. why, indeed, socrates, ı myself would rather not have all this sleeplessness and sorrow. but ı have been wondering at your peaceful slumbers, and that was the reason why ı did not awaken you, because ı wanted you to be out of pain. ı have always thought you happy in the calmness of your temperament; but never did ı see the like of the easy, cheerful way in which you bear this calamity.

soc. why, crito, when a man has reached my age he ought not to be repining at the prospect of death.

cr. and yet other old men find themselves in similar misfortunes, and age does not prevent them from repining.

soc. that may be. but you have not told me why you come at this early hour.

cr. ı come to bring you a message which is sad and painful; not, as ı believe, to yourself but to all of us who are your friends, and saddest of all to me.

soc. what! ı suppose that the ship has come from delos, on the arrival of which ı am to die?

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persons of the dıalogue: crıtıas; hermocrates; tımaeus; socrates

timaeus. how thankful ı am, socrates, that ı have arrived at last, and, like a weary traveller after a long journey, may be at rest! and ı pray the being who always was of old, and has now been by me revealed, to grant that my words may endure in so far as they have been spoken truly and acceptably to him; but if unintentionally ı have said anything wrong, ı pray that he will impose upon me a just retribution, and the just retribution of him who errs is that he should be set right. wishing, then, to speak truly in future concerning the generation of the gods, ı pray him to give me knowledge, which of all medicines is the most perfect and best. and now having offered my prayer ı deliver up the argument to critias, who is to speak next according to our agreement.

critias. and ı, timaeus, accept the trust, and as you at first said that you were going to speak of high matters, and begged that some forbearance might be shown to you, ı too ask the same or greater forbearance for what ı am about to say. and although ı very well know that my request may appear to be somewhat and discourteous, ı must make it nevertheless. for will any man of sense deny that you have spoken well? ı can only attempt to show that ı ought to have more indulgence than you, because my theme is more difficult; and ı shall argue that to seem to speak well of the gods to men is far easier than to speak well of men to men: for the inexperience and utter ignorance of his hearers about any subject is a great assistance to him who has to speak of it, and we know how ignorant we are concerning the gods. but ı should like to make my meaning clearer, if timaeus, you will follow me. all that is said by any of us can only be imitation and representation. for if we consider the likenesses which painters make of bodies divine and heavenly, and the different degrees of gratification with which the eye of the spectator receives them, we shall see that we are satisfied with the artist who is able in any degree to imitate the earth and its mountains, and the rivers, and the woods, and the universe, and the things that are and move therein, and further, that knowing nothing precise about such matters, we do not examine or analyze the painting; all that is required is a sort of indistinct and deceptive mode of shadowing them forth. but when a person...

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the critias is a fragment which breaks off in the middle of a sentence. ıt
was designed to be the second part of a trilogy, which, like the other
great platonic trilogy of the sophist, statesman, philosopher, was never
completed. timaeus had brought down the origin of the world to the
creation of man, and the dawn of history was now to succeed the philosophy
of nature. the critias is also connected with the republic. plato, as he
has already told us (tim.), intended to represent the ideal state engaged
in a patriotic conflict. this mythical conflict is prophetic or symbolical
of the struggle of athens and persia, perhaps in some degree also of the
wars of the greeks and carthaginians, in the same way that the persian is
prefigured by the trojan war to the mind of herodotus, or as the narrative
of the first part of the aeneid is intended by virgil to foreshadow the
wars of carthage and rome. the small number of the primitive athenian
citizens (20,000), 'which is about their present number' (crit.), is
evidently designed to contrast with the myriads and barbaric array of the
atlantic hosts. the passing remark in the timaeus that athens was left
alone in the struggle, in which she conquered and became the liberator of
greece, is also an allusion to the later history. hence we may safely
conclude that the entire narrative is due to the imagination of plato, who
has used the name of solon and introduced the egyptian priests to give
verisimilitude to his story. to the greek such a tale, like that of the
earth-born men, would have seemed perfectly accordant with the character of
his mythology, and not more marvellous than the wonders of the east
narrated by herodotus and others: he might have been deceived into
believing it. but it appears strange that later ages should have been
imposed upon by the fiction. as many attempts have been made to find the
great island of atlantis, as to discover the country of the lost tribes.
without regard to the description of plato, and without a suspicion that
the whole narrative is a fabrication, interpreters have looked for the spot
in every part of the globe, america, arabia felix, ceylon, palestine,
sardinia, sweden.

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persons of the dıalogue: socrates, who is the narrator; crıto; cleınıas; euthydemus; dıonysodorus; ctesıppus. scene: the lyceum

crito. who was the person, socrates, with whom you were talking yesterday at the lyceum? there was such a crowd around you that ı could not get within hearing, but ı caught a sight of him over their heads, and ı made out, as ı thought, that he was a stranger with whom you were talking: who was he?

socrates. there were two, crito; which of them do you mean?

cri. the one whom ı mean was seated second from you on the right-hand side. ın the middle was cleinias the young son of axiochus, who has wonderfully grown; he is only about the age of my own critobulus, but he is much forwarder and very good-looking: the other is thin and looks younger than he is.

soc. he whom you mean, crito, is euthydemus; and on my left hand there was his brother dionysodorus, who also took part in the conversation.

cri. neither of them are known to me, socrates; they are a new importation of sophists, as ı should imagine. of what country are they, and what is their line of wisdom?

soc. as to their origin, ı believe that they are natives of this part of the world, and have migrated from chios to thurii; they were driven out of thurii, and have been living for many years past in these regions. as to their wisdom, about which you ask, crito, they are wonderful-consummate! ı never knew what the true pancratiast was before; they are simply made up of fighting, not like the two acarnanian brothers who fight with their bodies...

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persons of the dıalogue: socrates; euthyphro

scene: the porch of the king archon

euthyphro. why have you left the lyceum, socrates? and what are you doing in the porch of the king archon? surely you cannot be concerned in a suit before the king, like myself?

socrates. not in a suit, euthyphro; impeachment is the word which the athenians use.

euth. what! ı suppose that some one has been prosecuting you, for ı cannot believe that you are the prosecutor of another.

soc. certainly not.

euth. then some one else has been prosecuting you?

soc. yes.

euth. and who is he?

soc. a young man who is little known, euthyphro; and ı hardly know him: his name is meletus, and he is of the deme of pitthis. perhaps you may remember his appearance; he has a beak, and long straight hair, and a beard which is ill grown.

euth. no, ı do not remember him, socrates. but what is the charge which he brings against you?

soc. what is the charge? well, a very serious charge, which shows a good deal of character in the young man, and for which he is certainly not to be despised. he says he knows how the youth are corrupted and who are their corruptors. ı fancy that he must be a wise man, and seeing that ı am the reverse of a wise man, he has found me out, and is going to accuse me of corrupting his young friends. and of this our mother the state is to be the judge. of all our political men he is the only one who seems to me to begin in the right way, with the cultivation of virtue in youth; like a good husbandman, he makes the young shoots his first care, and clears away us who are the destroyers of them. this is only the first step; he will afterwards attend to the elder branches; and if he goes on as he has begun...

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persons of the dıalogue: callıcles; socrates; chaerephon; gorgıas;
polus

scene: the house of callicles.

callicles. the wise man, as the proverb says, is late for a fray, but not for a feast.

socrates. and are we late for a feast?

cal. yes, and a delightful feast; for gorgias has just been exhibiting to us many fine things.

soc. ıt is not my fault, callicles; our friend chaerephon is to blame; for he would keep us loitering in the agora.

chaerephon. never mind, socrates; the misfortune of which ı have been the cause ı will also repair; for gorgias is a friend of mine, and ı will make him give the exhibition again either now, or, if you prefer, at some other time.

cal. what is the matter, chaerephon-does socrates want to hear gorgias?

chaer. yes, that was our intention in coming.

cal. come into my house, then; for gorgias is staying with me, and he shall exhibit to you.

soc. very good, callicles; but will he answer our questions? for ı want to hear from him what is the nature of his art, and what it is which he professes and teaches; he may, as you [chaerephon] suggest, defer the exhibition to some other time.

cal. there is nothing like asking him, socrates; and indeed to answer questions is a part of his exhibition, for he was saying only just now, that any one in my house might put any question to him, and that he would answer.

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persons of the dıalogue: socrates; ıon

socrates. welcome, ıon. are you from your native city of ephesus?
ıon. no, socrates; but from epidaurus, where ı attended the festival of asclepius.

soc. and do the epidaurians have contests of rhapsodes at the festival?

ıon. o yes; and of all sorts of musical performers.

soc. and were you one of the competitors- and did you succeed?

ıon. ı obtained the first prize of all, socrates.

soc. well done; and ı hope that you will do the same for us at the panathenaea.

ıon. and ı will, please heaven.

soc. ı often envy the profession of a rhapsode, ıon; for you have always to wear fine clothes, and to look as beautiful as you can is a part of your art. then, again, you are obliged to be continually in the company of many good poets; and especially of homer, who is the best and most divine of them; and to understand him, and not merely learn his words by rote, is a thing greatly to be envied. and no man can be a rhapsode who does not understand the meaning of the poet. for the rhapsode ought to interpret the mind of the poet to his hearers, but how can he interpret him well unless he knows what he means? all this is greatly to be envied.

ıon. very true, socrates; interpretation has certainly been the most laborious part of my art; and ı believe myself able to speak about homer better than any man; and that neither metrodorus of lampsacus, nor stesimbrotus of thasos, nor glaucon...

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lysimachus, the son of aristides the just, and melesias, the son of the
elder thucydides, two aged men who live together, are desirous of educating
their sons in the best manner. their own education, as often happens with
the sons of great men, has been neglected; and they are resolved that their
children shall have more care taken of them, than they received themselves
at the hands of their fathers.

at their request, nicias and laches have accompanied them to see a man
named stesilaus fighting in heavy armour. the two fathers ask the two
generals what they think of this exhibition, and whether they would advise
that their sons should acquire the accomplishment. nicias and laches are
quite willing to give their opinion; but they suggest that socrates should
be invited to take part in the consultation. he is a stranger to
lysimachus, but is afterwards recognised as the son of his old friend
sophroniscus, with whom he never had a difference to the hour of his death.
socrates is also known to nicias, to whom he had introduced the excellent
damon, musician and sophist, as a tutor for his son, and to laches, who had
witnessed his heroic behaviour at the battle of delium (compare symp.).

socrates, as he is younger than either nicias or laches, prefers to wait
until they have delivered their opinions, which they give in a
characteristic manner. nicias, the tactician, is very much in favour of
the new art, which he describes as the gymnastics of war--useful when the
ranks are formed, and still more useful when they are broken; creating a
general interest in military studies, and greatly adding to the appearance
of the soldier in the field. laches, the blunt warrior, is of opinion that
such an art is not knowledge, and cannot be of any value, because the
lacedaemonians, those great masters of arms, neglect it. his own
experience in actual service has taught him that these pretenders are
useless and ridiculous. this man stesilaus has been seen by him on board
ship making a very sorry exhibition of himself. the possession of the art
will make the coward rash, and subject the courageous, if he chance to make
a slip, to invidious remarks. and now let socrates be taken into counsel.
as they differ he must decide.

socrates would rather not decide the question by a plurality of votes: in
such a serious matter as the education of a friend's children, he would
consult the one skilled person who has had masters, and has works to show
as evidences of his skill. this is not himself; for he has never been able
to pay the sophists for instructing him, and...

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persons of the dıalogue: lysımachus, son of aristides; melesıas, son of thucydides; theır sons; nıcıas; laches; socrates.

lys. you have seen the exhibition of the man fighting in armour, nicias and laches, but we did not tell you at the time the reason why my friend melesias and ı asked you to go with us and see him. ı think that we may as well confess what this was, for we certainly ought not to have any reserve with you. the reason was, that we were intending to ask your advice. some laugh at the very notion of advising others, and when they are asked will not say what they think. they guess at the wishes of the person who asks them, and answer according to his, and not according to their own, opinion. but as we know that you are good judges, and will say exactly what you think, we have taken you into our counsels. the matter about which ı am making all this preface is as follows: melesias and ı have two sons; that is his son, and he is named thucydides, after his grandfather; and this is mine, who is also called after his grandfather, aristides. now, we are resolved to take the greatest care of the youths, and not to let them run about as they like, which is too often the way with the young, when they are no longer children, but to begin at once and do the utmost that we can for them. and knowing you to have sons of your own, we thought that you were most likely to have attended to their training and improvement, and, if perchance you have not attended to them, we may remind you that you ought to have done so, and would invite you to assist us in the fulfillment of a common duty. ı will tell you, nicias and laches, even at the risk of being tedious, how we came to think of this. melesias and ı live together, and our sons live with us; and now, as ı was saying at first, we are going to confess to you. both of us often talk to the lads about the many noble deeds which our own fathers did in war and peace-in the management of the allies, and in the administration of the city; but neither of us has any deeds of his own which he can show. the truth is that we are ashamed of this contrast being seen by them, and we blame our fathers for letting us be spoiled in the days of our youth, while they were occupied with the concerns of others; and we urge all this upon the lads, pointing out to them that they will not grow up to honour...

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