Euthydemus by Plato
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380 BC
EUTHYDEMUS
by Plato
translated by Benjamin Jowett
EUTHYDEMUS
PERSONS OF THE DIALOGUE: SOCRATES, who is the narrator; CRITO;
CLEINIAS; EUTHYDEMUS; DIONYSODORUS; CTESIPPUS. 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 I
could not get within hearing, but I caught a sight of him over their
heads, and I made out, as I 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 I mean was seated second from you on the
right-hand side. In 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 I should imagine. Of what country are
they, and what is their line of wisdom?
Soc. As to their origin, I 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! I 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 only, but this pair of
heroes, besides being perfect in the use of their bodies, are
invincible in every sort of warfare; for they are capital at
fighting in armour, and will teach the art to any one who pays them;
and also they are most skilful in legal warfare; they will plead
themselves and teach others to speak and to compose speeches which
will have an effect upon the courts. And this was only the beginning
of their wisdom, but they have at last carried out the pancratiastic
art to the very end, and have mastered the only mode of fighting which
had been hitherto neglected by them; and now no one dares even to
stand up against them: such is their skill in the war of words, that
they can refute any proposition whether true or false. Now I am
thinking, Crito, of placing myself in their hands; for they say that
in a short time they can impart their skill to any one.
Cri. But, Socrates, are you not too old? there may be reason to fear
that.
Soc. Certainly not, Crito; as I will prove to you, for I have the
consolation of knowing that they began this art of disputation which I
covet, quite, as I may say, in old age; last year, or the year before,
they had none of their new wisdom. I am only apprehensive that I may
bring the two strangers into disrepute, as I have done Connus the
son of Metrobius, the harp-player, who is still my music-master; for
when the boys who go to him see me going with them, they laugh at me
and call him grandpapa's master. Now I should not like the strangers
to experience similar treatment; the fear of ridicule may make them
unwilling to receive me; and therefore, Crito, I shall try and
persuade some old men to accompany me to them, as I persuaded them
to go with me to Connus, and I hope that you will make one: and
perhaps we had better take your sons as a bait; they will want to have
them as pupils, and for the sake of them willing to receive us.
Cri. I see no objection, Socrates, if you like; but first I wish
that you would give me a description of their wisdom, that I may
know beforehand what we are going to learn.
Soc. In less than no time you shall hear; for I cannot say that I
did not attend-I paid great attention to them, and I remember and will
endeavour to repeat the whole story. Providentially I was sitting
alone in the dressing-room of the Lyceum where you saw me, and was
about to depart; when I was getting up I recognized the familiar
divine sign: so I sat down again, and in a little while the two
brothers Euthydemus and Dionysodorus came in, and several others
with them, whom I believe to be their disciples, and they walked about
in the covered court; they had not taken more than two or three
turns when Cleinias entered, who, as you truly say, is very much
improved: he was followed by a host of lovers, one of whom was
Ctesippus the Paeanian, a well-bred youth, but also having the
wildness of youth. Cleinias saw me from the entrance as I was
sitting alone, and at once came and sat down on the right hand of
me, as you describe; and Dionysodorus and Euthydemus, when they saw
him, at first stopped and talked with one another, now and then
glancing at us, for I particularly watched them; and then Euthydemus
came and sat down by the youth, and the other by me on the left
hand; the rest anywhere. I saluted the brothers, whom I had not seen
for a long time; and then I said to Cleinias: Here are two wise men,
Euthydemus and Dionysodorus, Cleinias, wise not in a small but in a
large way of wisdom, for they know all about war,-all that a good
general ought to know about the array and command of an army, and
the whole art of fighting in armour: and they know about law too,
and can teach a man how to use the weapons of the courts when he is
injured.
They heard me say this, but only despised me. I observed that they
looked at one another, and both of them laughed; and then Euthydemus
Those, Socrates, are matters which we no longer pursue seriously; to
us they are secondary occupations.
Indeed, I said, if such occupations are regarded by you as
secondary, what must the principal one be; tell me, I beseech you,
what that noble study is?
The teaching of virtue, Socrates, he replied, is our principal
occupation; and we believe that we can impart it better and quicker
than any man.
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