SOCRATES: Your words, Euthyphro, are like the of this. As I perceive that you are lazy, I will handiwork of my ancestor Daedalus; and if I were myself endeavour to show you how you might the sayer or propounder of them, you might say instruct me in the nature of piety; and I hope that my arguments walk away and will not re-that you will not grudge your labour. Tell me, main fixed where they are placed because I am then—Is not that which is pious necessarily just?
a descendant of his. But now, since these notions EUTHYPHRO: Yes.
are your own, you must find some other gibe, SOCRATES: And is, then, all which is just pious?
for they certainly, as you yourself allow, show an or, is that which is pious all just, but that which inclination to be on the move.
is just, only in part and not all, pious?
EUTHYPHRO: Nay, Socrates, I shall still say that EUTHYPHRO: I do not understand you, Socrates.
you are the Daedalus who sets arguments in SOCRATES: And yet I know that you are as much motion; not I, certainly, but you make them move wiser than I am, as you are younger. But, as I or go round, for they would never have stirred, was saying, revered friend, the abundance of as far as I am concerned.
your wisdom makes you lazy. Please to exert your-SOCRATES: Then I must be a greater than self, for there is no real difficulty in understand-Daedalus: for whereas he only made his own in-ing me. What I mean I may explain by an illus-ventions to move, I move those of other people tration of what I do not mean. The poet as well. And the beauty of it is, that I would (Stasinus) sings—
rather not. For I would give the wisdom of
‘Of Zeus, the author and creator of all Daedalus, and the wealth of Tantalus, to be able these things, You will not tell: for where to detain them and keep them fixed. But enough there is fear there is also reverence.’