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I not only permit, but exhort you to speak the resemblance in other points too. For example, truth.
you are a bully, as I can prove by witnesses, if Then I will begin at once, said Alcibiades, and you will not confess. And are you not a flute-if I say anything which is not true, you may player? That you are, and a performer far more interrupt me if you will, and say ‘that is a lie,’
wonderful than Marsyas. He indeed with instru-though my intention is to speak the truth. But ments used to charm the souls of men by the you must not wonder if I speak any how as things power of his breath, and the players of his mu-come into my mind; for the fluent and orderly sic do so still: for the melodies of Olympus (com-enumeration of all your singularities is not a task pare Arist. Pol.) are derived from Marsyas who which is easy to a man in my condition.
taught them, and these, whether they are played And now, my boys, I shall praise Socrates in a by a great master or by a miserable flute-girl, figure which will appear to him to be a carica-have a power which no others have; they alone ture, and yet I speak, not to make fun of him, possess the soul and reveal the wants of those but only for the truth’s sake. I say, that he is who have need of gods and mysteries, because exactly like the busts of Silenus, which are set they are divine. But you produce the same effect up in the statuaries’ shops, holding pipes and with your words only, and do not require the flutes in their mouths; and they are made to open flute: that is the difference between you and him.
in the middle, and have images of gods inside When we hear any other speaker, even a very them. I say also that he is like Marsyas the satyr.
good one, he produces absolutely no effect upon You yourself will not deny, Socrates, that your us, or not much, whereas the mere fragments of face is like that of a satyr. Aye, and there is a you and your words, even at second-hand, and 85
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however imperfectly repeated, amaze and pos-would transfix me, and I should grow old sitting sess the souls of every man, woman, and child at his feet. For he makes me confess that I ought who comes within hearing of them. And if I were not to live as I do, neglecting the wants of my not afraid that you would think me hopelessly own soul, and busying myself with the concerns drunk, I would have sworn as well as spoken to of the Athenians; therefore I hold my ears and the influence which they have always had and tear myself away from him. And he is the only still have over me. For my heart leaps within me person who ever made me ashamed, which you more than that of any Corybantian reveller, and might think not to be in my nature, and there is my eyes rain tears when I hear them. And I ob-no one else who does the same. For I know that serve that many others are affected in the same I cannot answer him or say that I ought not to manner. I have heard Pericles and other great do as he bids, but when I leave his presence the orators, and I thought that they spoke well, but love of popularity gets the better of me. And I never had any similar feeling; my soul was not therefore I run away and fly from him, and when stirred by them, nor was I angry at the thought I see him I am ashamed of what I have confessed of my own slavish state. But this Marsyas has to him. Many a time have I wished that he were often brought me to such a pass, that I have felt dead, and yet I know that I should be much more as if I could hardly endure the life which I am sorry than glad, if he were to die: so that I am at leading (this, Socrates, you will admit); and I my wit’s end.
am conscious that if I did not shut my ears And this is what I and many others have suf-against him, and fly as from the voice of the si-fered from the flute-playing of this satyr. Yet hear ren, my fate would be like that of others,—he me once more while I show you how exact the 86
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image is, and how marvellous his power. For let commanded: they may have escaped the obser-me tell you; none of you know him; but I will vation of others, but I saw them. Now I fancied reveal him to you; having begun, I must go on.
that he was seriously enamoured of my beauty, See you how fond he is of the fair? He is always and I thought that I should therefore have a with them and is always being smitten by them, grand opportunity of hearing him tell what he and then again he knows nothing and is igno-knew, for I had a wonderful opinion of the at-rant of all things—such is the appearance which tractions of my youth. In the prosecution of this he puts on. Is he not like a Silenus in this? To be design, when I next went to him, I sent away sure he is: his outer mask is the carved head of the attendant who usually accompanied me (I the Silenus; but, O my companions in drink, when will confess the whole truth, and beg you to lishe is opened, what temperance there is residing ten; and if I speak falsely, do you, Socrates, ex-within! Know you that beauty and wealth and pose the falsehood). Well, he and I were alone honour, at which the many wonder, are of no together, and I thought that when there was account with him, and are utterly despised by nobody with us, I should hear him speak the lan-him: he regards not at all the persons who are guage which lovers use to their loves when they gifted with them; mankind are nothing to him; are by themselves, and I was delighted. Nothing all his life is spent in mocking and flouting at of the sort; he conversed as usual, and spent the them. But when I opened him, and looked within day with me and then went away. Afterwards I at his serious purpose, I saw in him divine and challenged him to the palaestra; and he wrestled golden images of such fascinating beauty that I and closed with me several times when there was ready to do in a moment whatever Socrates was no one present; I fancied that I might suc-87
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ceed in this manner. Not a bit; I made no way you if I were sober. Yet as the proverb says, ‘In with him. Lastly, as I had failed hitherto, I vino veritas,’ whether with boys, or without thought that I must take stronger measures and them (In allusion to two proverbs.); and there-attack him boldly, and, as I had begun, not give fore I must speak. Nor, again, should I be justi-him up, but see how matters stood between him fied in concealing the lofty actions of Socrates and me. So I invited him to sup with me, just as when I come to praise him. Moreover I have felt if he were a fair youth, and I a designing lover.
the serpent’s sting; and he who has suffered, as He was not easily persuaded to come; he did, they say, is willing to tell his fellow-sufferers only, however, after a while accept the invitation, and as they alone will be likely to understand him, when he came the first time, he wanted to go and will not be extreme in judging of the say-away at once as soon as supper was over, and I ings or doings which have been wrung from his had not the face to detain him. The second time, agony. For I have been bitten by a more than still in pursuance of my design, after we had viper’s tooth; I have known in my soul, or in my supped, I went on conversing far into the night, heart, or in some other part, that worst of pangs, and when he wanted to go away, I pretended more violent in ingenuous youth than any that the hour was late and that he had much serpent’s tooth, the pang of philosophy, which better remain. So he lay down on the couch next will make a man say or do anything. And you to me, the same on which he had supped, and whom I see around me, Phaedrus and Agathon there was no one but ourselves sleeping in the and Eryximachus and Pausanias and Aristodemus apartment. All this may be told without shame and Aristophanes, all of you, and I need not say to any one. But what follows I could hardly tell Socrates himself, have had experience of the 88
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same madness and passion in your longing after should certainly have more reason to be ashamed wisdom. Therefore listen and excuse my doings of what wise men would say if I were to refuse a then and my sayings now. But let the attendants favour to such as you, than of what the world, and other profane and unmannered persons close who are mostly fools, would say of me if I granted up the doors of their ears.
it.’ To these words he replied in the ironical When the lamp was put out and the servants manner which is so characteristic of him:—
had gone away, I thought that I must be plain
’Alcibiades, my friend, you have indeed an el-with him and have no more ambiguity. So I gave evated aim if what you say is true, and if there him a shake, and I said: ‘Socrates, are you really is in me any power by which you may be-asleep?’ ‘No,’ he said. ‘Do you know what I come better; truly you must see in me some rare am meditating? ‘What are you meditating?’ he beauty of a kind infinitely higher than any which said. ‘I think,’ I replied, ‘that of all the lovers I see in you. And therefore, if you mean to share whom I have ever had you are the only one who with me and to exchange beauty for beauty, you is worthy of me, and you appear to be too mod-will have greatly the advantage of me; you will est to speak. Now I feel that I should be a fool to gain true beauty in return for appearance—like refuse you this or any other favour, and there-Diomede, gold in exchange for brass. But look fore I come to lay at your feet all that I have and again, sweet friend, and see whether you are not all that my friends have, in the hope that you deceived in me. The mind begins to grow criti-will assist me in the way of virtue, which I decal when the bodily eye fails, and it will be a sire above all things, and in which I believe that long time before you get old.’ Hearing this, I you can help me better than any one else. And I said: ‘I have told you my purpose, which is quite 89
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serious, and do you consider what you think best What do you suppose must have been my feel-for you and me.’ ‘That is good,’ he said; ‘at ings, after this rejection, at the thought of my some other time then we will consider and act as own dishonour? And yet I could not help won-seems best about this and about other matters.’
dering at his natural temperance and self-re-Whereupon, I fancied that he was smitten, and straint and manliness. I never imagined that I that the words which I had uttered like arrows could have met with a man such as he is in wis-had wounded him, and so without waiting to hear dom and endurance. And therefore I could not more I got up, and throwing my coat about him be angry with him or renounce his company, any crept under his threadbare cloak, as the time of more than I could hope to win him. For I well year was winter, and there I lay during the whole knew that if Ajax could not be wounded by steel, night having this wonderful monster in my arms.
much less he by money; and my only chance of This again, Socrates, will not be denied by you.
captivating him by my personal attractions had And yet, notwithstanding all, he was so superior failed. So I was at my wit’s end; no one was to my solicitations, so contemptuous and derisive ever more hopelessly enslaved by another. All and disdainful of my beauty—which really, as I this happened before he and I went on the expe-fancied, had some attractions—hear, O judges; for dition to Potidaea; there we messed together, and judges you shall be of the haughty virtue of I had the opportunity of observing his extraordi-Socrates—nothing more happened, but in the nary power of sustaining fatigue. His endurance morning when I awoke (let all the gods and god-was simply marvellous when, being cut off from desses be my witnesses) I arose as from the couch our supplies, we were compelled to go without of a father or an elder brother.
food—on such occasions, which often happen in 90
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time of war, he was superior not only to me but doings and sufferings of the enduring man’while to everybody; there was no one to be compared he was on the expedition. One morning he was to him. Yet at a festival he was the only person thinking about something which he could not who had any real powers of enjoyment; though resolve; he would not give it up, but continued not willing to drink, he could if compelled beat thinking from early dawn until noon—there he us all at that,—wonderful to relate! no human stood fixed in thought; and at noon attention being had ever seen Socrates drunk; and his pow-was drawn to him, and the rumour ran through ers, if I am not mistaken, will be tested before the wondering crowd that Socrates had been long. His fortitude in enduring cold was also sur-standing and thinking about something ever prising. There was a severe frost, for the winter since the break of day. At last, in the evening in that region is really tremendous, and every-after supper, some Ionians out of curiosity (I body else either remained indoors, or if they should explain that this was not in winter but in went out had on an amazing quantity of clothes, summer), brought out their mats and slept in and were well shod, and had their feet swathed the open air that they might watch him and see in felt and fleeces: in the midst of this, Socrates whether he would stand all night. There he stood with his bare feet on the ice and in his ordinary until the following morning; and with the return dress marched better than the other soldiers who of light he offered up a prayer to the sun, and had shoes, and they looked daggers at him be-went his way (compare supra). I will also tell, if cause he seemed to despise them.
you please—and indeed I am bound to tell—of his I have told you one tale, and now I must tell courage in battle; for who but he saved my life?
you another, which is worth hearing, ‘ O f t h e Now this was the engagement in which I received 91
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the prize of valour: for I was wounded and he templating enemies as well as friends, and mak-would not leave me, but he rescued me and my ing very intelligible to anybody, even from a dis-arms; and he ought to have received the prize of tance, that whoever attacked him would be likely valour which the generals wanted to confer on to meet with a stout resistance; and in this way me partly on account of my rank, and I told them he and his companion escaped—for this is the sort so, (this, again, Socrates will not impeach or of man who is never touched in war; those only deny), but he was more eager than the generals are pursued who are running away headlong. I that I and not he should have the prize. There particularly observed how superior he was to was another occasion on which his behaviour was Laches in presence of mind. Many are the mar-very remarkable—in the flight of the army after vels which I might narrate in praise of Socrates; the battle of Delium, where he served among most of his ways might perhaps be paralleled in the heavy-armed,—I had a better opportunity of another man, but his absolute unlikeness to any seeing him than at Potidaea, for I was myself on human being that is or ever has been is perfectly horseback, and therefore comparatively out of astonishing. You may imagine Brasidas and oth-danger. He and Laches were retreating, for the ers to have been like Achilles; or you may imag-troops were in flight, and I met them and told ine Nestor and Antenor to have been like Pericles; them not to be discouraged, and promised to and the same may be said of other famous men, remain with them; and there you might see him, but of this strange being you will never be able Aristophanes, as you describe (Aristoph. Clouds), to find any likeness, however remote, either just as he is in the streets of Athens, stalking among men who now are or who ever have been—
like a pelican, and rolling his eyes, calmly con-other than that which I have already suggested 92
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of Silenus and the satyrs; and they represent in Charmides the son of Glaucon, and Euthydemus a figure not only himself, but his words. For, al-the son of Diocles, and many others in the same though I forgot to mention this to you before, way—beginning as their lover he has ended by his words are like the images of Silenus which making them pay their addresses to him. Where-open; they are ridiculous when you first hear fore I say to you, Agathon, ‘Be not deceived by them; he clothes himself in language that is like him; learn from me and take warning, and do the skin of the wanton satyr—for his talk is of not be a fool and learn by experience, as the prov-pack-asses and smiths and cobblers and curri-erb says.’
ers, and he is always repeating the same things When Alcibiades had finished, there was a in the same words (compare Gorg.), so that any laugh at his outspokenness; for he seemed to be ignorant or inexperienced person might feel dis-still in love with Socrates. You are sober, posed to laugh at him; but he who opens the Alcibiades, said Socrates, or you would never bust and sees what is within will find that they have gone so far about to hide the purpose of are the only words which have a meaning in your satyr’s praises, for all this long story is only them, and also the most divine, abounding in an ingenious circumlocution, of which the point fair images of virtue, and of the widest compre-comes in by the way at the end; you want to get hension, or rather extending to the whole duty up a quarrel between me and Agathon, and your of a good and honourable man.
notion is that I ought to love you and nobody This, friends, is my praise of Socrates. I have else, and that you and you only ought to love added my blame of him for his ill-treatment of Agathon. But the plot of this Satyric or Silenic me; and he has ill-treated not only me, but drama has been detected, and you must not al-93
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low him, Agathon, to set us at variance.
The usual way, said Alcibiades; where Socrates I believe you are right, said Agathon, and I am is, no one else has any chance with the fair; and disposed to think that his intention in placing now how readily has he invented a specious rea-himself between you and me was only to divide son for attracting Agathon to himself.
us; but he shall gain nothing by that move; for I Agathon arose in order that he might take his will go and lie on the couch next to you.
place on the couch by Socrates, when suddenly Yes, yes, replied Socrates, by all means come a band of revellers entered, and spoiled the or-here and lie on the couch below me.
der of the banquet. Some one who was going Alas, said Alcibiades, how I am fooled by this out having left the door open, they had found man; he is determined to get the better of me at their way in, and made themselves at home; every turn. I do beseech you, allow Agathon to great confusion ensued, and every one was com-lie between us.
pelled to drink large quantities of wine.
Certainly not, said Socrates, as you praised me, Aristodemus said that Eryximachus, Phaedrus, and I in turn ought to praise my neighbour on and others went away—he himself fell asleep, and the right, he will be out of order in praising me as the nights were long took a good rest: he was again when he ought rather to be praised by me, awakened towards daybreak by a crowing of and I must entreat you to consent to this, and cocks, and when he awoke, the others were ei-not be jealous, for I have a great desire to praise ther asleep, or had gone away; there remained the youth.
only Socrates, Aristophanes, and Agathon, who Hurrah! cried Agathon, I will rise instantly, that were drinking out of a large goblet which they I may be praised by Socrates.
passed round, and Socrates was discoursing to 94
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them. Aristodemus was only half awake, and he did not hear the beginning of the discourse; the chief thing which he remembered was Socrates If you wish to view more of compelling the other two to acknowledge that the genius of comedy was the same with that of Plato’s works in PDF, be sure tragedy, and that the true artist in tragedy was to return to
an artist in comedy also. To this they were con-
strained to assent, being drowsy, and not quite
following the argument. And first of all Aristophanes dropped off, then, when the day was already dawning, Agathon. Socrates, having laid them to sleep, rose to depart; Aristodemus, as his manner was, following him.
At the Lyceum he took a bath, and passed the If you wish to view more
day as usual. In the evening he retired to rest at Electronic Classics Series his own home.
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