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This was the style of their conversation as they He was behind me just now, as I entered, he went along. Socrates dropped behind in a fit of said, and I cannot think what has become of him.
abstraction, and desired Aristodemus, who was Go and look for him, boy, said Agathon, and waiting, to go on before him. When he reached bring him in; and do you, Aristodemus, mean-the house of Agathon he found the doors wide while take the place by Eryximachus.
open, and a comical thing happened. A servant The servant then assisted him to wash, and he coming out met him, and led him at once into the lay down, and presently another servant came banqueting-hall in which the guests were reclinin and reported that our friend Socrates had re-ing, for the banquet was about to begin. Welcome, tired into the portico of the neighbouring house.
Aristodemus, said Agathon, as soon as he ap-
‘There he is fixed,’ said he, ‘and when I call to peared—you are just in time to sup with us; if you him he will not stir. ’
come on any other matter put it off, and make How strange, said Agathon; then you must call one of us, as I was looking for you yesterday and him again, and keep calling him.
meant to have asked you, if I could have found Let him alone, said my informant; he has a you. But what have you done with Socrates?
way of stopping anywhere and losing himself I turned round, but Socrates was nowhere to without any reason. I believe that he will soon be seen; and I had to explain that he had been appear; do not therefore disturb him.
with me a moment before, and that I came by Well, if you think so, I will leave him, said his invitation to the supper.
Agathon. And then, turning to the servants, he You were quite right in coming, said Agathon; added, ‘Let us have supper without waiting for but where is he himself?
him. Serve up whatever you please, for there is 37
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no one to give you orders; hitherto I have never as water runs through wool out of a fuller cup left you to yourselves. But on this occasion imag-into an emptier one; if that were so, how greatly ine that you are our hosts, and that I and the should I value the privilege of reclining at your company are your guests; treat us well, and then side! For you would have filled me full with a we shall commend you.’ After this, supper was stream of wisdom plenteous and fair; whereas served, but still no Socrates; and during the meal my own is of a very mean and questionable sort, Agathon several times expressed a wish to send no better than a dream. But yours is bright and for him, but Aristodemus objected; and at last full of promise, and was manifested forth in all when the feast was about half over—for the fit, the splendour of youth the day before yesterday, as usual, was not of long duration —Socrates en-in the presence of more than thirty thousand tered. Agathon, who was reclining alone at the Hellenes.
end of the table, begged that he would take the You are mocking, Socrates, said Agathon, and place next to him; that ‘I may touch you,’ he ere long you and I will have to determine who said, ‘and have the benefit of that wise thought bears off the palm of wisdom—of this Dionysus which came into your mind in the portico, and is shall be the judge; but at present you are better now in your possession; for I am certain that you occupied with supper.
would not have come away until you had found Socrates took his place on the couch, and what you sought.’
supped with the rest; and then libations were How I wish, said Socrates, taking his place as offered, and after a hymn had been sung to the he was desired, that wisdom could be infused god, and there had been the usual ceremonies, by touch, out of the fuller into the emptier man, they were about to commence drinking, when 38
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Pausanias said, And now, my friends, how can do not include Socrates, who is able either to we drink with least injury to ourselves? I can drink or to abstain, and will not mind, which-assure you that I feel severely the effect of ever we do.) Well, as of none of the company yesterday’s potations, and must have time to seem disposed to drink much, I may be forgiven recover; and I suspect that most of you are in for saying, as a physician, that drinking deep is the same predicament, for you were of the party a bad practice, which I never follow, if I can help, yesterday. Consider then: How can the drinking and certainly do not recommend to another, least be made easiest?
of all to any one who still feels the effects of I entirely agree, said Aristophanes, that we yesterday’s carouse.
should, by all means, avoid hard drinking, for I I always do what you advise, and especially was myself one of those who were yesterday what you prescribe as a physician, rejoined drowned in drink.
Phaedrus the Myrrhinusian, and the rest of the I think that you are right, said Eryximachus, company, if they are wise, will do the same.
the son of Acumenus; but I should still like to It was agreed that drinking was not to be the hear one other person speak: Is Agathon able to order of the day, but that they were all to drink drink hard?
only so much as they pleased.
I am not equal to it, said Agathon.
Then, said Eryximachus, as you are all agreed Then, said Eryximachus, the weak heads like that drinking is to be voluntary, and that there myself, Aristodemus, Phaedrus, and others who is to be no compulsion, I move, in the next place, never can drink, are fortunate in finding that that the flute-girl, who has just made her appear-the stronger ones are not in a drinking mood. (I ance, be told to go away and play to herself, or, 39
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if she likes, to the women who are within (com-course; and many other like things have had a pare Prot.). To-day let us have conversation in-like honour bestowed upon them. And only to stead; and, if you will allow me, I will tell you think that there should have been an eager in-what sort of conversation. This proposal having terest created about them, and yet that to this been accepted, Eryximachus proceeded as fol-day no one has ever dared worthily to hymn lows:—
Love’s praises! So entirely has this great deity I will begin, he said, after the manner of been neglected.’ Now in this Phaedrus seems to Melanippe in Euripides, ‘Not mine the me to be quite right, and therefore I want to word’which I am about to speak, but that of offer him a contribution; also I think that at the Phaedrus. For often he says to me in an indig-present moment we who are here assembled nant tone:—’What a strange thing it is, cannot do better than honour the god Love. If Eryximachus, that, whereas other gods have you agree with me, there will be no lack of con-poems and hymns made in their honour, the versation; for I mean to propose that each of us great and glorious god, Love, has no encomiast in turn, going from left to right, shall make a among all the poets who are so many. There are speech in honour of Love. Let him give us the the worthy sophists too—the excellent Prodicus best which he can; and Phaedrus, because he is for example, who have descanted in prose on the sitting first on the left hand, and because he is virtues of Heracles and other heroes; and, what the father of the thought, shall begin.
is still more extraordinary, I have met with a No one will vote against you, Eryximachus, said philosophical work in which the utility of salt Socrates. How can I oppose your motion, who has been made the theme of an eloquent dis-profess to understand nothing but matters of 40
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love; nor, I presume, will Agathon and Pausanias; poet nor prose-writer has ever affirmed that he and there can be no doubt of Aristophanes, had any. As Hesiod says:—
whose whole concern is with Dionysus and
‘First Chaos came, and then broad-bosomed Aphrodite; nor will any one disagree of those Earth, The everlasting seat of all that is, And whom I see around me. The proposal, as I am Love.’
aware, may seem rather hard upon us whose In other words, after Chaos, the Earth and place is last; but we shall be contented if we hear Love, these two, came into being. Also some good speeches first. Let Phaedrus begin the Parmenides sings of Generation: praise of Love, and good luck to him. All the com-
‘First in the train of gods, he fashioned Love.’
pany expressed their assent, and desired him to And Acusilaus agrees with Hesiod. Thus nu-do as Socrates bade him.
merous are the witnesses who acknowledge Love Aristodemus did not recollect all that was said, to be the eldest of the gods. And not only is he nor do I recollect all that he related to me; but I the eldest, he is also the source of the greatest will tell you what I thought most worthy of re-benefits to us. For I know not any greater bless-membrance, and what the chief speakers said.
ing to a young man who is beginning life than a Phaedrus began by affirming that Love is a virtuous lover, or to the lover than a beloved mighty god, and wonderful among gods and youth. For the principle which ought to be the men, but especially wonderful in his birth. For guide of men who would nobly live—that prin-he is the eldest of the gods, which is an honour ciple, I say, neither kindred, nor honour, nor to him; and a proof of his claim to this honour is, wealth, nor any other motive is able to implant that of his parents there is no memorial; neither so well as love. Of what am I speaking? Of the 41
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sense of honour and dishonour, without which He would be ready to die a thousand deaths neither states nor individuals ever do any good rather than endure this. Or who would desert or great work. And I say that a lover who is de-his beloved or fail him in the hour of danger?
tected in doing any dishonourable act, or sub-The veriest coward would become an inspired mitting through cowardice when any dishonour hero, equal to the bravest, at such a time; Love is done to him by another, will be more pained would inspire him. That courage which, as Homer at being detected by his beloved than at being says, the god breathes into the souls of some seen by his father, or by his companions, or by heroes, Love of his own nature infuses into the any one else. The beloved too, when he is found lover.
in any disgraceful situation, has the same feel-Love will make men dare to die for their being about his lover. And if there were only some loved—love alone; and women as well as men. Of way of contriving that a state or an army should this, Alcestis, the daughter of Pelias, is a monu-be made up of lovers and their loves (compare ment to all Hellas; for she was willing to lay down Rep.), they would be the very best governors of her life on behalf of her husband, when no one their own city, abstaining from all dishonour, and else would, although he had a father and mother; emulating one another in honour; and when but the tenderness of her love so far exceeded fighting at each other’s side, although a mere theirs, that she made them seem to be strang-handful, they would overcome the world. For ers in blood to their own son, and in name only what lover would not choose rather to be seen related to him; and so noble did this action of by all mankind than by his beloved, either when hers appear to the gods, as well as to men, that abandoning his post or throwing away his arms?
among the many who have done virtuously she 42
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is one of the very few to whom, in admiration of greatly as the gods honour the virtue of love, her noble action, they have granted the privi-still the return of love on the part of the beloved lege of returning alive to earth; such exceeding to the lover is more admired and valued and re-honour is paid by the gods to the devotion and warded by them, for the lover is more divine; virtue of love. But Orpheus, the son of Oeagrus, because he is inspired by God. Now Achilles was the harper, they sent empty away, and presented quite aware, for he had been told by his mother, to him an apparition only of her whom he sought, that he might avoid death and return home, and but herself they would not give up, because he live to a good old age, if he abstained from slay-showed no spirit; he was only a harp-player, and ing Hector. Nevertheless he gave his life to re-did not dare like Alcestis to die for love, but was venge his friend, and dared to die, not only in contriving how he might enter Hades alive; more-his defence, but after he was dead. Wherefore over, they afterwards caused him to suffer death the gods honoured him even above Alcestis, and at the hands of women, as the punishment of sent him to the Islands of the Blest. These are his cowardliness. Very different was the reward my reasons for affirming that Love is the eldest of the true love of Achilles towards his lover and noblest and mightiest of the gods; and the Patroclus—his lover and not his love (the notion chiefest author and giver of virtue in life, and of that Patroclus was the beloved one is a foolish happiness after death.
error into which Aeschylus has fallen, for Achil-This, or something like this, was the speech of les was surely the fairer of the two, fairer also Phaedrus; and some other speeches followed than all the other heroes; and, as Homer informs which Aristodemus did not remember; the next us, he was still beardless, and younger far). And which he repeated was that of Pausanias.