bold = Main text
Part grey = Comment text
1 [Title]| The Second Alcibiades~ ~
2 Pre | the Eryxias and The Second Alcibiades] are not mentioned by Aristotle,
3 Pre | interest for us. The Second Alcibiades shows that the difficulties
4 Pre | by the name of the Second Alcibiades is a genuine writing of
5 Pre | preaches too much, while Alcibiades is stupid and heavy-in-hand.
6 Text | The Second Alcibiades~PERSONS OF THE DIALOGUE:
7 Text | THE DIALOGUE: Socrates and Alcibiades.~SOCRATES: Are you going,
8 Text | SOCRATES: Are you going, Alcibiades, to offer prayer to Zeus?~
9 Text | to offer prayer to Zeus?~ALCIBIADES: Yes, Socrates, I am.~SOCRATES:
10 Text | thinking about something.~ALCIBIADES: Of what do you suppose
11 Text | persons and not others?~ALCIBIADES: Certainly.~SOCRATES: Do
12 Text | which I need not dilate?~ALCIBIADES: Yes, Socrates, but you
13 Text | opposite of discretion?~ALCIBIADES: Of course.~SOCRATES: And
14 Text | and others the contrary?~ALCIBIADES: They do.~SOCRATES: Well,
15 Text | and that some are mad?~ALCIBIADES: Yes.~SOCRATES: And again,
16 Text | some who are in health?~ALCIBIADES: There are.~SOCRATES: While
17 Text | While others are ailing?~ALCIBIADES: Yes.~SOCRATES: And they
18 Text | And they are not the same?~ALCIBIADES: Certainly not.~SOCRATES:
19 Text | who are in neither state?~ALCIBIADES: No.~SOCRATES: A man must
20 Text | either be sick or be well?~ALCIBIADES: That is my opinion.~SOCRATES:
21 Text | and want of discretion?~ALCIBIADES: How do you mean?~SOCRATES:
22 Text | neither one nor the other?~ALCIBIADES: Decidedly not.~SOCRATES:
23 Text | be either sane or insane?~ALCIBIADES: So I suppose.~SOCRATES:
24 Text | opposite of discretion?~ALCIBIADES: Yes.~SOCRATES: And that
25 Text | discretion and indiscretion?~ALCIBIADES: True.~SOCRATES: And there
26 Text | opposites to one thing?~ALCIBIADES: There cannot.~SOCRATES:
27 Text | want of sense are the same?~ALCIBIADES: That appears to be the
28 Text | in the right, therefore, Alcibiades, if we say that all who
29 Text | you call mad, are many?~ALCIBIADES: I do.~SOCRATES: But how
30 Text | not be quite otherwise?~ALCIBIADES: Why, Socrates, how is that
31 Text | consider the matter thus:—~ALCIBIADES: How?~SOCRATES: I will tell
32 Text | some are sick; do we not?~ALCIBIADES: Yes.~SOCRATES: And must
33 Text | only maladies which exist?~ALCIBIADES: Certainly not.~SOCRATES:
34 Text | of ophthalmia a disease?~ALCIBIADES: Yes.~SOCRATES: And every
35 Text | every disease ophthalmia?~ALCIBIADES: Surely not. But I scarcely
36 Text | we may find what we seek.~ALCIBIADES: I am attending, Socrates,
37 Text | every disease ophthalmia?~ALCIBIADES: We are.~SOCRATES: And so
38 Text | illustration from the artizans?~ALCIBIADES: Certainly.~SOCRATES: There
39 Text | carpenters or sculptors.~ALCIBIADES: No, indeed.~SOCRATES: And
40 Text | Or what is your opinion?~ALCIBIADES: I agree with you.~SOCRATES:
41 Text | two classes? Did we not?~ALCIBIADES: To be sure.~SOCRATES: And
42 Text | ought to be done or said?~ALCIBIADES: Yes.~SOCRATES: The senseless
43 Text | those who do not know this?~ALCIBIADES: True.~SOCRATES: The latter
44 Text | without their own knowledge?~ALCIBIADES: Exactly.~SOCRATES: Oedipus,
45 Text | Oedipus, as I was saying, Alcibiades, was a person of this sort.
46 Text | one and the same day that Alcibiades, son of Cleinias, was tyrant:—
47 Text | obtained the greatest of goods.~ALCIBIADES: And not only I, Socrates,
48 Text | exchange for your life?~ALCIBIADES: Certainly not: for then
49 Text | bad and mischievous end?~ALCIBIADES: I would not.~SOCRATES:
50 Text | must have been a wise poet, Alcibiades, who, seeing as I believe,
51 Text | answer to him, speak out.~ALCIBIADES: It is difficult, Socrates,
52 Text | respectively a good or an evil?~ALCIBIADES: How do you mean? Can ignorance
53 Text | believe:—you do not think so?~ALCIBIADES: Certainly not.~SOCRATES:
54 Text | done towards their parent.~ALCIBIADES: Good words, Socrates, prithee.~
55 Text | venture on such a crime?~ALCIBIADES: Certainly not.~SOCRATES:
56 Text | would any one else, I fancy?~ALCIBIADES: No.~SOCRATES: That ignorance
57 Text | does not know what is best?~ALCIBIADES: So I think, at least.~SOCRATES:
58 Text | ignorant and everybody else?~ALCIBIADES: Yes.~SOCRATES: Let us take
59 Text | that what is worst is best?~ALCIBIADES: No.)~SOCRATES:—If, then,
60 Text | you venture to slay him?~ALCIBIADES: Most decidedly not (it
61 Text | offered, but Pericles himself?~ALCIBIADES: Certainly.~SOCRATES: And
62 Text | would never attack him?~ALCIBIADES: Never.~SOCRATES: Well,
63 Text | have laid hands upon her?~ALCIBIADES: No.~SOCRATES: He did not
64 Text | mother, but only his own?~ALCIBIADES: True.~SOCRATES: Ignorance,
65 Text | mind, and have such ideas?~ALCIBIADES: Obviously.~SOCRATES: You
66 Text | as you formerly supposed?~ALCIBIADES: I do.~SOCRATES: And there
67 Text | reading is here uncertain.)~ALCIBIADES: What is that, Socrates?~
68 Text | confidently to do or say?~ALCIBIADES: Yes, in my opinion.~SOCRATES:
69 Text | counsel of the orators.~ALCIBIADES: True.~SOCRATES: But now
70 Text | the wise from the foolish?~ALCIBIADES: Yes.~SOCRATES: The many
71 Text | are foolish, the few wise?~ALCIBIADES: Certainly.~SOCRATES: And
72 Text | reference to something?~ALCIBIADES: I do.~SOCRATES: Would you
73 Text | to carry out the advice?~ALCIBIADES: Decidedly not.~SOCRATES:
74 Text | to war or for how long?~ALCIBIADES: No.~SOCRATES: Nor, once
75 Text | or for whom it is better?~ALCIBIADES: Certainly not.~SOCRATES:
76 Text | useful are surely the same?—~ALCIBIADES: Yes.~SOCRATES:—Such an
77 Text | city. What do you think?~ALCIBIADES: I agree.~SOCRATES: And
78 Text | riding as a good rider?~ALCIBIADES: Yes.~SOCRATES: And in a
79 Text | performer in any other art?~ALCIBIADES: True.~SOCRATES: But is
80 Text | artist and the wise man?~ALCIBIADES: All the difference in the
81 Text | arts or in regard to whom?~ALCIBIADES: I should call such a state
82 Text | anarchy and lawlessness?~ALCIBIADES: Decidedly.~SOCRATES: But
83 Text | confidently propose to do or say?~ALCIBIADES: Yes.~SOCRATES: And if a
84 Text | himself and for the state?~ALCIBIADES: True.~SOCRATES: And if
85 Text | and the state will suffer?~ALCIBIADES: Yes.~SOCRATES: Well, and
86 Text | the same mind, as before?~ALCIBIADES: I am.~SOCRATES: But were
87 Text | unwise and the few wise?~ALCIBIADES: I was.~SOCRATES: And have
88 Text | devoid of intelligence?~ALCIBIADES: That is the case.~SOCRATES:
89 Text | losers rather than gainers?~ALCIBIADES: What you say is very true.~
90 Text | the knowledge of the best?~ALCIBIADES: I do now, if I did not
91 Text | pseudo-Homeric poem, ‘Margites.’)~ALCIBIADES: How in the world, Socrates,
92 Text | argument has played us false.~ALCIBIADES: But I do not think that
93 Text | are right in thinking so.~ALCIBIADES: Well, that is my opinion.~
94 Text | advantage of the opportunity?~ALCIBIADES: Indeed, Socrates, I could
95 Text | though we asked for it?~ALCIBIADES: I believe that you are
96 Text | is about these matters.~ALCIBIADES: I agree, Socrates, with
97 Text | you were asking for good?~ALCIBIADES: I do.~SOCRATES: You see,
98 Text | the Gods and towards men.~ALCIBIADES: And how long must I wait,
99 Text | this is beyond your power.~ALCIBIADES: Only let my instructor
100 Text | a wondrous care for you.~ALCIBIADES: It seems to be altogether
101 Text | such a tremendous risk.~ALCIBIADES: But how shall we manage,
|