Dialogue

 1   Ion|         always well dressed and in good company—in the company of
 2   Ion|          company—in the company of good poets and of Homer, who
 3   Ion|            he who can judge of the good speaker is able to judge
 4   Ion| continually in the company of many good poets; and especially of
 5   Ion|          else who ever was, had as good ideas about Homer as I have,
 6   Ion|          in my opinion there are a good many.~SOCRATES: And can
 7   Ion|           SOCRATES: Would you or a good prophet be a better interpreter
 8   Ion|         and of intercourse of men, good and bad, skilled and unskilled,
 9   Ion|         judge which of them is the good speaker?~ION: Yes.~SOCRATES:
10   Ion|           And he who judges of the good will be the same as he who
11   Ion|          will not he who knows the good know the bad speaker also?
12   Ion|           neither will he know the good when the same topic is being
13   Ion|      SOCRATES: And if you knew the good speaker, you would also
14   Ion|          the same person will be a good judge of all those who speak
15   Ion|        whole art, the enquiry into good and bad is one and the same.
16   Ion|            have been many painters good and bad?~ION: Yes.~SOCRATES:
17   Ion|           the inspiration. For all good poets, epic as well as lyric,
18   Ion|        iambic verses—and he who is good at one is not good at any
19   Ion|          who is good at one is not good at any other kind of verse:
20   Ion|            and I am persuaded that good poets by a divine inspiration
21   Ion|          inspiration.~ION: That is good, Socrates; and yet I doubt
22   Ion|         SOCRATES: Then he who is a good rhapsode is also a good
23   Ion|            good rhapsode is also a good general?~ION: Certainly,
24   Ion|          SOCRATES: And he who is a good general is also a good rhapsode?~
25   Ion|           a good general is also a good rhapsode?~ION: No; I do
26   Ion|            do say that he who is a good rhapsode is also a good
27   Ion|            good rhapsode is also a good general.~ION: Certainly.~
28   Ion|          of your own.~SOCRATES: My good Ion, did you never hear