Dialogue

 1 Lysis|   friend of the unjust, good of evil.~Thus we arrive at the conclusion
 2 Lysis|         the friend of good, nor evil of evil, nor good of evil,
 3 Lysis|     friend of good, nor evil of evil, nor good of evil, nor evil
 4 Lysis|       evil of evil, nor good of evil, nor evil of good. What
 5 Lysis|     evil, nor good of evil, nor evil of good. What remains but
 6 Lysis|       which is neither good nor evil, should be the friend (not
 7 Lysis| desirous of getting rid of some evil, such as disease, which
 8 Lysis|    accidental to it (for if the evil were essential the body
 9 Lysis|   indifferent, and would become evil)—in such a case the indifferent
10 Lysis|      sake of getting rid of the evil. In this intermediate ‘indifferent’
11 Lysis|       wisdom as the cure of the evil. (Symp.)~After this explanation
12 Lysis|       by us only as the cure of evil; and therefore if there
13 Lysis|      therefore if there were no evil there would be no friendship.
14 Lysis|    inter-dependence of good and evil, and the allusion to the
15 Lysis|         of the non-existence of evil, are also very remarkable.~
16 Lysis|  together ‘the neither good nor evil’ for the sake of the good
17 Lysis|         good and because of the evil; 4) whether friendship is
18 Lysis|       of him only; but that the evil never attains to any real
19 Lysis| friendship, either with good or evil. Do you agree?~He nodded
20 Lysis|       which is neither good nor evil still in some cases be the
21 Lysis|        what is neither good nor evil is the friend of the beautiful
22 Lysis|     friend of the good, nor the evil of the evil, nor the good
23 Lysis|       good, nor the evil of the evil, nor the good of the evil;—
24 Lysis|       evil, nor the good of the evil;—these alternatives are
25 Lysis|        what is neither good nor evil must be the friend, either
26 Lysis|       which is neither good nor evil, for nothing can be the
27 Lysis|       which is neither good nor evil can have no friend which
28 Lysis|       which is neither good nor evil.~Clearly not.~Then the good
29 Lysis|       which is neither good nor evil.~That may be assumed to
30 Lysis|   Certainly.~And sickness is an evil, and the art of medicine
31 Lysis|       body, is neither good nor evil?~True.~And the body is compelled
32 Lysis|       which is neither good nor evil becomes the friend of good,
33 Lysis|       reason of the presence of evil?~So we may infer.~And clearly
34 Lysis|      which was neither good nor evil had become altogether corrupted
35 Lysis|   corrupted with the element of evil—if itself had become evil
36 Lysis|       evil—if itself had become evil it would not still desire
37 Lysis|          as we were saying, the evil cannot be the friend of
38 Lysis|       which is neither good nor evil may be in the presence of
39 Lysis|       may be in the presence of evil, but not as yet evil, and
40 Lysis|         of evil, but not as yet evil, and that has happened before
41 Lysis|  anything is in the presence of evil, not being as yet evil,
42 Lysis|       of evil, not being as yet evil, the presence of good arouses
43 Lysis|      thing; but the presence of evil, which makes a thing evil,
44 Lysis|       evil, which makes a thing evil, takes away the desire and
45 Lysis|    which was once both good and evil has now become evil only,
46 Lysis|         and evil has now become evil only, and the good was supposed
47 Lysis|     have no friendship with the evil?~None.~And therefore we
48 Lysis| ignorant to the extent of being evil, for no evil or ignorant
49 Lysis|    extent of being evil, for no evil or ignorant person is a
50 Lysis|       reason of the presence of evil the neither good nor evil
51 Lysis|       evil the neither good nor evil has of the good, either
52 Lysis|          Yes.~And disease is an evil?~Certainly.~And what of
53 Lysis|         I said. Is that good or evil, or neither?~Good, he replied.~
54 Lysis|     body being neither good nor evil, because of disease, that
55 Lysis|       that is to say because of evil, is the friend of medicine,
56 Lysis|       which is neither good nor evil is the friend of the good
57 Lysis|         the good because of the evil and hateful, and for the
58 Lysis|       loved for the sake of the evil? Let me put the case in
59 Lysis|         three principles, good, evil, and that which is neither
60 Lysis|       which is neither good nor evil, there remained only the
61 Lysis|       and the neutral, and that evil went far away, and in no
62 Lysis|       say, are neither good nor evil in themselves;—would the
63 Lysis|         the good because of the evil, and as the remedy of the
64 Lysis|        and as the remedy of the evil, which was the disease;
65 Lysis|         the two, because of the evil? but there is no use in
66 Lysis|     tell me, I said, whether if evil were to perish, we should
67 Lysis|         remain, but will not be evil because evil has perished?
68 Lysis|        will not be evil because evil has perished? Or rather
69 Lysis|         a good and sometimes an evil to us, and sometimes neither
70 Lysis|         any reason why, because evil perishes, that which is
71 Lysis|     perishes, that which is not evil should perish with it?~None.~
72 Lysis|         it?~None.~Then, even if evil perishes, the desires which
73 Lysis|      which are neither good nor evil will remain?~Clearly they
74 Lysis|          He must.~Then, even if evil perishes, there may still
75 Lysis|     friendship?~Yes.~But not if evil is the cause of friendship:
76 Lysis|        after the destruction of evil; for the effect cannot remain
77 Lysis|       that the neither good nor evil loves the good because of
78 Lysis|         the good because of the evil?~Very true.~But now our
79 Lysis|      good is congenial, and the evil uncongenial to every one?
80 Lysis|    every one? Or again that the evil is congenial to the evil,
81 Lysis|        evil is congenial to the evil, and the good to the good;
82 Lysis|       which is neither good nor evil to that which is neither
83 Lysis|       which is neither good nor evil?~They agreed to the latter
84 Lysis|        who came upon us like an evil apparition with their brothers,