Dialogue

 1 Intro|   good,’~and then reproaches Pittacus for having said, ‘Hard is
 2 Intro|      of the seven sages. Now Pittacus had a saying, ‘Hard is it
 3 Intro|  controvert it. No, says he, Pittacus; not ‘hard to be good,’
 4 Intro|   intended as an attack upon Pittacus. This, though manifestly
 5  Prot|   not agree with the word of Pittacus, albeit the utterance of
 6  Prot|      forgetting, and blaming Pittacus and refusing to agree with
 7  Prot| Prodicus.~And then he blames Pittacus, not, as Protagoras imagines,
 8  Prot|      different from himself. Pittacus does not say as Simonides
 9  Prot|    said, Prodicus, he blames Pittacus for saying, ‘Hard is the
10  Prot|  meaning; and he is twitting Pittacus with ignorance of the use
11  Prot|  were Thales of Miletus, and Pittacus of Mitylene, and Bias of
12  Prot|    Now there was a saying of Pittacus which was privately circulated
13  Prot| secret intention of damaging Pittacus and his saying.~Let us all
14  Prot|    reference to the words of Pittacus. Pittacus is saying ‘Hard
15  Prot|    to the words of Pittacus. Pittacus is saying ‘Hard is it to
16  Prot|   that the truly hard thing, Pittacus, is to become good, not
17  Prot|     construing the saying of Pittacus thus (and let us imagine
18  Prot|     thus (and let us imagine Pittacus to be speaking and Simonides
19  Prot|   him): ‘O my friends,’ says Pittacus, ‘hard is it to be good,’
20  Prot| Simonides answers, ‘In that, Pittacus, you are mistaken; the difficulty
21  Prot|  refutation of the saying of Pittacus. For he speaks in what follows
22  Prot|   state and be good, as you, Pittacus, affirm, is not possible,
23  Prot|     help being bad. And you, Pittacus, are saying, ‘Hard is it
24  Prot|   love.’~All this relates to Pittacus, as is further proved by
25  Prot|      pursues his attack upon Pittacus throughout the whole poem):~‘
26  Prot|      also wishes to imply to Pittacus that he does not censure
27  Prot|     because he is addressing Pittacus,~‘Who love and APPROVE every
28  Prot|    praise and love. And you, Pittacus, I would never have blamed,