No More Learning

Soc. fr. And you have just now parted from him?
Soc. Yes, Ihavejustnowpartedfromhim, after a very long Conversation.
Soc. fr. Alas! willyou notrelatethatConversa tiontous,ifyouben'tinhaste? sitdown, Ipray you, in that young Man's Place, w h o will willingly
give ityou.
! . ? ' SOC.
Soc. friend. Youjustcomeftomhimthen5how are you in his Favour ?
Soc. IamveryWellwithhim* Iperceivedthis
very Day, that I was more in his favour than usual,
for he said a thousand things in m y favour and al
ways took m y part : I have but just parted from him.
And 111 tell you a thing that may feem very strange
to you, which is, that whilst*he was present I law
him not, and did not so much as think of him. Soc. friend. 'What happened to you both then,
thatyouneithersawhimnorthoughtofhim? Isit possible that you have met with some finer young Man intheCitythanAlcibiades? Ican'tbelieveany thingofit.
So-. It is ev'n Ib.
Soc. friend. Ingoodearnest? IsheanAthenian^ or a Stranger ?
Soc. H e is a Stranger.
Soc. friend. Whence comes he then ?
Soc. From Abdera.
Soc. friend. And did you think him so fine, that
he hath effaced the Comeliness of Alcibiades ?
Soc. The greatestBeautyisnottobelaidinthe
WifSmk
>>ioremi- BallancewithgreatWisdom.
? ? Protagoras: Or, the Sophists. a>>j
Soc. IwilldoitwithallmyHeart;andshallbe obligedtoyou, ifyouwillgiveeartoit.
Soc. Fr. We shallbemuchmore obligedtoyou, if you will relate it to us.
Soc. The Obligation then will be reciprocal. Your Businessisonlytohearme. ThisMorningwhileit wasyetdarkHippocrates,theSon ofApollodorus and Phaforfs Brother, knock'd very hard at m y Gate withhisCane;itwasno sooneropen'dtohim, but he came directly to my Chamber , crying with a loud Voice, Socrates are you asleep? Knowing his Voice, Isaid,whatHippocrates! what News doyou bringme? VerygoodNews, fayshe. Godgrantit, reply'dI. ButwhatNewsisitthen,thatyoucome Ibearly? Protagoras isinTown, fays he, Jre^ ply'd,hehasbeenherethesetwoDays. Didyou
hothearittillnow? IhearditbutthisNight;and havingsaidthis,hedrew nearmyBed, andfeeling with hisCane, fatdown atmy Feet, and went on inthismanner. IreturnedlastNightverylatefrom the Village of Doinoe, where Iwent to take my SlaveSatyrusagain,whohadrunaway:IwasreT solved to come and tell you that I was going in searchofhim, butsomeotherthingput itoutof mymind. AfterIhadreturn'd,iupp'dandwasgo ingtoBed,my Brothercametotellmethat Protagoras was come to Town : At first my Thoughts were to come to acquaint you with this g o o d N e w s ? , b u t c o n s i d e r i n g t h a t t h e N i g h t w a s a l ready too far advanced, Iwent to Bed, and aftera smallslumber, whichrefreshedmea littleaftermy Fatigue,Iaroseandcamerunninghither. I,who
knew HippocratestobeaMan ofCourage,perceiving himallamazed,askedhim,WhattheMatterwas?
Has Protagoras done you any Injury ? Yes certainly, answered he, laughing ? , he has done me an Injury
thatIwillnotforgivehim, thatis,thatheiswise, anddoesnotmakemeso. Oh! saidItohim,if ou will give him good Money, and ifyou can o-r
IligehimtoreceiveyouforhisDisciple,he will also make you wife. ? ' !
? ? ? 36
Protagoras; Or, the Sophists:
IwishtoGod,fayshe,thatwereall;Iwould notleavemyselfaHalf-penny,and Iwouldalso drainmyFriendsPurses. 'Tisonlythatthatbrings mehither:Icometoprayyoutospeaktohimfor me; forbesidesthat, Iam tooyoung, Ineversaw
himnorknewhim:IwasbutaChild, whenhe came hither first, but I hear every body speak very wellofhim,andtheyassuremethatheisthemost eloquentofMen, Let? sgotohim,beforehegoes abroad. Iamtoldhelodgeswith*Ca//ias,Sonof Hipponicus. LetusgothitherIconjureyou. Tis too early, said I to him -, but let us walk in our Court; where w e will argue till D a y light, then w e
willgo:Iassureyouweshallnotmisshim,forhe seldom goes abroad. Then we went down into the Court, and while we were walking there, I had a mindtofindoutwhatHippocrates'sDesignwas. To this end I said to him, Well, Hippocrates, you are going to Protagoras to offer him Money, that he mayteachyousomething;WhatsortofMandoyou takehimtobe, and whatsortofMan would you
havehimtomakeyou? Ifyoushouldgotothegreat PhysicianofCW,who isyourname-sake,andaDescen dant of AEfcu/apius^nd shouldofferhim Mony,ifany Body should ask you, Hippocrates, to what fort of MandoyoupretendtogivethatMoney,andwhat wouldyoubecomebymeansofthisMoney? what Would youanswer>Iwouldanswer,ThatIgiveitto a Physician, and that I would be made a Physician.
And ifyou should go to Volycletus of Argos or to Tbidias to give them Money to learn something of them, and any one should ask you the very fame Question, to whom do you give that Money , and what would you be ? what would you answer ?
I would answer,sayshe, thatIgive itto a Statuary and that I would be a Statuary,
*CalliaswasoneofthefirstCiti? ensofAthens:HisFa ther Hipjnmcus had been General ot the Athenians with "Nicias at the Battle of Tanagre.
That
? ? Protagoras: Or, the Sophists, 237
Thatisverywell! Now thenwearegoing, you andItoProtagorat, withaDispositionto givehim, all that he shall ask for your Instruction, if all that we havewill satisfie him forit,or. beenough to tempt him5andifitbe not enough, we atealso readytomakeuseoftheCreditofourFriends. If any: one perceiving his extraordinary eagerness should askus,SocratesandHippocrates,tellme, ingiving so much Money to Protagoras,to what sort of a M a n do yoil think you give it1 what should we answer him ? what other Denomination has Protagoras that weknowof? weknowthatPhidiashasthatofSta
tuaryandHomerthatofPoet:Howshallwecall Protagoras to describe him by hisProfession ?
Protagorasiscall'daSophist, Socrates.
Wellthen,saidIjwearegoingtogiveourMo-: ney to a Sophist.
Yes, certainly.
And ifthefamePersonshouldcontinuetoaskyou, what do you design to become, with Protago-. ras ? "",'. "
AttheseWordsmyManblushing,foritwasthen lightenougUb letme see what Alteration there was"
in his Countenance : If w e will follow our Princi ple, fays he, it is evident that I would become ac Sophist.
How, by all that's good, said I tohim,wouldjou not be asham'd to give your self out to be a So phist among the Greeks ?
I swear to you, Socrates, seeing I must tell you the truth, I should be ashamed of it.
Ha! Iunderstand you, my dear Hippocrates; your design then is not to go to the School of'Protagoras, but as you went to that of a Grammarian, Music- Master , or Master of Exercises : For you went not to all those Masters to learn the depth of their Art and to make profession thereof; but you went thi
ther only to exercise your self, and to learn that which a Gentleman and a Man that would live in the World ought necessarily to know.
You
? ? i2$
Protagoras: Qr^The Sophists.
You areintheright,saidhe-,that'sexactlythe use that I would make of Protagoras.
But, said I, do you know what you are going to
do?
Astowhat?
You are going to trust a Sophist with your Under
standing ; and I dare lay you a Wager, that you do n o t k n o w w h a t a S o p h i s t i s ? , a n d , s i n c e i t i s I b , y o u
know not then with whom you are going to trust thatwhichismostvaluabletoyou, andyouknow not whether you put it into good or bad hands ?
Why ? Ibelieve I know very well what a So phistis.
Tell me then, what isit?
A Sophist, ashisvery Name testifies, isa learned Man, who knows a thousandgood things.
We may faythefamethingofaPainteroranAr chitect. They are also learned Men who know a great many good things: But ifany body sliould ask us wherein are they learn'd? we should certainly
? answer them, that 'tis in what regards drawing of PicturesandbuildingofHouses. Ifanyoneshould askusinlikemanner, whereinisaS4? tistlearned? what should we answer ? What is thefArt positive lythathemakesprofessionof? andwhatshouldwe say it is ?
We shouldsay,thathisProfessionistomakeMen Eloquent.
Perhaps we might speak trueinsosaying5that i s s o m e t h i n g , b u t i t i s n o t a l l -, y o u r A n s w e r o c c a sions another Question, to wit, In what it is that &
^Master o/Sophist renders a M a n eloquent ? For a player upon tuimu theLute,doesnothealsorenderhisDiscipleelo- fpeahht- quentinthatwhichregardstheLute? terofthe*~,. ,. . ?
tJetUn That iscertain.
themosielo- InwhatisitthenthataSophistrendersaMr/ft JuentManeloquent, isitnotinthatwhichheknows?
World Without do"bt.
" What is it that he knows then and teacttes 0-
thers ? j Iri
? ? , Protagoras:0r9 theSophists: 13$ '
In truth, Socrates. I cannot tell.
How then? saidIto him, takingtheadvantage*W>>>>g* o f t h i s C o n f e s s i o n ? , a l a s ! d o n ' t y o u p e r c e i v e t o w h a t j ^ ^ f "
f r i g h t f u l D a n g e r s y o u a r e g o i n g t o e x p o s e y o u r s e l f ? TM g i y t 0ltr If you had occasion to put your Body into the Hands fehts >>/. t>> ofaPhysicianwhomyouknownot,andwhomight*V*"<</ as well destroy itas cure it, would not you look to"2^"*** itmorethanonce? Would younotcallyourFriends
and Relations to consult with them ? And would
you not take more than one Day to resolve on the
Matter? You esteemyourSoulinfinitelyaboveyour
Body, and you are perfwaded that on it depends
your Happiness or Unhappinels , according as it is wellorilldisposed5and,notwithstandingitsWei- <?
fareisnow atstake, youneitheraskAdviceofyour Father,norBrother,norofanyofuswhoareyour Friends-,youdon'ttakesomuchasoneMomentto deliberatewhetheryououghttoentrustitwith this Strangerwho isjustnow arrived5 buthavingheard of his arrival very late at Night , you come next
Morning, before break of Day , to put it into his Hands without considering on it, and are ready not only to imploy all your own Riches for that pur pose,butalsothoseofyourFriends. Youhavere solved upon it, you must deliver up your selfto Pro tagoras,whomyouknownot,asyouyourselfcon fess, and with whom you have never spoke: You
call him only a Sophist, and, without knowing what ^ Sophistis,youthrowyourselfintohisHands.
All that you fay, Socrates, is very true 5 you are inthe right.
Don't you find, Hippocrates, that the Sophist isrieSophist butawholesaleMerchantandaRetailerofthose**"? "
Things wherewith the Soul is nourished ?
So it seems to me, Socrates, said he $ but what are the Things wherewith the Soul is nourished ?
Sciences,Iansweredhim* But,mydearFriend, we must be very careful that the Sophist, by boast ing too much of his Merchandize, do not deceive us, as those People do w h o sell all that is neceflary for
Merchant.
the
? ? * i\6
Ptotagotas: Or, the Sophist? .
theNourishmentoftheBody. Forthelatter,with out knowing whether the Provisions which they fell be good or bad,commend them excessively, that they may fellthem the better; and those who buy them know them no better than they, unless it be some Physician*orMasterofExercise. Itisthefame with those Merchants who go into the Cities to fell
Sciences to those who have a mind to them ; they
praiseindifferentlyallthattheysell. Itmayvery
well be, that most of them know not if what they
sellisgoodorbadfortheSoul: Butalltholewho
buy any thing of the1! ! ! are -certainly ignorant as to
thatMatter, unlesstheymeetwithsomePersonwho m who ;Sag00(jphysicianfortheSoul. Ifyouareskill'd
VothlZ in that Matter, and know what is Good or Bad< mi << a you may certainly buy Sciences of Protagoras and goodThy- ofalltheotherSophists;butifyouarenotskill'd ! "*>><</>'*herein, 'have a care, my dear Hippocrates, that hearaUfirtsWstenY011S? tn? reV0U'I011'*ma^eEVeiY^d Mar- cfTeachers. ket, and hazard that which is dearest to you in the Thebuying World ; for the risque we run in buying Sciences efvroyist- is far greater than that which w e run in buying Pro- cnsfirthe visions for Nourishment : After we have bought the j7llZr'h(R)>theima. y^ carriedhomeinVesselswhich
thaithatofthey cant spoil; and before using them we have ? Provision time to consult and to call to our assistance those
f"the whoknowwhatweoughttoeatanddrinkand
what not, the Quantity we may take and the time when, insomuch that the danger is not very great* ButitisnotthefamewithSciences, wecan'tput them into any other Vessel but the Soul, as soon as
* In Hippocratestime and a littlebefore, the Physicians, ha ving neglected the Study of Diet, which requires an exact Knowledge of every Thing in Nature, the Masters of Exer cise laid hold on it as on a deserted Estate, and took upon themselves to order their Disciples such Diet as was agree able to them in regard to their Temperament and Exercises. Hippocrates began to put himself again in possession of it, and
by degrees the Physicians regained the places of Exercise. There were but few Masters of Exercise who kept itup in the time >>f TUto. Most of them had hired Physicians, & c
the
? ? Protagoras: Or, the Sophists], 241
theBargain ismade it must of necessity be carried away,andthattoointheSoulirself;andwemust withdraw with it, being either enriched or ruined for therestofourDays. LetusthereforeconsultPeople
of greater Age and Experience than bur selves upon thisSubject;forwe aretooydungtodeterminesuch an important Affair: But let us go on however, see i n g w e a r e i n t h e w a y -, w e s h a l l h e a r w h a t P r o t a g o raswillsay, and, afterhaving heard him, we will communicate it to others : Doubtless Protagoras is
not there all alone,we shall find Hippias ofEleas with him,and I believe w e shall also find Prodicus de Ceos andmanyothersbesides,allof'emwiseMenand of great insight into things.
ThisResolutionbeingtaken,wegoon. When we came to the Gate, we stopt to conclude a small Disputewehadhadbytheway:Thiscontinueda short*time. IbelievethePorter,whoisanoldEu nuch, heard us, and that the Number of Sophists
thatcame thither constantly, had put him in an ill Hurrsour against allthosewho came near the House. W e had no sooner knockt, but opening the Gate and seeing us, ' Ah, ah, ("laid he) here are more of Our ' Sophists, he is not at leasiire. And taking the GatewithbothhisHands,heshutitinourTeeth withallhisForce. Weknockagain,andhean swers us through the Door, ' Did not you under- *standme? Have not Ialready toldyouthatmy 'MasterwillseenoBody?
MyFriend,saidI,wedon'tcomeheretointer rupt Callias, we are no Sophists j you may open withoutfear\We come toseeProtagoras:Forall this,itwaswithmuchado,thatheopenedtous* W h e n w e entered, w e found Protagoras walking ba- forethePortal, andwithhimononesideCallias,the Son of Hipponicus, and his Brother by the Mother^ Paralus,ihe Son Of Pericles, add Cbarmides, the Son, of Glaucon j and on the other were Xaztbippus, the other Son of P cricks, Pbilippides, the Son of Phi- lomelus. and Antimoerus of Sicily, the most famous
Q. q Dis-
? ? 242.
Protagoras: Or, the Sophists!
Disciple of Protagoras, and w h o aspires to be a So phist.
AfterthemmarchedaTroopofPeoplemost of which seemed to be Strangers that Protagoras bringsalwayswith him from allthe Cities through which hepastes, and whom he attracts by the sweetnessofhisVoice,likeanotherOrpheus. There were also some Atheniansamongst them. When I perceived this fine Troop, I took great pleasure to fee with what Discretion and respect they marched always behind , being very careful not to be before Protagoras. AslbonasProtagorasturnedwithhis
Company, thisTroopopenedtotheRightandLeft* with a Religious Silence to make way for him to passthrough,andafterhehadpastbeganto follow him.
Next to him, * to make use of the Expression of Homer, IconsultedHippiasofEleas, whowasseated upon the other fide of the Portal, on an elevated Seat, and near him, upon the Steps, I observed
Myrrhi- EryximachustheSonofAcumenus,rhedrasofMyr- nusc* rbmufe,AndrontheSonofAndrotion,andsome
Attica, strangersofEleasmixedwiththerest. Theyfeem'd to propose some Questions ofPhysickandAstronomy toHippias,whoansweredalltheirDoubts. Ialso sawTantalusthere. ProdicusdeCeoswasalsothere, but in a little Chamber, which was usually Hippo- nicus\Office,and which Callias,because oftheN u m berofPeoplethatwerecometohisHouse, hadgiven to those strangers, after having fitted it up for them.
Ceramis orProdicus then was still abed, wrapt up in Skins and B? ran. fs ^-Coverings, and Paujanias of Cerame was seated by
A^ka! hisBed-side,andwithhimayoungMan,who feem'dtome tobeofnobleBirthandthecomeliest PersonintheWorld. IthinkIheardPaufaniascall
*ThiswordwastakenfromthenthBookoftheOdysses of Homer, where v/yffes descended to Hell and saw the Ghosts ofthedead. BythiswordaloneSocratesmeansthattheseSo phists are not Men, but Shadows, and vain Phantoms, tijhi\et. This^blig'dmetomakenseofthisword,fayarrisf,Icoh-
ju/tedfWhichissomewhatold,butbettttandmoreusual. him
? ? Protagoras: Or, 7he Sophists. ? 43
himAgatbonyandammuchdeceivediffaebenotin lovewithhim. TherewerealsothetwoAdimantes, theonetheSonofCepbisandtheothertheSonof %,eucolopbidesyandsomeotheryoungPeople. Being Without, I could not hear the Subject of their Di- icourle, altho' I wished passionately to hear Prodicusi
forheappearstometobeaverywife,orrathera divine M a n : But he has so big a Voice that itcaused asortofEcchointheChamber,whichhinder'dme fromunderstandingdistinctlywhathesaid. Wehad been in but a Moment, when after us came Alcibia- des the comely, as you used to call him, and Cri- tiastheSon ofCalaiscbrus.
After w e had been there a short time and conside redalittlewhatpass'dwewentouttojoynProta
goras. Inaccostinghim,Protagoras,saidItohim* Hippocrates and I are come here to see you.
Wouldyouspeaktomeinprivate,saidhe^drin public?
WhenIhavetoldyouwhatbringsushither,an swered I, you your self shall judge which will be most convenient.
Whatisitthen,saidhe,thathathbroughtyou? Hippocrates, whom you seethere, repliedI, isthe
Son of Apollodorm, of one of the greatest and rich estFamiliesofAthens,andasnoblybornasany youngManofhisAge;hedesignstomakehimself illustriousinhisCountry, aridtoacquireReputationj and he is perswad<<d that to succeed therein, he has heedofyourhelpforsometime. Seethenwhether you willentertainusuponthisSubject, inprivateor in public. --
That is very well done, Socrates, to use this Pre- Tl* v&ij cautiontowardsme;forastranger,who goesto<</fk*>>?
the greatest Cities, and perswades young People of r""1 the greatest Quality to leave their Fellow-Citizens, Parents,drothersyoungandold,. andonlytoad heretohim,thattheymaybecomemoreableMen"
by his Conversation ^ cannot make use of too much Pfecautiohl sotitfstveryniceArt^much exposed Q. q x f to
? ? 244 Protagoras: Or, the Sophists.
to the Darts of Envy and which attracts much Ha-
rheujuaitredandmanySnares. FormypartImaintain,that FoiiyofailtheArtofSophistryisveryancient, butthosewho ! tSS'Professedkatfirst>t0hidewhatkhasodiousot
hayJlZir suspected,havesoughttocoverit,somewiththeVail
^trt,Tn- ofPoetry, asHomer, Hejiodand Simonides;others feffio>>,&c. with the Vail of Purifications and Prophecies, as Or-
'iJl*? ^ P^eusan<^-M-ufeus;somehavedisguizeditunderthe ancient.
N a m e of Gymnastique, zslccusoiTarentum, and as one ofthegreatestSophiststhateverwas, doesnow atthistime, Imean HerodicusdeSe! ymbra'mTbracey originally from Megara ; and others have conceal'd it under the specious Pretext of Mufick, as your A- gatboc/es, agreatSophist,ifevertherewasany,Py-
thoclides of Cess, and an infinitenumber of others. All those People, as I tell you, to shelter them
selves from Envy, have sought after Sally-ports to
withdraw themselves out of Trouble in time of need.
AndinthatIaminnowiseoftheirOpinion, being
periwad ed that they have not done what they intend
edto. Foritisimpossiblethattheycanhidethem
selves long from the Eyes of those who have the
chief Authority in Cities, they will at last-discover
yourSubtleties. Itisverytrue,thatthePeopledo
not usually perceive them, but that does not lave
you, for they are always of the Sentiment of their
SuperiorsandspeakonlybytheirMouth. Besides,
there is nothing more ridiculous than to be surprized
like a Fool when one would hide-himself; that does
nothing but procure you still a greater number of
Enemies and renders you more suspected ; for then
you are suspected jpbe a dissembler and crafty in all things. Formypart,Itakethe? oppositewayjIam
downright ; I make an open profession of teaching Men -,and I declaremy selfa Sophist. The best Cunningofallis,tohavenone:Ihadrathershow my selfthanbediscovered:WiththisFranknessI fail not to take all other necessary Precautions ; inso much that, thafiks be to God, no^Misfortune has be- fali'nme asyet,,tho'Iproclaim,*thatIama Sophist
and
? ? f
Protagoras: Or, The Sophists. 24j
and tho1 I have practis'd that Art for a great many Years;forbymy AgeJshouldbetheFatherofallof you, be as great as you please: So that nothing can be more agreeable to me, if you are enclined to it, than to speak to you in the presence of all those that are in the House.
I immediately knew his drift, and saw that he sought for nothing but to value himself before Pro- dicus and Hippias, and to make an improvement of our having addressed our selves to him, as being ina- mour'donhisWisdom. ThenIsaidtohim,to oblige him, But must not Prodictts and Hippias be call'd,thattheymayhearUS? Yescertainly,said Protagoras j who desired no better. And Callias, catching the Ball upon the rebound, Shall we, said he, prepare Seats for you, that you may speak more atyourease? Thatfeem'dtoustobeaverygood thought, and at the fame time, being impatient to hear such able Men discourse, we setall Hands to
work to disfurnilh the House of Hippias, and to pull alltheChairsoutofit. Thiswasnosoonerdone but Callias and Aleibiades return'd, bringing with them Prodicus, whom theyhadmadetorise,andall thosethatwerewithhim. When we wereallseat ed, Protagoras, addressing hisDiscourse to me, said, Socrates, Now youmay tellme, beforeallthisgood Company, whatyouhadalreadybeguatofaytome for this young Man.
Protagoras, said I, I (hall pass no other Compli mentuponyouherethanwhatIhavealreadydone, a n d I shall tell y o u plainly w h y w e are c o m e hither. Hippocrates there has an earnest desire to enjoy your Conversation, and he would willingly know what advantages he shall reap from it. That is all we have to fay to you.
Then Protagoras,turningtowardsHippocrates,My dear Child, said he, the advantages which you shall reap from being with me, are, that from the first
Day ofthisCorrespondenceyoushallreturnatNight more learn'dthanyouwerethatMorningyoucame? ,
? ? 446
Protagoras: Or, the Sophists.
the next Day the ijme, and every Day you shall findthatyou shallhavemade some new progress.
But, Protagoras, fays I, there is nothing extraor d i n a r y i n t h i s , a n d w h a t i s n o t v e r y c o m m o n >>, t o r y o u your self, how old and learned so ever you be, if any Body teach you what you knew not, you will
Wemusinotalsobecomemoreknowingthanyouwere. Alas] strivefim-tj,at-ISnotwhatWedemand. ButsupposeHippocra*
&oieZltes ATM1'1 al1 of a sudden changehisMind, and that something he takes a fancy to apply himself to that young that'sgood. Painterwho islately1arrivedinthisCity,toZeuxip* pus tPHeracleus , he addresses himself to him as he does now to you-, that Painter promiseth the fame
things as you have done, that every Day he shall
become more learn'd and make new progress. 'H.
Hippocratesaskshim, whereinshallImake sogreat
aprogress? willnotZeuxippusanswerhim, thathe willmakeaprogressinPainting? ? - <. . '
Suppose he should have a mind tojoin himselfin the same manner to Oribagoras the Theban, and that after having heard the same things from his Mouths as he has heard from yours, he should ask him the fame Question , wherein should he become every' Day more learned > Will notOrtbagoras answer him, that'tisintheArtofPlayingupontheFlute? The- Matter being so, I pray you, Protagoras, to answer uslikewiseaspositively. Youtellus,thatifHip'-j p o c r a t e s j o i n h i m s e l f t o y o u , f r o m t h e first D a y , h e N
willreturnmorelearned,thenextDay stillmore,
and every Day after make new progresses, and so
on all the Days of his Lite. But explain to us where
initishewillbesolearned, andtheAdvantageshe ? shallreapfrom thisLearning. ;
You havereason, Socrates,saidProtagoras-, that's a very pertinent Question, and I dearly love to an- srfwSophistswerthosewhoputsuchsortofQuestionstome. I alwaysit- tell you then that Hippocrates needs not fear, with
^alLliof me>> any ? f tn0^ Inconveniences which would infal-
- "? pfi libly happen to him, with all our Sophists;' for all
the o^her Sophists do notably prejudice young People,: T*. . . . ? -? ? >. :. -? ? ? ;-f. . . ,>>. . -;//? -? . ;? - '-. ! > \. in
? Mi
? Protagoras: Or, The Sophists. 247
in forcing them, by their fine Discourses, in spight of theiraversion to them, to learn Ans which they care not for? and which they would in no wife leam, as Anthmetick, Astronomy, Geometry, Mu- fick, and in faying, that he look'd upon Mippias^
designingasitweretopointhim out: whereaswith
me ayoungMan willlearnnothingbuttheScience f o r w h i c h h e h a s a d d r e s s e d h i m s e l f t o m e ? , a n d t h a t
Science is nothing else but Prudence, which teaches one to govern his House well, and which, as to things that regard the Republick, renders us capable of saying and doing all that is most advantagious
for it.
See, said I to him, if I conceive you aright : It
seems to me, that you would speak of Politicks, andthatyoupretendtobeabletomakeMengood . Citizens ?
It is so, said he, that is the thing that I boast of.
In truth, said I to him, Protagoras that's a w o n derfulScienceyouhave, ifitbetruethatyouhave it, for I shall not scruple to tell you steely what I think. Ihavehithertothought,thatitwasathing thatcouldnotbetaught;butsinceyoufay, thatyou teachit,howcanwebutbelieveyou? Inthemean timeitisjust,thatIshouldgiveyou theReasonswhy
Ibelieveitcannot betaught, andthatoneMan can- ,notcommunicatethatSciencetoanother. Iamper- swaded, as are all the Greeks^ that the Athenians artverywise. *IseeinallourAssemblies,that
when the City is obliged to undertake some new Buildings, they call all the Architects before them to ask their Advice ; that when they design to build Ships, they send for the Carpenters that work in their Arsenals ; and that they do the fame in all other things that are capable to be taught and
* The firstreason of Socrates founded upon the Practice of allMen. UponThingsthatcanbetaught,theyaskAdvice onlyoftholewhohavelearntthem;outuponVirtuethey advise with every Body j a certain Mark that they are per- swaded that Virtue is not acquired.
<iq 4. learn'dj
? ? 448
Protagoras): Or, The Sophists.
learn'd-, and ifanybody else, who isnot ofthePro session, take upon him to give Advice, tho' he be never so fine, rich and noble, yet they don't so m u c h as give ear to him-, but they laugh athim, hiss him, andmakeaterriblenoise, tillsuchtimeasheretires, or iscarried out by the Officers, by Order of the Se nate. ThisistheManneroftheCity'sConductin all Things that depend upon Art.
But when they. deliberate upon those Things that relate to the Government of theRepublick then eve ryBodyisheardalike. YoufeetheMason,Lock smith, Shooe-maker, Merchant, the Sea-man, the Poor,Rich,Noble,theWaggoner,&c riseupto give their Advice, and no Body takes itillj there is no Noise made then, asinotherOccasions, and none of them is reproached for Intruding to give his Ad vice in Things he had never learned and in which he had not had a Master ? , an evident Demonstration,
that the Athenians do all believe that that cannot be
taught. And this is what is not only seen in the
generalAffairsrelatingtotheRepublick, butalsoin
privateAftairsandanallFamilies-, forthewisestand
the ablest of our Citizens can't communicate their WisdomandAbilitytoothers. ? >?
Without going: further, Pericles has carefully cau sed his two Sons , who are there to learn all that Masterscouldteach them;butastoWisdom hedoes n o t t e a c h t h e m t h a t -, h e d o e s n o t s e n d t h e m t o o t h e r Masters, * but they feed in common in all Pastures, likeBeastsconsecratedtoGod, thatwanderwithout
* ThisPassage, which isvery fine, had notieen intelligible, if I had translated it. verbatim ; for the Greek fays all this in one Word,bWjipiltt. Itwasthereforerequisitetoexplainthe Figurewhichisexcellent. SocratescomparesMentothose
Beasts which the Ancients consecrated sometimes to thfe^Gods,
As those Beasts had no Herds but those Gods themselves, so
it is the fame with Men, chiefly as to what relates to Virtue.
\ )
NotonlyGod,towhomtheyareconsecratedbytheirBirth,. *
can conduct them to the pure Springs, healthful Waters and
fatPastures. ItisthefameNotionasDavidhadin"Psalm>>t. in loco fafcue ihi me collocavit. ? '. '. '. '
? ? ? . -. >. . . -', '
a
? ? Protagoras:Or> Ik Sophists. 449
a Herd, to fee if of themselves they can light by good Fortune upon those healthful Herbs, which are , WisdomandVirtue. Tistrue,thatthefemePeri cles, being Tutor to Alcibiades and Clinias, Opera ted them, lest the latter, as being much younger, should be corrupted by his Brother Alcibiades ^ and placed Clinias with Ariphron, to the end that that wiseManmighttakecaretobringhimupandin struct:hirq. ButwhatwastheIssueofit? Clinias had not been fix Months there, before Ariphron^ not knowing whajt to do with him, returned him to Perk/es. '"? ' "
I could quote you an infinite Number of others who,tho' they were very virtuousand learned,yet they could never make their own Children nor those of othersthebetterPeopleforallthat And,whenI think of all those Examples, I confess, Protagoras, thatIcontinueofthisSentiment, *thatVirtuecan't be taught : But at the fame time, when I hear you
speakasyoudo,itmakesmewaver,andIbeginto believe, that what you lay is true, being periwaded, that you have great Experience, that you have learn ed much of others, and that you have found out manyThingsyourselfthatweareignorantof If therefore you can plainly demonstrate to us, that Vir tueisofa. naturetobetaught, clon'tconcealsogreat aTreasurefromus:But! conjure^youtocommuni cateittous'. ' " * '
Well, saidhe, Iwillnotconcealitfromyou, but chuse:ShallI,asanoldMan, whospeaktoyoung People,demonstrateittoyou+bywayofaFable, or shall I do it by a plain and coherent Discourse.
*ItisanuncontrovertibleTruth;Forwhoisitthatcan correcthim whom God hathabandoned,becauseofhisVices? W h o can make that straight which he hath made crooked ?
t Fables were the strength of the Sophists. It was by them thatNaturalReligion,ifwe mayfayso,wassupplanted;and t h a t " P a g a n i s m , w h i c h is t h e C o r r u p t i o n t h e r e o f , w a s i n t r o d u ced initsroom :wherefore St. Taul exhorts the Faithful with tomuchcaretoavoidFables. WhenaManrefusestohearken to the Truth, he, in'course, gives ear to Fables.
1. . ''? ? >. At
? ? 2J9
Protagoras: Or, The Sophists}
At these Words most of those who were present cried out, that he was the Master, and that the Choice was left to him.
Since it is Ib, said he, I believe, that a Fable will be most agreeable.
* There was a time when the Gods were alone, beforetherewereeitherBeastsorMen. When the time appointed for the creation of these last came,
the Gods form'd them in the Earth, by mixing the Earth, the Fire and the other two Elements, whereof theyarecomposed,together. But,beforetheybrought them to the light, they ordered t Prometheus and Epmetbeus to adorn them and to distribute to them allQualitiesconvenient. Epimetbeusbegg'dofPro metheus to suffer him to make this distributionj which Prometheus consented to.
Behold then Epimetbeus in his Office. He gives to Ibme Strength without Swiftness , and to others SwiftnesswithoutStrength. TothesehegivesNa turalArmsanddeniesthem toothers,butatthe fame time gives them other Means to preserve and defend themselves ? , he assigns Caves and Holes in the Rocks for the retreat of those to which he gives butsmallBody, orotherwise,bygivingthemWings, heshewsthemtheirsafetyisintheAir. Hemakes those, to w h o m he has allotted Bulk, understand that that Bulk is sufficient for their preservation. Thus he finished his Distribution with the greatest Equality he possibly could , taking particular Care
* In this Fable, which is very ingenious, are trac'd great
Foet-steps of Truth ; as, that God was from everlasting be
foretheCreationofMan;thattherewasaTimedestindby
ProvidenceforthatCreation;andthatManwascreatedof
the Earth, in which were hid the Seeds of all Creatures. TtByTrometbeui,isheremeanttheSuperiourAngels;to
whomsomethinkGodrecommendedtheCareofManinthe Creation; tho' they act solely by his Spirit; for they only executehisOrders. And,byEfimethem,aremeanttheEle mentary Virtues, which can give nothing but what they have received,andwhichgoastraywhentheyarenotledandgui ded by the Spirit that created them.
. that
? ?