Page:History of Greece Vol VII.djvu/54

36 36 HISTORY OF GREECE. interrogations. Both of them doubtless involuntarily respected the poor, self-sufficing, honest, temperate, and brave citizen, in whom this eminent talent resided ; especially Alkibiades, who not only owed nis life to the generous valor of Sokrates at Poti- da?a, but had also learned in that service to admire the iron physical frame of the philosopher in his armor, enduring hunger. cold, and hardship. 1 But we are not to suppose that either of (hem came to Sokrates with the purpose of hearing and obeying his precepts on matters of duty, or receiving from him a new plan of life. They came partly to gratify an intellectual appe- tite, partly to acquire a stock of words and ideas, with facility of argumentative handling, suitable for their after-purpose as public speakers. Subjects moral, political, and intellectual, served as the theme sometimes of discourse, sometimes of discussion, in the society of all these sophists, Prodikus and Protagoras not less than Sokrates ; for in the Athenian sense of the word, Sok- rates was a sophist as well as the others : and to the rich youths of Athens, like Alkibiades and Kritias, such society was highly useful. 2 It imparted a nobler aim to their ambition, including The representation given by Plato of the great influence acquired by Sokrates over Alkibiades, and of the deference and submission of the latter, is plainly not to be taken as historical, even if we had not the more simple and trustworthy picture of Xenophon. Isokrates goes so far as to say that Sokrates was never known by any one as teacher of Alkibiades : which is an exaggeration in the other direction. Isokrates, Busiris, Or. xi. sect. 6, p. 222. 1 Plato, Symposium, c. 35-36, p. 220, etc. in which the young and wealthy Hippokrates goes to seek instruction from Protagoras, and of the objects which Protagoras proposes to himself in im- parting the instruction. Plato. Protagoras, c. 2, p. 310 D. ; c. 8, p. 316 C ; 9, p. 318, etc. : compare also Plato, Mono. p. 91, and Gorgias, c. 4. p. 449 E., asserting the connection, in the mind of Gorgias, between teaching to speak and teaching to think "kiyziv KOI typoveiv, etc. It would not be reasonable to repeat, as true and just, all the polemical charges against those who are called Sophists, even as we find them in Plato, without scrutiny and consideration. But modern writers on Grecian affairs run down the Sophists even more than Plato did, and take no notice of the admissions in their favor which he, though their opponent, is perpe wllj making. This is a very extensive subject, to which I hone to revert.
 * See the representation, given in the Protagoras of Plato, of the tempei