Page:History of Greece Vol VIII.djvu/434

 412 HISTORY OF GREECE. also other ways in which he believed himself to have the special mandates of the gods, not simply checking him when he was about to take a wrong turn, but spurring him on. directing, and peremptorily exacting from him, a positive course of pro- ceeding. Such distinct mission had been imposed upon him by dreams, by oracular intimations, and by every other means which the gods employed for signifying their special will. 1 Of these intimations from the oracle, he specifies particularly one, in reply to a question put at Delphi, by his intimate friend, and enthusiastic admirer, Chaerephon. The question put was, whether any other man was wiser than Sokrates ; to which the Pythian priestess replied, that no other man was wiser. 2 Sokrates affirms that he was greatly perplexed on hearing this declaration from so infallible an authority, being conscious to himself that he possessed no wisdom on any subject, great or small. At length, after much meditation and a distressing mental struggle, he resolved to test the accuracy of the infallible priestess, by taking measure of the wisdom of others as compared with his own. Selecting a leading politician, accounted wise both by others and by himself, he proceeded to converse with him and put scruti- nizing questions ; the answers to which satisfied him that this man's supposed wisdom was really no wisdom at all. Having made such a discovery, Sokrates next tried to demonstrate to the politician himself how much he wanted of being wise ; but this was impossible ; the latter still remained as fully persuaded of his own wisdom as before. " The result which I acquired (says Sokrates) was, that I was a wiser man than he, for neither he nor I knew anything of what was truly good and honorable ; but the difference between us was, that he fancied he knew them, while I was fully conscious of my own ignorance ; I was thus wiser than he, inasmuch as I was exempt from that capital error." So far, therefore, the oracle was proved to be right. 1 Plato. Ap. Sok. c. 22, p. 33, C. 'E/zot 6e TOVTO, wf h/u (juj/ Tdl V~d TOV -&EOV TTp'J.TTElV KO.I IK fldVTELUV Kol t' V V 7T V L U V, Kdl ra-Jri Tpoiru, ynep rif TTOTE K.al a/lA?? tfeta [to I pa av&pu- T ip ical oriovv irpooETat-E irpaTreiv. mony of the brother of Chasrephon, the latter himself being dead, to attes 1 the reality of this question and answer.
 * Plato, Apol. Sok. c. 5, p. 21, A. Sokratus offers to produce the testi-