Page:History of Greece Vol VIII.djvu/445

 NEW AND ABUNDANT PHENOMENA. 433 entertained: if it became comparatively neglected, this arose rather from the greater popularity, and the more abundant and accessible matter, of that which he introduced. Physical or as- tronomical science was narrow in amount, known only to few, and even with those few it did not admit of being expanded, en- livened, or turned to much profitable account in discussion. But the moral and political phenomena on which Sokrates turned the light of speculation were abundant, varied, familiar, and interest- ing to every one ; comprising to translate a Greek line which he was fond of quoting "all the good and evil which has be- fallen you in your home ;" J connected too, not merely with the realities of the present, but also with the literature of the past, through the gnomic and other poets. The motives which determined this important innovation, as to the subject of study, exhibits Sokrates chiefly as a religious man and a practical, philanthropic preceptor, the Xenophontic hero. His innovations, not less important, as to method and doctrine, place before us the philosopher and dialectician ; the other side of his character, or the Platonic hero ; faintly traced, indeed, yet still recognized and identified by Xenophon. u Sokrates," says the latter, 2 " continued incessantly discussing human affairs (the sense of this word will be understood by what has been said above, page 420); investigating : What is piety ? What is impiety ? What is the honorable and the base ? What is the just and the unjust ? What is temperance or unsound mind ? What is courage or cowardice ? What is a city ? What Vhat is the character befitting the exercise of such authority? and other similar questions. Men who knew these matters he accounted good and honorable ; men who were ignorant of them he assimilated to slaves." Sokrates, says Xenophon again, in another passage, considered that the dialectic process consisted in coming together and taking common counsel, to distinguish and distribute things into genera, or families, so as to learn what each separate thing really was. To go through this process carefully was indispensable, as the 1 *Om rot iv fieyupotai KOKOV r' uyatidv T rervKTai.
 * .s the character fit for a citizen? What is authority over men?
 * Xenoph. Mem. i. 1. 10