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358 358 XENOPHON

or would you e'en be powerful of limb and body, then must you habituate limbs and body to obey the mind, and exercise yourself with toil and sweat.'

" At this point (as Prodicus relates), Vice broke in, exclaiming : ' See you, Heracles, how hard and long the road is by which yonder woman would escort you to her festal joys. But I will guide you by a short and easy road to happiness.'

" Then spoke Virtue : ' Nay, wretched one, what good thing hast thou ? or what sweet thing art thou acquainted with — that wilt stir neither hand nor foot to gain it? Thou, that mayest not even await the desire of pleasure, but, or ever that desire springs up, art already satiated : eating before thou hungerest, and drinking before thou thirstest ; who to eke out an appetite must invent an army of cooks and con- fectioners ; and to whet thy thirst must lay down costliest wines, and run up and down in search of ice in summer-time ; to help thy slumbers soft coverlets suffice not, but couches and feather-beds must be pre- pared thee, and rockers to rock thee to rest; since desire for sleep in thy case springs not from toil, but from vacuity and nothing in the world to do. Thus thou educatest thy friends : with insult in the night season, and drowse of slumber during the precious hours of the day. Immortal, thou art cast forth from the company of gods, and by good men art dishonored ; that sweetest sound of all, the voice of praise, has never thrilled thine ears ; and the fairest of all fair visions is hidden from thine eyes that have never be- held one bounteous deed wrought by thine own hand. If thou openest thy lips in speech, who will believe thy words ? If thou hast need of aught, none shall satisfy thee. What sane man will venture to join