Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 1.djvu/588

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The lover and his beloved. > 549 that a state or an army should be made up of lovers and Sym- their loves', they would be the very best governors of their P^"""'- own city, abstaining from all dishonour, and emulating one Ph^edrus. another in honour; and when fighting at each other's side, although a mere handful, they would overcome the world. For what lover would not choose rather to be seen by all mankind than by his beloved, either when abandoning his post or throwing away his arms? He would be ready to die a thousand deaths rather than endure this. Or who would desert his beloved or fail him in the hour of danger ? The veriest coward would become an inspired hero, equal to the bravest, at such a time; Love would inspire him. That courage which, as Homer says, the god breathes into the souls of some heroes. Love of his own nature infuses into the lover. Love will make men dare to die for their beloved-love Love has alone ; and women as well as men. Of this, Alcestis, the ™^,'^'' '"*^" ' ' ' and women daughter of Pelias, is a monument to all Hellas ; for she was dare to die willing to lav down her life on behalf of her husband, when ^° ^^™ '^ ■' beloved. no one else would, although he had a father and mother ; The exam- but the tenderness of her love so far exceeded theirs, that piesofAi- I 1, 1 • , 1 1 1 ■ cestis and she made them seem to be strangers m blood to their own Achilles, son, and in name only related to him ; and so noble did this action of hers appear to the gods, as well as to men, that among the many who have done virtuously she is one of the very few to whom, in admiration of her noble action, they have granted the privilege of returning alive to earth ; such exceeding honour is paid by the gods to the devotion and virtue of love. But Orpheus, the son of Oeag^us, the harper, they sent empty away, and presented to him an apparition only of her whom he sought, but herself they would not give up, because he showed no spirit ; he was only a harp-player, and did not dare like Alcestis to die for love, but was contriving how he might enter Hades alive ; moreover, they afterwards caused him to suffer death at the hands of women, as the punishment of his cowardliness. Very different was the reward of the true love of Achilles towards his lover Patroclus — his lover and not his love (the notion that Patroclus was the beloved one is a foolish error ' Cp. Rep. V. 468 D.