Page:The Journal of Classical and Sacred Philology, Volume 1, 1854.djvu/188

 178 Journal of Philology. before a popular assembly. However Polus, as his advocate Callicles alleges on his behalf, Gorg. 482. d., is merely deterred by shame from maintaining an immoral thesis ; and indeed we know so little of him, except that he was a pupil of Gorgias, whose opinions and method he adopted, and a writer on rhetoric, that all we can say about him is, that what we do know of his character and system is not to his credit. The same may be said of Thrasymachus, for a description of whose views and character we may refer to Plato in the Repub- lic, Book i., and to Mr Grote's own pages, 536, sq. Of Callicles it is admitted, p. 528, that he advances an anti- social doctrine, only it is pleaded on behalf of the Sophists generally, that Callicles did not belong to that class, p. 531 ; and that they are not to be charged with any opinion that he may have held. Now even if Callicles were not a Sophist himself, he is still a pupil of Gorgias, and therefore the best possible example that can be adduced of the tendency of the sophistical and rhetorical teaching. He exaggerates the doctrines of his master, and exhibits the result of his principles in its full defor- mity. However it appears from a passage above quoted, de Soph. Elench. c. 12, that though Plato does not represent Calli- cles as a Sophist, Aristotle classes him with them, referring at the same time to the Gorgias; and cites him as one of those who employed in reasoning the well-known sophistical distinc- tion of Kara v<rtv and Kara voiov. Mr Grote himself attempts no defence of Euthydemus and Dionysodorus, but abandons them without reserve to our cen- sure : only urging on behalf of the class in which they are included, that they are not to be considered fair specimens of it, p. 540, not. Of Antiphon the Sophist, whose conversations with Socrates are reported by Xenophon, Mem. i. G, we know scarcely any- thing. Philostratus confounds him with Antiphon the Rhamnu- sian. He was an epic poet, and may be the same person who is mentioned by Aristotle nep 2o. A. c. 11, p. 172. a. 7, and *r. &v<r. dicpoao: c. 2. 186. a. 17, as a Sophist, the author of some decep- tive method of squaring the circle. Mr Grote passes him over in silence. Xenophon, whose object is to exhibit Socrates' virtue rather than the errors of others, gives us only three short questions from Antiphon, to which Socrates makes long replies.