Page:Works of Plato his first fifty-five dialogues (Taylor 1804) (Vol 5 of 5) (IA Vol5worksofplato00plat).pdf/21

Rh other ? Perhaps you cannot readily inform me ; but consider whether they are such as these, viz. the just and the unjust, the beautiful and the base, good and evil. Are not these the things about which disagreeing, and not being able to arrive at a certain judgement of them, we become enemies to each other, when we do so become, you and I, and all other men ?

This, Socrates, is indeed the dissension, and it is about these things.

But what ? Do not the gods, O Euthyphro, if they disagree in any respect, disagree on account of these very things ?

By an abundant necessity.

Different gods, therefore, O generous Euthyphro, according to your assertion, think different things to be just, beautiful, base, good and evil. For they never would oppose each other unless they disagreed about these things. Or would they ?

You speak rightly.

Do they not severally, therefore, love those things which they think to be beautiful, good and just, but hate the contraries of these ?

Entirely so.

But with respect to these very things, some of the gods, as you say, think them to be just, and others unjust ; about which also being dubious, they oppose and wage war with each other. Is it not so ?

It is.

The same things therefore, as it seems, are hated and loved by the gods; and the things odious to and dear to the gods will be the very same.

So it appears.

Hence also the same things will be holy and unholy, O Euthyphro, from this reasoning.

It seems so.

You have not therefore, O wonderful man, answered my question. For I did not ask you this, to whom the same thing is both holy and unholy : but, as it seems, that which is dear is also odious to divinity. So that, Euthyphro, there is nothing wonderful if in this which you are now doing, viz. punishing your father, you should do that which is pleasing to Jupiter, but odious to Saturn and Heaven ; and which is pleasing to Vulcan, but odious to Juno : and if any other of the gods differs from another about