Page:Works of Plato his first fifty-five dialogues (Taylor 1804) (Vol 5 of 5) (IA Vol5worksofplato00plat).pdf/24

16 yourself, consider whether, admitting this, you can so easily teach me what you promised ?

But I say the holy is that which all the gods love ; and its contrary, the unholy, that which all the gods hate.

Shall we not therefore consider, Euthyphro, whether this is well said ? Or Shall we dismiss this consideration, and thus grant both to ourselves and others, that if any one only says that a certain thing is so, we shall admit that it is so ? Or shall we consider what he who speaks says ?

Consider it certainly ; though I think that this is now well said.

Perhaps, O good man, we shall know this more clearly. For consider as follows : Is the holy, because it is holy, beloved by the gods ; or because it is beloved by them, is it holy ?

I do not know what you say, Socrates.

But I will endeavour to speak more clearly. We say that a thing may be carried, and that a thing carries ; that a thing may be led, and that a thing leads ; that a thing may be seen, and that a thing sees ; and every thing else of this kind. Do you understand that these are different from each other, and in what they differ ?

I appear to myself to understand this.

Is therefore that which is beloved a certain thing, and that which loves another different from this ?

Undoubtedly.

Tell me, therefore, whether that which may be carried, may be carried because it is carried, or for some other reason ?

For no other reason but for this.

And is this the case with that which may be led, because it is led; and with that which may be seen, because it is seen ?

Entirely so.

A thing therefore is not seen because it may be seen : but, on the contrary, because it is seen, on this account it may be seen. Nor because a thing may be led, on this account is it led ; but because it is led, on this account it may be led. Nor because a thing may be carried, is it carried ; but because it is carried, it may be carried. Is then what I wish to say evident, Euthyphro ? But what I wish to say is this : If any thing is