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Charmides







by　Plato；　translated　by　Benjamin　Jowett。











THE　DIALOGUES　OF　PLATO





TRANSLATED　INTO　ENGLISH　WITH　ANALYSES　AND　INTRODUCTIONS







BY







B。　JOWETT；　M。A。







Master　of　Balliol　College



Regius　Professor　of　Greek　in　the　University　of　Oxford



Doctor　in　Theology　of　the　University　of　Leyden











TO　MY　FORMER　PUPILS







in　Balliol　College　and　in　the　University　of　Oxford　who　during　fifty　years



have　been　the　best　of　friends　to　me　these　volumes　are　inscribed　in　grateful



recognition　of　their　never　failing　attachment。











The　additions　and　alterations　which　have　been　made；　both　in　the



Introductions　and　in　the　Text　of　this　Edition；　affect　at　least　a　third　of



the　work。







Having　regard　to　the　extent　of　these　alterations；　and　to　the　annoyance



which　is　naturally　felt　by　the　owner　of　a　book　at　the　possession　of　it　in



an　inferior　form；　and　still　more　keenly　by　the　writer　himself；　who　must



always　desire　to　be　read　as　he　is　at　his　best；　I　have　thought　that　the



possessor　of　either　of　the　former　Editions　（1870　and　1876）　might　wish　to



exchange　it　for　the　present　one。　　I　have　therefore　arranged　that　those　who



would　like　to　make　this　exchange；　on　depositing　a　perfect　and　undamaged



copy　of　the　first　or　second　Edition　with　any　agent　of　the　Clarendon　Press；



shall　be　entitled　to　receive　a　copy　of　a　new　Edition　at　half…price。











PREFACE　TO　THE　FIRST　EDITION。







The　Text　which　has　been　mostly　followed　in　this　Translation　of　Plato　is　the



latest　8vo。　edition　of　Stallbaum；　the　principal　deviations　are　noted　at　the



bottom　of　the　page。







I　have　to　acknowledge　many　obligations　to　old　friends　and　pupils。　　These



are：Mr。　John　Purves；　Fellow　of　Balliol　College；　with　whom　I　have　revised



about　half　of　the　entire　Translation；　the　Rev。　Professor　Campbell；　of　St。



Andrews；　who　has　helped　me　in　the　revision　of　several　parts　of　the　work；



especially　of　the　Theaetetus；　Sophist；　and　Politicus；　Mr。　Robinson　Ellis；



Fellow　of　Trinity　College；　and　Mr。　Alfred　Robinson；　Fellow　of　New　College；



who　read　with　me　the　Cratylus　and　the　Gorgias；　Mr。　Paravicini；　Student　of



Christ　Church；　who　assisted　me　in　the　Symposium；　Mr。　Raper；　Fellow　of



Queen's　College；　Mr。　Monro；　Fellow　of　Oriel　College；　and　Mr。　Shadwell；



Student　of　Christ　Church；　who　gave　me　similar　assistance　in　the　Laws。　　Dr。



Greenhill；　of　Hastings；　has　also　kindly　sent　me　remarks　on　the



physiological　part　of　the　Timaeus；　which　I　have　inserted　as　corrections



under　the　head　of　errata　at　the　end　of　the　Introduction。　　The　degree　of



accuracy　which　I　have　been　enabled　to　attain　is　in　great　measure　due　to



these　gentlemen；　and　I　heartily　thank　them　for　the　pains　and　time　which



they　have　bestowed　on　my　work。







I　have　further　to　explain　how　far　I　have　received　help　from　other　labourers



in　the　same　field。　　The　books　which　I　have　found　of　most　use　are　Steinhart



and　Muller's　German　Translation　of　Plato　with　Introductions；　Zeller's



'Philosophie　der　Griechen；'　and　'Platonische　Studien；'　Susemihl's



'Genetische　Entwickelung　der　Paltonischen　Philosophie；'　Hermann's



'Geschichte　der　Platonischen　Philosophie；'　Bonitz；　'Platonische　Studien；'



Stallbaum's　Notes　and　Introductions；　Professor　Campbell's　editions　of　the



'Theaetetus；'　the　'Sophist；'　and　the　'Politicus；'　Professor　Thompson's



'Phaedrus；'　Th。　Martin's　'Etudes　sur　le　Timee；'　Mr。　Poste's　edition　and



translation　of　the　'Philebus；'　the　Translation　of　the　'Republic；'　by



Messrs。　Davies　and　Vaughan；　and　the　Translation　of　the　'Gorgias；'　by　Mr。



Cope。







I　have　also　derived　much　assistance　from　the　great　work　of　Mr。　Grote；　which



contains　excellent　analyses　of　the　Dialogues；　and　is　rich　in　original



thoughts　and　observations。　　I　agree　with　him　in　rejecting　as　futile　the



attempt　of　Schleiermacher　and　others　to　arrange　the　Dialogues　of　Plato　into



a　harmonious　whole。　　Any　such　arrangement　appears　to　me　not　only　to　be



unsupported　by　evidence；　but　to　involve　an　anachronism　in　the　history　of



philosophy。　　There　is　a　common　spirit　in　the　writings　of　Plato；　but　not　a



unity　of　design　in　the　whole；　nor　perhaps　a　perfect　unity　in　any　single



Dialogue。　　The　hypothesis　of　a　general　plan　which　is　worked　out　in　the



successive　Dialogues　is　an　after…thought　of　the　critics　who　have　attributed



a　system　to　writings　belonging　to　an　age　when　system　had　not　as　yet　taken



possession　of　philosophy。







If　Mr。　Grote　should　do　me　the　honour　to　read　any　portion　of　this　work　he



will　probably　remark　that　I　have　endeavoured　to　approach　Plato　from　a　point



of　view　which　is　opposed　to　his　own。　　The　aim　of　the　Introductions　in　these



volumes　has　been　to　represent　Plato　as　the　father　of　Idealism；　who　is　not



to　be　measured　by　the　standard　of　utilitarianism　or　any　other　modern



philosophical　system。　　He　is　the　poet　or　maker　of　ideas；　satisfying　the



wants　of　his　own　age；　providing　the　instruments　of　thought　for　future



generations。　　He　is　no　dreamer；　but　a　great　philosophical　genius　struggling



with　the　unequal　conditions　of　light　and　knowledge　under　which　he　is



living。　　He　may　be　illustrated　by　the　writings　of　moderns；　but　he　must　be



interpreted　by　his　own；　and　by　his　place　in　the　history　of　philosophy。　　We



are　not　concerned　to　determine　what　is　the　residuum　of　truth　which　remains



for　ourselves。　　His　truth　may　not　be　our　truth；　and　nevertheless　may　have



an　extraordinary　value　and　interest　for　us。







I　cannot　agree　with　Mr。　Grote　in　admitting　as　genuine　all　the　writings



commonly　attributed　to　Plato　in　antiquity；　any　more　than　with　Schaarschmidt



and　some　other　German　critics　who　reject　nearly　half　of　them。　　The　German



critics；　to　whom　I　refer；　proceed　chiefly　on　grounds　of　internal　evidence；



they　appear　to　me　to　lay　too　much　stress　on　the　variety　of　doctrine　and



style；　which　must　be　equally　acknowledged　as　a　fact；　even　in　the　Dialogues



regarded　by　Schaarschmidt　as　genuine；　e。g。　in　the　Phaedrus；　or　Symposium；



when　compared　with　the　Laws。　　He　who　admits　works　so　different　in　style　and



matter　to　have　been　the　composition　of　the　same　author；　need　have　no



difficulty　in　admitting　the　Sophist　or　the　Politicus。　　（The　negative



argument　adduced　by　the　same　school　of　critics；　which　is　based　on　the



silence　of　Aristotle；　is　not　worthy　of　much　consideration。　　For　why　should



Aristotle；　because　he　has　quoted　several　Dialogues　of　Plato；　have　quoted



them　all？　　Something　must　be　allowed　to　chance；　and　to　the　nature　of　the



subjects　treated　of　in　them。）　　On　the　other　hand；　Mr。　Grote　trusts　mainly



to　the　Alexandrian　Canon。　　But　I　hardly　think　that　we　are　justified　in



attributing　much　weight　to　the　authority　of　the　Alexandrian　librarians　in



an　age　when　there　was　no　regular　publication　of　books；　and　every　temptation



to　forge　them；　and　in　which　the　writings　of　a　school　were　naturally



attributed　to　the　founder　of　the　school。　　And　even　without　intentional



fraud；　there　was　an　inclination　to　believe　rather　than　to　enquire。　　Would



Mr。　Grote　accept　as　genuine　all　the　writings　which　he　finds　in　the　lists　of



learned　ancients　attributed　to　Hippocrates；　to　Xenophon；　to　Aristotle？　　The



Alexandrian　Canon　of　the　Platonic　writings　is　deprived　of　credit　by　the



admission　of　the　Epistles；　which　are　not　only　unworthy　of　Plato；　and　in



several　passages　plagiarized　from　him；　but　flagrantly　at　variance　with



historical　fact。　　It　will　be　seen　also　that　I　do　not　agree　with　Mr。　Grote's



views　about　the　Sophists；　nor　with　the　low　estimate　which　he　has　formed　of



Plato's　Laws；　nor　with　his　opinion　respecting　Plato's　doctrine　of　the



rotation　of　the　earth。　　But　I　'am　not　going　to　lay　hands　on　my　father



Parmenides'　（Soph。）；　who　will；　I　hope；　forgive　me　for　differing　from　him　on



these　points。　　I　cannot　close　this　Preface　without　expressing　my　deep



respect　for　his　noble　and　gentle　character；　and　the　great　services　which　he



has　rendered　to　Greek　Literature。







Balliol　College；



January；　1871。











PREFACE　TO　THE　SECOND　AND　THIRD　EDITIONS。







In　publishing　a　Second　Edition　（1875）　of　the　Dialogues　of　Plato　in　English；



I　had　to　acknowledge　the　assistance　of　several　friends：　　of　the　Rev。　G。G。



Bradley；　Master　of　University　College；　now　Dean　of　Westminster；　who　sent　me



some　valuable　remarks　on　the　Phaedo；　of　Dr。　Greenhill；　who　had　again



revised　a　portion　of　the　Timaeus；　of　Mr。　R。L。　Nettleship；　Fellow　and　Tutor



of　Balliol　College；　to　whom　I　was　indebted　for　an　excellent　criticism　of



the　Parmenides；　and；　above　all；　of　the