Pagina 759 de 1391

Let others praise justice and censure injustice, magnifying the

rewards and honours of the one and abusing the other; that is a

manner of arguing which, coming from them, I am ready to

tolerate, but from you who have spent your whole life in the

consideration of this question, unless I hear the contrary from

your own lips, I expect something better. And therefore, I say,

not only prove to us that justice is better than injustice, but

show what they either of them do to the possessor of them, which

makes the one to be a good and the other an evil, whether seen or

unseen by gods and men.

I had always admired the genius of Glaucon and Adeimantus, but on

hearing these words I was quite delighted, and said: Sons of an

illustrious father, that was not a bad beginning of the Elegiac

verses which the admirer of Glaucon made in honour of you after

you had distinguished yourselves at the battle of Megara:-

'Sons of Ariston,' he sang, 'divine offspring of an illustrious

hero.'