Pagina 676 de 1391

But see the consequence:-Many a man who is ignorant of human

nature has friends who are bad friends, and in that case he ought

to do harm to them; and he has good enemies whom he ought to

benefit; but, if so, we shall be saying the very opposite of that

which we affirmed to be the meaning of Simonides.

Very true, he said: and I think that we had better correct an

error into which we seem to have fallen in the use of the words

'friend' and 'enemy.'

What was the error, Polemarchus? I asked.

We assumed that he is a friend who seems to be or who is thought

good.

And how is the error to be corrected?

We should rather say that he is a friend who is, as well as

seems, good; and that he who seems only, and is not good, only

seems to be and is not a friend; and of an enemy the same may be

said.

You would argue that the good are our friends and the bad our

enemies?

Yes.