216–217
Socrates
Soc. And rightly, my friend. However, I fancy it is not much easier, if I may say so, to recognize this class, than that of the gods. For these men—I mean those who are not feignedly but really philosophers—appear disguised in all sorts of shapes, Cf. Hom. Od. 17.485-7. thanks to the ignorance of the rest of mankind, and visit the cities,Hom. Od. 17.485-7 beholding from above the life of those below, and they seem to some to be of no worth and to others to be worth everything. And sometimes they appear disguised as statesmen and sometimes as sophists, and sometimes they may give some people the impression that they are altogether mad. But I should like to ask our stranger here, if agreeable to him, what people in his country thought about these matters, and what names they used.
Theodorus
Theo. What matters do you mean?
Socrates
Soc. Sophist, statesman, philosopher.
Theodorus
Theo. What particular difficulty and what kind of difficulty in regard to them is it about which you had in mind to ask?
Socrates
Soc. It is this: Did they consider all these one, or two, or, as there are three names, did they divide them into three classes and ascribe to each a class, corresponding to a single name?
Theodorus
Theo. I think he has no objection to talking about them. What do you say, stranger?
5
Stranger
Str. Just what you did, Theodorus; for I have no objection, and it is not difficult to say that they considered them three. But it is no small or easy task to define clearly the nature of each.
