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Phaedrus
Phaedrus. And they did it right manfully.
Socrates
Socrates. I thought you were going to speak the truth and say madly; however, that is just what I had in mind. We said that love was a kind of madness, did we not?
Phaedrus
Phaedrus. Yes.
5
Socrates
Socrates. And that there are two kinds of madness, one arising from human diseases, and the other from a divine release from the customary habits.
Phaedrus
Phaedrus. Certainly.
Socrates
Socrates. And we made four divisions of the divine madness, ascribing them to four gods, saying that prophecy was inspired by Apollo, the mystic madness by Dionysus, the poetic by the Muses, and the madness of love, inspired by Aphrodite and Eros, we said was the best. We described the passion of love in some sort of figurative manner, expressing some truth, perhaps, and perhaps being led away in another direction, and after composing a somewhat plausible discourse, we chanted a sportive and mythic hymn in meet and pious strain to the honor of your lord and mine, Phaedrus, Love, the guardian of beautiful boys.
Phaedrus
Phaedrus. Yes, and I found it very pleasant to hear.
Socrates
Socrates. Here let us take up this point and see how the discourse succeeded in passing from blame to praise.
10
Phaedrus
Phaedrus. What do you mean?
Socrates
Socrates. It seems to me that the discourse was, as a whole, really sportive jest; but in these chance utterances were involved two principles, the essence of which it would be gratifying to learn, if art could teach it.
Phaedrus
Phaedrus. What principles?
