640
Clinias
Clin. What do you mean by that, Stranger? Explain yourself more clearly; for since we are (as you observed) without any experience of such institutions, even if we did come across them, we would probably fail to see at once what was right in them and what wrong.
Athenian
Ath. That is very probable. Try, however, to learn from my description. This you understand—that in all gatherings and associations for any purpose whatsoever it is right that each group should always have a commander.
Athenian
Ath. Moreover, we have recently said that the commander of fighting men must be courageous.
Clinias
Clin. Of course.
5
Athenian
Ath. The courageous man is less perturbed by alarms than the coward.
Clinias
Clin. That is true, too.
Athenian
Ath. Now if there had existed any device for putting an army in charge of a general who was absolutely impervious to fear or perturbation, should we not have made every effort to do so?
Clinias
Clin. Most certainly.
Athenian
Ath. But what we are discussing now is not the man who is to command an army in time of war, in meetings of foe with foe, but the man who is to command friends in friendly association with friends in time of peace.
10
Athenian
Ath. Such a gathering, if accompanied by drunkenness, is not free from disturbance, is it?
Clinias
Clin. Certainly not; quite the reverse, I imagine.
Athenian
Ath. So those people also need, in the first place, a commander?
Clinias
Clin. Undoubtedly—they above all.
15
Athenian
Ath. Should we, if possible, provide them with a commander who is imperturbable?