120
Soc. And if you are minded to be the head of our state, you would be right in thinking that your contest is with the kings of Sparta and of Persia?
120
Alc. That sounds like the truth.
120
Soc. No, my good friend; you ought rather to keep your eye on Meidias the quail-filliper Meidias is mentioned by Aristophanes (Aristoph. Birds 1297) for his skill in the game of filliping quails which were specially trained not to flinch. and others of his sort—who undertake to manage the city’s affairs, while they still have the slavish hair Slaves in Athens were largely natives of western Asia. and had thick, close hair, very different from the wavy locks of the Greeks. (as the women would say) showing in their minds through their lack of culture, and have not yet got rid of it; who, moreover, have come with their outlandish speech to flatter the state, not to rule it—to these, I tell you, should your eyes be turned; and then you can disregard yourself, and need neither learn what is to be learnt for the great contest in which you are to be engaged, nor practise what requires practice, and so ensure that you are perfectly prepared before entering upon a political career.
120
Alc. Why, Socrates, I believe you are right; though I think neither the Spartan generals nor the Persian king are at all different from other people.
120
Soc. But, my excellent friend, consider what this notion of yours means.
120
Alc. In regard to what?
120
Soc. First of all, do you think you would take more pains over yourself if you feared them and thought them terrible, or if you did not?
120
Alc. Clearly, if I thought them terrible.
120
Soc. And do you think you will come to any harm by taking pains over yourself?
120
Alc. By no means; rather that I shall get much benefit.
120
Soc. And on this single count that notion i.e. about the Spartan generals and the Persian king, Plat. Alc.1 120c. of yours is so much to the bad.
120
Alc. True.
120
Soc. Then, in the second place, observe the probability that it is false.
120
Alc. How so?
