Kitap 3
11.2
Come with me at once, returned his informant. So off they went to Theodoté’s house, where they found her posing before a painter, and looked on.When the painter had finished, Socrates said: My friends, ought we to be more grateful to Theodoté for showing us her beauty, or she to us for looking at it? Does the obligation rest with her, if she profits more by showing it, but with us, if we profit more by looking?
11.3
When someone answered that this was a fair way of putting it, Well now, he went on, she already has our praise to her credit, and when we spread the news, she will profit yet more; whereas we already long to touch what we have seen, and we shall go away excited and shall miss her when we are gone. The natural consequence is that we become her adorers, she the adored.Then, if that is so, exclaimed Theodoté, of course I ought to be grateful to you for looking.
11.4
At this point Socrates noticed that she was sumptuously dressed, and that her mother at her side was wearing fine clothes and jewellery; and she had many pretty maids, who also were well cared for, and her house was lavishly furnished.Tell me, Theodoté, he said, have you a farm?Not I, she answered.Or a house, perhaps, that brings in money?No, nor a house.Some craftsmen, possibly?No, none.Then where do you get your supplies from?I live on the generosity of any friend I pick up.
11.5
A fine property, upon my word, Theodoté, and much better than abundance of sheep and goats and oxen. But, he went on, do you trust to luck, waiting for friends to settle on you like flies, or have you some contrivance of your own?
11.6
How could I invent a contrivance for that?Much more conveniently, I assure you, than the spiders. For you know how they hunt for a living: they weave a thin web, I believe, and feed on anything that gets into it.
