64
Hermotimus Live? an after life, then. No mortal span will meet your demands; let me see: go the whole round, examine each with care, on that examination form a judgement, on that judgement make a choice, on that choice be a philosopher; so and no otherwise you say the truth may be found.
65
Lycinus I hardly dare tell you—even that is not exhaustive; I am afraid, after all, the solid basis we thought we had found was imaginary. You know how fishermen often let down their nets, feel a weight, and pull them up expecting a great haul; when they have got them up with much toil, behold, a stone, or an old pot full of sand. I fear our catch is one of those.
65
Hermotimus I don’t know what this particular net may be; your nets are all round me, anyhow.
65
Lycinus Well, try and get through; providentially, you are as good a swimmer as can be. Now, this is it: granted that we go all round experimenting, and get it done at last, too, I do not believe we shall have solved the elementary question, whether any of them has the much-desired; perhaps they are all wrong together.
65
Hermotimus Oh, come now! not one of them right either?
65
Lycinus I cannot tell. Do you think it impossible they may all be deluded, and the truth be something which none of them has yet found?
66
Hermotimus How can it possibly be?
66
Lycinus This way: take a correct number, twenty; suppose, I mean, a man has twenty beans in his closed hand, and asks ten different persons to guess the number; they guess seven, five, thirty, ten, fifteen—various numbers, in short. It is possible, I suppose, that one may be right?
66
Hermotimus Yes.
66
Lycinus It is not impossible, however, that they may all guess different incorrect numbers, and not one of them suggest twenty beans, What say you?
66
Hermotimus It is not impossible.
