Soc. Then the reason was that I was the only lover of you, whereas the rest were lovers of what is yours; and that is losing its charm, while you are beginning to bloom. So now, if you are not blighted and deformed by the Athenian people, I shall never forsake you. For my chiefest fear is of your being blighted by becoming a lover of the people, since many a good Athenian has come to that ere now. For fair of face is the people of great-hearted Erechtheus;
Hom. Il. 2.547 but you should get a view of it stripped: so take the precaution that I recommend.
Alc. What is it?
Soc. Exercise yourself first, my wonderful friend, in learning what you ought to know before entering on politics; you must wait till you have learnt, in order that you may be armed with an antidote and so come to no harm.
Alc. Your advice seems to me good, Socrates; but try to explain in what way we can take pains over ourselves.
Soc. Well, we have made one step in advance; for there is a pretty fair agreement now as to what we are, whereas we were afraid we might fail of this and take pains, without knowing it, over something other than ourselves.
Alc. That is so.
Soc. And the next step, we see, is to take care of the soul, and look to that.
Alc. Clearly.
Soc. While handing over to others the care of our bodies and our coffers.
Alc. Quite so.
Soc. Then how shall we obtain the most certain knowledge of it? For if we know that, it seems we shall know ourselves also. In Heaven’s name, do we fail to comprehend the wise words of the Delphic inscription, which we mentioned just now?
Alc. With what intent do you say that, Socrates?
Soc. I will tell you what I suspect to be the real advice which the inscription gives us. I rather think there are not many illustrations of it to be found, but only in the case of sight.
Alc. What do you mean by that?
Soc. Consider in your turn: suppose that, instead of speaking to a man, it said to the eye of one of us, as a piece of advice See thyself,
how should we apprehend the meaning of the admonition? Would it not be, that the eye should look at that by looking at which it would see itself?
Alc. Clearly.
Soc. Then let us think what object there is anywhere, by looking at which we can see both it and ourselves.
Alc. Why, clearly, Socrates, mirrors and things of that sort.
Soc. Quite right. And there is also something of that sort in the eye that we see with?
Alc. To be sure.