A wretched laugh, Socrates; for when he has nothing to say to this, but laughs, he will be laughing at himself and will himself be laughed at by those present.
Soc.Perhaps that is so perhaps, however, after this reply, he will, I foresee, be likely to do more than laugh at me.
Hipp.Why do you say that, pray?
Soc.Because, if he happens to have a stick, unless I get away in a hurry, he will try to fetch me a good one.
Hipp.What? Is the fellow some sort of master of yours, and if he does that, will he not be arrested and have to pay for it? Or does your city disregard justice and allow the citizens to beat one another unjustly?
Soc.Oh no that is not allowed at all.
Hipp.Then he will have to pay a penalty for beating you unjustly.
Soc.I do not think so, Hippias. No, if I were to make that reply, the beating would be just, I think.
Hipp.Then I think so, too, Socrates, since that is your own belief.
Soc.Shall I, then, not tell you why it is my own belief that the beating would be just, if I made that reply? Or will you also beat me without trial? Or will you listen to what I have to say?
Hipp.It would be shocking if I would not listen; but what have you to say?
Soc.I will tell you, imitating him in the same way as a while ago, that I may not use to you such harsh and uncouth words as he uses to me. For you may be sure, Tell me, Socrates,
he will say, do you think it would be unjust if you got a beating for singing such a long dithyramb so unmusically and so far from the question?
How so?
I shall say. How so?
he will say; are you not able to remember that I asked for the absolute beautiful,
by which everything to which it is added has the property of being beautiful, both stone and stick and man and god and every act and every acquisition of knowledge? For what I am asking is this, man: what is absolute beauty? and I cannot make you hear what I say any more than if you were a stone sitting beside me, and a millstone at that, having neither ears nor brain.
Would you, then, not be angry, Hippias,if I should be frightened and should reply in this way? Well, but Hippias said that this was the beautiful;
and yet I asked him, just as you asked me, what is beautiful to all and always.
What do you say? Will you not be angry if I say that?
I know very well, Socrates, that this which I said was beautiful is beautiful to all and will seem so.
Soc.And will it be so, too he will say for the beautiful is always beautiful, is it not?
Hipp.Certainly.
Soc.Then was it so, too?
he will say.
It was so, too.