Soc. Then do not attempt to deceive me, who am now quite an elderly person, and you so young, by making, as you did just now, an answer that is not even your own thought; but tell me in all truth, do you suppose that any man who was taking up farming and who knew it was a worthless plant that he was planting, could think to make gain from it?
Fr. Upon my word, I do not.
Soc. Or again, take a horseman who knows that he is providing worthless food for his horse; do you suppose he is unaware that he is destroying his horse?
Fr. I do not.
Soc. So he does not think to make gain from that worthless food.
Fr. No.
Soc. Or again, take a navigator who has furnished his ship with worthless spars and ropes; do you think he is unaware that he will suffer for it, and will be in danger of being lost himself, and of losing the ship and all her cargo?
Fr. I do not.
Soc. So he does not think to make gain from that worthless tackle?
Fr. No, indeed.
Soc. But does a general, who knows that his army has worthless arms, think to make gain, or think it worth while to make gain, from them?
Fr. By no means.
Soc. Or does a flute-player who has worthless flutes, or a harper with a lyre, a bowman with a bow, or anyone else at all, in short, among ordinary craftsmen or sensible men in general, with any implement or other equipment of any sort that is worthless, think to make gain from it?
Fr. To all appearance, no.
Soc. Then whoever can they be, your lovers of gain? For I presume they are not the people whom we have successively mentioned, but people who know their worthless things, and yet think they are to make gain from them. But in that case, by what you say, remarkable sir, no man alive is a lover of gain
Fr. Well, Socrates, I should like to call those lovers of gain who from insatiable greed consumedly long for things that are even quite petty and of little or no worth, and so love gain, in each case.
Soc. Not knowing, of course, my excellent friend, that the things are worthless; for we have already convinced ourselves by our argument that this is impossible.
Fr. I agree.
Soc. And if not knowing this, clearly they are ignorant of it, but think that those worthless things are worth a great deal.
Fr. Apparently.
Soc. Now, of course lovers of gain must love gain?
Fr. Yes.
Soc. And by gain you mean the opposite of loss?