A METHOD BY WHICH THE ATHENIANS MAY RECOVER THEIR ANCIENT LUSTRE AND
REPUTATION.


Socrates one day being in company with Pericles, the son of the great
Pericles, introduced the following discourse:--

"I hope that when you command the army the Republic will be more
successful and gain more glory in their wars than formerly." "I should
be glad of it," answered Pericles, "but I see little likelihood of it."
"We may bring this matter to the test," said Socrates. "Is it not true
that the Boeotians are not more numerous than the Athenians?" "I know
it." "Nor are they either braver or stronger?" "True, they are not."
"Do you believe that they agree better among themselves?" "Quite the
contrary," said Pericles; "for there is a great misunderstanding between
most of the Boeotians and the Thebans, because of the great hardships the
latter put upon the former, and we have nothing of this among us." "But
the Boeotians," replied Socrates, "are wonderfully ambitions and
obliging; and these are the qualities that naturally push men on to
expose themselves for the sake of glory and of their country." "The
Athenians," answered Pericles, "come not short of them in either of those
qualities." "It is true," replied Socrates, "that there is no nation
whose ancestors have done braver actions, and in greater number, than
those of the Athenians. And these domestic examples excite us to
courage, and create in us a true love of virtue and bravery."
"Notwithstanding all this," continued Pericles, "you see that after the
defeat of Tolmides at Lebadia, where we lost a thousand men, and after
another misfortune that happened to Hippocrates before Delium, the
greatness of the Athenians is sunk so low, and the courage of the
Boeotians so increased, that they, who even in their own country durst