372 PLATO
ers, first in a gymnasium, and then in a garden of his own, in a grove about a mile west of the city walls sacred to Aeademus, — his Academy in the " grove of Academe." He made more than one visit to Sicily — largely, it would seem, in the hope of persuading the tyrant of Syracuse to become a " philosopher," and thus to have the opportunity of put- ting in practice some of his political schemes, but he spent his last years at Athens, and died there in 347 B. c.
Plato showed his devotion to his master by making Soc- rates the chief person in all but one (the Laivs) of his dia- logues, and by keejjing himself entirely in the background. Indeed, he mentions himself but twice. We think of him as a writer, but he regarded himself as a teacher, and his writings as secondary in importance to his oral instruction, — useful chiefly as a reminder of what had been uttered in conversation. Some of his dialogues, however, clearly have in mind readers who may not be Athenians. The dialogue form was chosen partly since this was the Socratic method of imparting instruction, but chiefly because this allowed an artistic expression of his thoughts.
Thirty-five dialogues, thirteen letters, some " definitions," and seven minor dialogues, which were considered spurious even in ancient times, have come down to us under the name of Plato. The definitions and some of the letters and dia- logues are not authentic. The Platonic authorship of the most important dialogues, however, is vouched for by Aris- totle's references to them.
The longest of Plato's dialogues is the Laws ; the great- est is the Republic, in which he presents his views of the ideal State ; the Phaeclo, the Symposium, the Protagoras, and the Gorgias are highly finished and dramatic. The Apology purports to be the speech which Socrates made to the court when on trial for his life.
"We are fortunate in having an admirable translation of Plato's works by the late Master of Balliol, Benjamin Jowett, from which the following extracts are taken.
