The Dialogues of Plato (Jowett)/Alcibiades I
ALCIBIADES I.
PERSONS OF THE DIALOGUE.
| Alcibiades. | Socrates. |
Steph. 103
Alcibiades I.
Socrates, Alcibiades.
Socrates. I dare say that you may be surprised to find, O son of Cleinias, that I, who am your first lover, not having spoken to you for many years, when the rest of the world were wearying you with their attentions, am the last of your lovers who still speaks to you. The cause of my silence has been that I was hindered by a power more than human, of which I will some day explain to you the nature; this impediment has now been removed; I therefore here present myself before you, and I greatly hope that no similar hindrance will again occur. Meanwhile, I have observedThe pride of Alcibiades has been too much for his lovers. that your pride has been too much for the pride of your admirers; they were numerous and high-spirited, but they too much have all run away, overpowered by your superior force of 104character; not one of them remains. And I want you to understand the reason why you have been too much for them. You think that you have no need of them or of any other man, for you have great possessions and lack nothing, beginning with the body, and ending with the soul. In the first place, you say to yourself that you are the fairest and tallest of the citizens, and this every one who has eyes may see to be true; in the second place, that you are among the noblest of them, highly connected both on the father's and the mother's side, and sprung from one of the most distinguished families in your own state, which is the greatest in Hellas, and having many friends and kinsmen of the best sort, who can assist you when in need; and there is one Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/471 Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/472 Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/473 Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/474 Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/475 Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/476 Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/477 Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/478 Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/479 Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/480 Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/481 Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/482 Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/483 Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/484 Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/485 Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/486 Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/487 Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/488 Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/489 Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/490 Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/491 Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/492 Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/493 Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/494 Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/495