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cause?” And let these things also be set forth from the tenth book of the Laws. And Moses agrees with them, often saying in the laws: “And if a soul sin and commit a trespass” and whatever similar things are said by him.

12.29.1 29. CONCERNING THE ONE WHO PHILOSOPHIZES PURELY The Scripture among the Hebrews, speaking of the one who philosophizes earnestly: “It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. He shall sit alone, and keep silence, because he has borne it upon him,” and concerning the God-loving prophets, that because of the height of their philosophy they lived in deserts and mountains and caves, having their minds fixed on God alone, hear Plato, how he also deifies such a way of life, discoursing somewhere in this way concerning the one who philosophizes in the highest degree: 12.29.2 “Let us speak then, as it seems, since you think so, of the leaders; for what could one say of those who engage in philosophy in a mean way? These men, you know, from their youth, in the first place, do not know the way to the market-place, nor where the court of justice is, or the council-chamber, or any other common place of assembly of the city. And laws and decrees, spoken or written, they neither see nor hear. And the strivings of political clubs for office, and meetings, and banquets, and revels with flute-girls, it never occurs to them even in a dream to do. 12.29.3 And whether anything has happened well or ill in the city, or what evil has befallen someone from his ancestors, whether men or women, escapes his notice more than, as they say, the number of gallons in the sea. And all these things he does not even know that he does not know; for he does not abstain from them for the sake of a good reputation, but in reality his body alone is situated in the city and is a resident there; but his mind, considering all these things small and of no account, scorning them, flies everywhere, according to Pindar, 'measuring things beneath the earth and things on its surface, and stargazing above the heavens,' and investigating the whole nature of each of the things that are in every way, lowering itself to nothing that is near at hand. 12.29.4 What do you mean by this, Socrates? 12.29.4 Just as Thales, Theodorus, while stargazing and looking up, fell into a well, and a witty and charming Thracian servant-girl is said to have mocked him, that he was eager to know the things in heaven, but what was behind him and 12.29.5 at his feet escaped his notice. The same jest suffices for all who spend their lives in philosophy. For in reality such a man's neighbor next door is unknown to him, not only what he is doing, but almost whether he is a human being or some other creature. But what man is, and what it is fitting for such a nature, as distinct from others, to do or to suffer, he seeks and takes pains to investigate. You understand, I suppose, Theodorus, or not? 12.29.6 I do, and you speak the truth. Therefore, my friend, when such a man associates with anyone in private or in public, as I was saying at the beginning, when he is forced in a court of law or anywhere else to speak about the things at his feet and before his eyes, he provides laughter not only to Thracian girls, but also to the rest of the crowd, falling into wells and every sort of perplexity through inexperience, and his awkwardness is terrible, giving an impression of stupidity. 12.29.7 For in insults he has no personal abuse for anyone, since he knows no evil of any man from not having practiced it; so being at a loss he appears ridiculous. And in praises and the boasts of others, it becomes clear that he is laughing not feignedly but in reality, and so he seems to be a fool. 12.29.8 For when a tyrant or king is praised, he thinks he hears one of the herdsmen, like a swineherd or a shepherd or some cowherd, being congratulated for milking a great deal; and he thinks they pasture and milk an animal more troublesome and treacherous than those; 12.29.9 and that such a man, because of his lack of leisure, becomes no less boorish and uneducated

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αἰτίαν;» Καὶ ταῦτα δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ δεκάτου τῶν Νόμων προκείσθω. συνᾴδει δὲ αὐτοῖς ὁ Μωσῆς πολλάκις ἐν τοῖς νόμοις εἰπών· «Καὶ ἐὰν ψυχὴ ἁμάρτῃ καὶ ποιήσῃ πλημμέλημα» καὶ ὅσα τούτοις ἐμφερῶς εἴρηται παρ' αὐτῷ.

12.29.1 κθʹ. ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΚΑΘΑΡΩΣ ΦΙΛΟΣΟΦΟΥΝΤΟΣ Τῆς παρ' Ἑβραίοις γραφῆς περὶ τοῦ σπουδῇ φιλοσοφοῦντος φασκούσης· «Ἀγαθὸν ἀνδρὶ ὅταν ἄρῃ ζυγὸν ἐν νεότητι αὐτοῦ· καθήσεται κατὰ μόνας καὶ σιωπήσεται ὅτι ἦρεν ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ» καὶ περὶ τῶν θεοφιλῶν προφητῶν, ὡς ἄρα δι' ἀκρότητα φιλοσοφίας ἐν ἐρημίαις καὶ ὄρεσι καὶ σπηλαίοις διῆγον, πρὸς μόνῳ τῷ θεῷ τὴν διάνοιαν ἔχοντες, ἐπάκουσον τοῦ Πλάτωνος ὅπως καὶ αὐτὸς τὸν τοιόνδε τοῦ βίου τρόπον ἐκθειάζει, ὧδέ πη περὶ τοῦ ἄκρως φιλοσοφοῦντος διεξιών· 12.29.2 «Λέγωμεν δή, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἐπεὶ σοί γε δοκεῖ, περὶ τῶν κορυφαίων· τί γὰρ ἄν τις τούς γε φαύλως διατρίβοντας ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ λέγοι; οὗτοι δέ που ἐκ νέων πρῶτον μὲν εἰς ἀγορὰν οὐκ ἴσασι τὴν ὁδὸν οὐδὲ ὅπου δικαστήριον ἢ βουλευ τήριον ἤ τι κοινὸν ἄλλο τῆς πόλεως συνέδριον· νόμους δὲ καὶ ψηφίσματα λεγόμενα ἢ γεγραμμένα οὔτε ὁρῶσιν, οὔτε ἀκούουσι σπουδαί τε ἑταιρειῶν ἐπ' ἀρχὰς καὶ σύνοδοι καὶ δεῖπνα καὶ σὺν αὐλητρίσι κῶμοι οὐδὲ ὄναρ πράττειν 12.29.3 προσίσταται αὐτοῖς. εὖ δὲ ἢ κακῶς τί γέγονεν ἐν πόλει ἢ τί τῳ κακόν ἐστιν ἐκ προγόνων γεγονὸς ἢ πρὸς ἀνδρῶν ἢ γυναικῶν, μᾶλλον αὐτὸν λέληθεν ἢ οἱ τῆς θαλάττης λεγόμενοι χόες. καὶ ταῦτα πάντα οὐδ' ὅτι οὐκ οἶδεν, οἶδεν· οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτῶν ἀπέχεται τοῦ εὐδοκιμεῖν χάριν, ἀλλὰ τῷ ὄντι τὸ σῶμα μόνον ἐν τῇ πόλει κεῖται αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπιδημεῖ· ἡ δὲ διάνοια, ταῦτα πάντα ἡγησαμένη σμικρὰ καὶ οὐδέν, ἀτιμάσασα πανταχῆ πέταται κατὰ Πίνδαρον, «τά τε γᾶς ὑπένερθε καὶ τὰ ἐπίπεδα γεωμετροῦσα οὐρανοῦ τε ὕπερ ἀστρονομοῦσα» καὶ πᾶσαν πάντη φύσιν ἐρευνωμένη τῶν ὄντων ἑκάστου ὅλου, εἰς τῶν ἐγγὺς οὐδὲν ἑαυτὴν συγκαθιεῖσα. 12.29.4 Πῶς τοῦτο λέγεις, ὦ Σώκρατες; 12.29.4 Ὥσπερ καὶ Θαλῆν ἀστρονομοῦντα, ὦ Θεόδωρε, καὶ ἄνω βλέποντα πεσόντα εἰς φρέαρ Θρᾷττά τις ἐμμελὴς καὶ χαρίεσσα θεραπαινὶς ἀποσκῶψαι λέγεται, ὡς τὰ μὲν ἐν οὐρανῷ προθυμοῖτο εἰδέναι, τὰ δὲ ὄπισθεν αὐτοῦ καὶ 12.29.5 παρὰ πόδας λανθάνοι αὐτόν. ταὐτὸν δὲ ἀρκεῖ σκῶμμα ἐπὶ πάντας ὅσοι ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ διάγουσι. τῷ γὰρ ὄντι τὸν τοιοῦτον ὁ μὲν πλησίον καὶ ὁ γείτων λέληθεν, οὐ μόνον ὅ τι πράττει, ἀλλ' ὀλίγου καὶ εἰ ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν ἤ τι ἄλλο θρέμμα. τί δέ ποτ' ἐστὶν ἄνθρωπος καὶ τί τῇ τοιαύτῃ φύσει προσήκει διάφορον τῶν ἄλλων ποιεῖν ἢ πάσχειν· ζητεῖ τε καὶ πράγματ' ἔχει διερευνώμενος. μανθάνεις γάρ που, ὦ Θεόδωρε, ἢ οὔ; 12.29.6 Ἔγωγε, καὶ ἀληθῆ λέγεις. Τοιγάρτοι, ὦ φίλε, ἰδίᾳ τε συγγιγνόμενος ὁ τοιοῦτος ἑκάστῳ καὶ δημοσίᾳ, ὅπερ ἀρχόμενος ἔλεγον, ὅταν ἐν δικαστηρίῳ ἤ που ἄλλοθι ἀναγκασθῇ περὶ τῶν παρὰ πόδας καὶ τῶν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς διαλέγεσθαι, γέλωτα παρέχει οὐ μόνον Θρᾴτταις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ ἄλλῳ ὄχλῳ, εἰς φρέατά τε καὶ πᾶσαν ἀπορίαν ἐμπίπτων ὑπὸ ἀπειρίας, καὶ ἡ ἀσχημοσύνη δεινή, δόξαν ἀβελτερίας παρεχο12.29.7 μένη. ἔν τε γὰρ ταῖς λοιδορίαις ἴδιον ἔχει οὐδὲν οὐδένα λοιδορεῖν, ἅτ' οὐκ εἰδὼς κακὸν οὐδὲν οὐδενὸς ἐκ τοῦ μὴ μεμελετηκέναι· ἀπορῶν οὖν γελοῖος φαίνεται· ἔν τε τοῖς ἐπαίνοις καὶ ταῖς τῶν ἄλλων μεγαλαυχίαις οὐ προσποιήτως, ἀλλὰ τῷ ὄντι γελῶν ἔνδηλος γιγνόμενος ληρώδης δοκεῖ εἶναι· 12.29.8 τύραννόν τε γὰρ ἢ βασιλέα ἐγκωμιαζόμενον ἕνα τῶν νομέων, οἷον συβώτην ἢ ποιμένα ἤ τινα βουκόλον, ἡγεῖται ἀκούειν εὐδαιμονιζόμενον πολὺ βδάλλοντα· δυσκολώτερον δὲ ἐκείνων ζῷον καὶ ἐπιβουλότερον ποιμαίνειν τε 12.29.9 καὶ βδάλλειν νομίζει αὐτούς· ἄγροικον δὲ καὶ ἀπαίδευτον ὑπὸ ἀσχολίας οὐδὲν ἧττον