One of the wisest of their great men was Socrates. Socrates was an ugly old man with a scolding wife. In spite of these drawbacks he stands out as one of the foremost teachers of the world. Socrates was truly a wise man, because he knew that the wisest man knows very little. He did not pretend to know things that he did not know. [Sidenote: =The method Socrates used=] Socrates taught, for the most part, by going among the people and asking them questions. Some people liked him, but some hated him because he asked questions that led persons on from one point to another until they saw their own mistakes. His enemies grew in numbers and brought false charges that Socrates had not respected the gods of the city. There came a day when he was called before the city's judges, who heard the charges against him. The judges decided that he must die by drinking a cup of poison. Some of the friends of Socrates found a way by which he could escape death. But the brave old Greek had faced death on the battlefield and was not afraid to die. [Illustration: PORCH OF THE CARYATIDES, ATHENS] [Sidenote: =The death of Socrates=] Socrates believed that the laws of the city should be obeyed even if they were unjust. He drank the fatal cup while telling his friends and followers of a life beyond the grave. It was a favorite doctrine of Socrates that men would live again after the body died. We know what Socrates taught from the writings of his most famous pupil, Plato. These _Dialogues_ of Plato's, in the form of question and answer, are among the greatest books ever written. [Sidenote: =A very learned man=] =265. Aristotle, the Scientist of Ancient Times.= Aristotle was one of the later Greeks. He was celebrated for his learning. He was called a "Scientist," for he was not simply a philosopher as Socrates and Plato were. [Sidenote: =Followed without question for ages=] Aristotle was indeed a wonderful man. He studied about every subject known to the ancients and won honors in all subjects; people for centuries and centuries after Aristotle's time accepted what he said and did not try very hard to study further. They thought that the giant mind of Aristotle had found out all there was to know. Aristotle studied animals and plants, putting them in different classes and finding out many of their characteristics. He also knew a great deal about music and his _Logic_ has been the great text book even down to modern times. [Sidenote: =One of the earliest geographers=] We have a special interest in Aristotle because in his studies in geography he taught that the world is round. From men who accepted Aristotle's teaching about the shape of the earth, Columbus, the discoverer of America, got his idea of sailing west to find eastern countries.