But the arguments of the evil counsellor are many and plausible. What good, he argues, have men ever gained by justice, continence, and moderation? For one poor instance which his opponent can adduce of virtue being rewarded upon earth, the fluent sophist quotes a dozen against him of those who have made their gain by the opposite qualities. Honesty is _not_ the best policy among mortals; and most assuredly the moral virtues receive no countenance from the example of the gods. Sophistical as the argument is, and utterly unfair as we know it to be if intended to represent the real teaching of Socrates, the satirist seems to have been fully justified in his representation so far as some of the popular lecturers of the day were concerned. The arguments which Plato, in his ‘Republic,’ has put into the mouth of the sophist Thrasymachus--that justice is really only the good of _others_, while injustice is more profitable to a man’s self--that those who abuse injustice do so “from the fear of suffering it, not from the fear of doing it”--that justice is merely “an obedience yielded by the weak to the orders of the strong,”--do but express in grave philosophical language the same principles which Aristophanes here exaggerates in the person of his devil’s advocate.[36] This latter winds up the controversy by plying his antagonist with a few categorical questions, quite in the style of Socrates:-- _Unjust A._ Come now,--from what class do our lawyers spring? _Just A._ Well--from the blackguards. _Unj. A._ I believe you. Tell me Again, what are our tragic poets? _Just A._ Blackguards. _Unj. A._ Good; and our public orators? _Just A._ Blackguards all. _Unj. A._ D’ye see now, how absurd and utterly worthless Your arguments have been? And now look round-- (_turning to the audience_) Which class amongst our friends here seems most numerous? _Just A._ I’m looking. _Unj. A._ Well;--now tell me what you see. _Just. A._ (_after gravely and attentively examining the rows of spectators_). The blackguards have it, by a large majority. There’s one, I know--and yonder there’s another-- And there, again, that fellow with long hair. And amidst the roars of delighted laughter with which the Athenian “gallery” would be sure to receive this sally of buffoonery, the advocate of justice and morality declares that he throws up his brief, and joins the ranks of the dissolute majority.