Well, Nicarchus, after the reading of this second passage there was a silence. Then Thales asked Niloxenus if Amasis was satisfied with the solutions. Upon his replying that he had [Sidenote: B] accepted some, but was dissatisfied with others, Thales said, ‘And yet not one of them is unassailable. There are great blunders and signs of ignorance all through. For instance, how can Time be the oldest thing, seeing that, while some of it is past and some present, some of it is future? Time which is to come after us must be regarded as younger than the events and persons of the present. Again, to call Truth wisdom appears to me as bad as making out that the light is the eye. Next, if he considered Light beautiful—as indeed it is—how came he to ignore the sun? As for the rest, the answer concerning gods and evil spirits is bold and dangerous, while in that [Sidenote: C] concerning Fortune the logic is exceedingly bad. Fortune would not be so readily upset if it was the strongest and most powerful thing in existence. Nor yet again is Death the most universal thing, for in the case of the living it has no existence. However, to avoid seeming merely to criticize the work of others, let us express views of our own and compare them with his. I am ready to be the first to be questioned point by point, if Niloxenus so desires.’ In relating the questions and answers I will put them exactly as they occurred. _What is the oldest thing?_ ‘_God_,’ said Thales: ‘for He is without birth.’ _What is greatest?_ ‘_Space_: for [Sidenote: D] while the universe contains everything else, it is space that contains the universe.’ _What is most beautiful?_ ‘_The cosmos_: for everything duly ordered is part of it.’ _What is wisest?_ ‘_Time_: for it is Time that has either discovered things or will discover them.’ _What most universal?_ ‘_Expectation_: for those who have nothing else have that.’ _What most beneficent?_ ‘_Virtue_: for it makes other things beneficent by using them rightly.’ _What most harmful?_ ‘_Vice_: for most things suffer from its presence.’ _What most powerful?_ ‘_Necessity_: for it is invincible.’ _What most easy?_ ‘_The natural_; not pleasure, for people often fail to cope with that.’ The whole company being satisfied with Thales and his [Sidenote: E] acumen, Cleodorus observed: ‘It is questions and answers of this kind, Niloxenus, that are proper for kings. On the other hand, the barbarian who gave Amasis the sea to drink, required the short answer made by Pittacus to Alyattes, when he wrote the Lesbians a letter containing an arrogant command. The reply was merely a recommendation to eat onions and hot bread.’[31]