_Lysis._--You speak truly. _Sokr._--All other matters, in short, on which he believed us to be wiser than himself or his son, he would entrust to us rather than to himself or his son? _Lysis._--Necessarily so, Sokrates. _Sokr._--This is the state of the case, then, my dear Lysis: On those matters on which we shall have become intelligent, all persons will put trust in us--Greeks as well as barbarians, men as well as women. We shall do whatever we please respecting them: no one will be at all inclined to interfere with us on such matters; not only we shall be ourselves free, but we shall have command over others besides. These matters will be really ours, because we shall derive real good from them.[4] As to those subjects, on the contrary, on which we shall not have acquired intelligence, no one will trust us to do what we think right: every one,--not merely strangers, but father and mother and nearer relatives if there were any,--will obstruct us as much as they can: we shall be in servitude so far as these subjects are concerned; and they will be really alien to us, for we shall derive no real good from them. Do you admit that this is the case?[5] _Lysis._--I do admit it. _Sokr._--Shall we then be friends to any one, or will any one love us, on those matters on which we are unprofitable _Lysis._--Certainly not. _Sokr._--You see that neither does your father love you, nor does any man love another, in so far as he is useless? _Lysis._--Apparently not. _Sokr._--If then you become intelligent, my boy, all persons will be your friends and all persons will be your kinsmen: for you will be useful and good: if you do not, no one will be your friend,--not even your father nor your mother nor your other relatives. [Footnote 4: Plato, Lysis, 210 B. [Greek: kai\ ou)dei\s ê(ma=s e(kô\n ei)=nai e)mpodiei=, a)ll' au)toi/ te e)leu/theroi e)so/metha e)n au)toi=s kai\ a)/llôn a)/rchontes, ê(me/tera/ te tau=ta e)/stai; o)nêso/metha ga\r a)p' au)tô=n.]] [Footnote 5: Plato, Lysis, 210 C. [Greek: au)toi/ te e)n au)toi=s e)so/metha a)/llôn u(pêkooi, kai\ ê(mi=n e)/stai a)llo/tria; ou)de\n ga\r a)p' au)tô=n o)nêso/metha. Sugchôrei=s ou(/tôs e)/chein? Sugchôrô=.]] Is it possible then, Lysis, for a man to think highly of himself on those matters on which he does not yet think aright? _Lysis._--How can it be possible? _Sokr._--If you stand in need of a teacher, you do not yet think aright? _Lysis._--True. _Sokr._--Accordingly, you are not presumptuous on the score of intelligence, since you are still without intelligence. _Lysis._--By Zeus, Sokrates, I think not.[6] [Footnote 6: Plato, Lysis, 210 D. [Greek: Oi(=o/n te ou)=n e)pi\ tou/tois, ô)= Lu/si, me/ga phronei=n, e)n oi(=s tis mê/pô phronei=? Kai\ pô=s a)\n? e)/phê. Ei) d' a)/ra su\ didaska/lou de/ei, ou)/pô phronei=s. A)lêthê=. Ou)d' a)/ra megalo/phrôn ei)=, ei)/per a)/phrôn e)/ti. Ma\ Di/', e)/phê, ô)= Sô/krates, ou)/ moi dokei=.]