This couple are described and treated throughout by Sokrates, with the utmost admiration and respect: that is, in terms designating such feelings, but intended as the extreme of irony or caricature. They are masters of the art of Contention, in its three varieties[3]--1. Arms, and the command of soldiers. 2. Judicial and political rhetoric, fighting an opponent before the assembled Dikasts or people. 3. Contentious Dialectic--they can reduce every respondent to a contradiction, if he will only continue to answer their questions--whether what he says be true or false.[4] All or each of these accomplishments they are prepared to teach to any pupil who will pay the required fee: the standing sarcasm of Plato against the paid teacher, occurring here as in so many other places. Lastly, they are brothers, old and almost toothless--natives of Chios, colonists from thence to Thurii, and exiles from Thurii and resident at Athens, yet visiting other cities for the purpose of giving lessons.[5] Their dialectic skill is described as a recent acquisition,--made during their old age, only in the preceding year,--and completing their excellence as professors of the tripartite Eristic. But they now devote themselves to it more than to the other two parts. Moreover they advertise themselves as teachers of virtue. [Footnote 3: Plato, Euthyd. pp. 271-272.] [Footnote 4: Plat. Euthyd. p. 272 B. [Greek: e)xele/gchein to\ a)ei\ lego/menon, o(moi/ôs e)a/n te pseu=dos e)a/n t' a)lêthe\s ê)=|]: p. 275 C. [Greek: ou)de\n diaphe/rei, e)a\n mo/non e)the/lê| a)pokri/nesthai o( neani/skos.]] [Footnote 5: Plat. Euthyd. p. 273 B-C. "quamvis essent ætate grandiores et _edentuli_" says Stallbaum in his Proleg. p. 10. He seems to infer this from page 294 C; the inference, though not very certain, is plausible. Steinhart, in his Einleitung zum Euthydemos (vol. ii. p. 2 of Hieronym. Müller's translation of Plato) repeats these antecedents of Euthydemus and Dionysodorus, as recited in the dialogue before us, as if they were matter of real history, exemplifications of the character of the class called Sophists. He might just as well produce what is said by the comic poets Eupolis and Aristophanes--the proceedings as recounted by the Sokratic disciple in the [Greek: phrontistê/rion] (Nubes)--as evidence about the character of Sokrates.] [Side-note: Conversation carried on with Kleinias, first by Sokrates, next by the two Sophists.]