that belong to justice, and under the other all that belong to injustice?" "Do," said Euthydemus, "if you think fit." Socrates, having done what he proposed, continued thus his discourse:--"Do not men tell lies?" "Very often," answered Euthydemus. "Under which head shall we put lying?" "Under that of injustice," said Euthydemus. "Do not men sometimes cheat?" "Most certainly." "Where shall we put cheating?" said Socrates. "Under injustice." "And doing wrong to one's neighbour?" "There too." "And selling of free persons into slavery?" "Still in the same place." "And shall we write none of all these," said Socrates, "under the head of justice?" "Not one of them," answered Euthydemus; "it would be strange if we did." "But what," replied Socrates, "when a general plunders an enemy's city, and makes slaves of all the inhabitants, shall we say that he commits an injustice?" "By no means." "Shall we own, then, that he does an act of justice?" "Without doubt." "And when he circumvents his enemies in the war, does he not do well?" "Very well." "And when he ravages their land, and takes away their cattle and their corn, does he not do justly?" "It is certain he does," said Euthydemus; "and when I answered you that all these actions were unjust, I thought you had spoken of them in regard only of friend to friend." "We must, therefore," replied Socrates, "put among the actions of justice those very actions we have ascribed to injustice, and we will only establish this distinction, that it is just to behave ourselves so towards our enemies; but that to treat our friends thus is an injustice, because we ought to live with them uprightly, and without any deceit." "I think so," said Euthydemus. "But," continued Socrates, "when a general sees that his troops begin to be disheartened, if he make them believe that a great reinforcement is coming to him, and by that stratagem inspires fresh courage into the soldiers, under what head shall we put this lie?" "Under the head of justice," answered Euthydemus. "And when a child will not take the physic that he has great need of, and his father makes it be given him in a mess of broth, and by that means the child recovers his health, to which shall we ascribe this deceit?" "To justice likewise." "And if a man, who sees his friend in despair, and fears he will kill himself, hides his sword from him, or takes it out of his hands by force, what shall we say of this violence?" "That it is just," replied Euthydemus. "Observe what you say," continued Socrates; "for it follows from your answers that we are not always obliged to live with our friends uprightly, and without any deceit, as we agreed we were." "No; certainly we are not, and if I may be permitted to retract what I said, I change my opinion very freely." "It is better," said Socrates, "to change an opinion than to persist in a wrong one. But there is still one point which we must not pass over without inquiry, and