Ath.Were we not saying that there must be in our city a council which was to be of this sort:-The ten oldest guardians of the law,and all those who have obtained prizes of virtue,were to meet in the same assembly,and the council was also to include those who had visited foreign countries in the hope of hearing something that might be of use in the preservation of the laws,and who,having come safely home,and having been tested in these same matters,had proved themselves to be worthy to take part in the assembly;-each of the members was to select some young man of not less than thirty years of age,he himself judging in the,first instance whether the young man was worthy by nature and education,and then suggesting him to the others,and if he seemed to them also to be worthy they were to adopt him;but if not,the decision at which they arrived was to be kept a secret from the citizens at large;and,more especially,from the rejected candidate.The meeting of the council was to be held early in the morning,when everybody was most at leisure from all other business,whether public or private-was not something of this sort said by us before?
Cle.True.
Ath.Then,returning to the council,I would say further,that if we let it down to be the anchor of the state,our city,having everything which is suitable to her,will preserve all that we wish to preserve.
Cle.What do you mean?
Ath.Now is the time for me to speak the truth in all earnestness.
Cle.Well said,and I hope that you will fulfil your intention.
Ath.Know,Cleinias,that everything,in all that it does,has a natural saviour,as of an animal the soul and the head are the chief saviours.
Cle.Once more,what do you mean?
Ath.The well-being of those two is obviously the preservation of every living thing.
Cle.How is that?
Ath.The soul,besides other things,contains mind,and the head,besides other things,contains sight and hearing;and the mind,mingling with the noblest of the senses,and becoming one with them,may be truly called the salvation of all.
Cle.Yes,Quite so.
Ath.Yes,indeed;but with what is that intellect concerned which,mingling with the senses,is the salvation of ships in storms as well as in fair weather?In a ship,when the pilot and the sailors unite their perceptions with the piloting mind,do they not save both themselves and their craft?
Cle.Very true.
Ath.We do not want many illustrations about such matters:-What aim would the general of an army,or what aim would a physician propose to himself,if he were seeking to attain salvation?
Cle.Very good.
Ath.Does not the general aim at victory and superiority in war,and do not the physician and his assistants aim at producing health in the body?
Cle.Certainly.
Ath.And a physician who is ignorant about the body,that is to say,who knows not that which we just now called health,or a general who knows not victory,or any others who are ignorant of the particulars of the arts which we mentioned,cannot be said to have understanding about any of these matters.
Cle.They cannot.
Ath.And what would you say of the state?If a person proves to be ignorant of the aim to which the statesman should look,ought he,in the first place,to be called a ruler at all;further,will he ever be able to preserve that of which he does not even know the aim?
Cle.Impossible.
Ath.And therefore,if our settlement of the country is to be perfect,we ought to have some institution,which,as I was saying,will tell what is the aim of the state,and will inform us how we are to attain this,and what law or what man will advise us to that end.Any state which has no such institution is likely to be devoid of mind and sense,and in all her actions will proceed by mere chance.
Cle.Very true.
Ath.In which,then,of the parts or institutions of the state is any such guardian power to be found?Can we say?
Cle.I am not quite certain,Stranger;but I have a suspicion that you are referring to the assembly which you just now said was to meet at night.
Ath.You understand me perfectly,Cleinias;and we must assume,as the argument iniplies,that this council possesses all virtue;and the beginning of virtue is not to make mistakes by guessing many things,but to look steadily at one thing,and on this to fix all our aims.
Cle.Quite true.
Ath.Then now we shall see why there is nothing wonderful in states going astray-the reason is that their legislators have such different aims;nor is there anything wonderful in some laying down as their rule of justice,that certain individuals should bear rule in the state,whether they be good or bad,and others that the citizens should be rich,not caring whether they are the slaves of other men or not.The tendency of others,again,is towards *******;and some legislate with a view to two things at once-they want to be at the same time free and the lords of other states;but the wisest men,as they deem themselves to be,look to all these and similar aims,and there is no one of them which they exclusively honour,and to which they would have all things look.
Cle.Then,Stranger,our former assertion will hold,for we were saying that laws generally should look to one thing only;and this,as we admitted,was rightly said to be virtue.
Ath.Yes.
Cle.And we said that virtue was of four kinds?
Ath.Quite true.
Cle.And that mind was the leader of the four,and that to her the three other virtues and all other things ought to have regard?