Let’s leave the small points

 

Socrates: Then let’s leave the small points (E0w~men dh\ ta/ ge smikra/); let’s hold what we have more closely up to the light (tau=ta de\ u9p’ au0ga\j ma=llon i1dwmen), and see just what the power of the science is which is contained in them (ti/na kai/ pot’ e1xei th\n th=j te/xnhj du/namin).

Phaedrus: A very forceful power it is (Kai\ ma/la e0rrwme/nhn), Socrates (w} Sw&kratej), when it’s a question of mass gatherings (e1n ge dh\ plh/qouj suno/doij).

Socrates: You’re right (E1xei ga/r). But see, my fine fellow, whether after all you don’t think, as I do, that their warp has some gaps in it (a0ll’, w} dimo/nie, i0de\ kai\ su\ ei0 a1ra kai\ soi\ fai/netai diesthko\j au0tw~n to\ h1trion w#sper e0moi/).

Phaedrus: Do show me (Dei/knue mo/non).

Socrates: Tell me then (Ei0pe\ dh/ moi): if someone came to your friend Eryximachus (ei1 tij proselqw_n tw~| e9tai/rw| sou E0rucima/xw|) or his father Acumenus (h2 tw~| patri\ au0tou= A0koumenw~|) and said (ei1poi o3ti) ‘I know how to apply certain things to people’s bodies (E0gw_ e0pi/stamai toiau=t’ a1tta sw&masi prosfe/rein) so as to make them warm (w#ste qermai/nein t’), if I want to (e0a\n bou/lwmai), and to cool them down (kai\ yu/xein), and if I see fit (kai\ e0a\n me\n do/ch| moi), to make them vomit (e0mei=n poiei=n), or again (e0a\n d’ au]) make their bowels move (ka/tw diaxwrei=n), and all sorts of things like that (kai\ a1lla pa/mpolla toiau=ta); and because I know all that (kai\ e0pista/menoj au0ta/), I claim to be an expert doctor (a0ciw~ i0atriko\j ei]nai) and to be able to make an expert of anyone else (kai\ a1llon poiei=n) to whom I impart knowledge of these things (w{| a2n tou=twn e0pisth/mhn paradw~)’ – when they heard him, what do you think they would say (ti/ a2n oi1ei a0kou/santaj ei0pei=n;)?

Phaedrus: What else (Ti/ d’ a1llo ge) but to ask him (h2 e0re/sqai) whether he also knew (ei0 prosepi/statai) both to whom he should do all these things and when (kai\ ou3stinaj dei= kai\ o9po/te e3kasta tou/twn poiei=n), and to what extent (kai\ me/xri o9po/sou;)?

Socrates: So if he said (Ei0 ou]n ei1poi o3ti) ‘No, not at all (Ou0damw~j); but I expect (a0ll’ a0ciw~) the person who has learned these things from me (to\n tau=ta par’ e0mou= maqo/nta) to be able to do the things you ask about for himself (au0to\n oi[o/n t’ ei]nai poiei=n a4 e0rwta=|j;)’?

Phaedrus: I think they would say (Ei1poien a2n oi]mai) that the man was mad (o3ti mai/netai a3nqrwpoj), and thought he had become a doctor from having heard something somewhere from a book or from having stumbled across some common or garden remedies (kai\ e0k bibli/ou poqe\n a0kou/saj h2 perituxw_n farmaki/oij i0atro\j oi1etai gegone/nai), when he had no knowledge of the science itself (ou0de\n e0pai+/wn th=j te/xnhj).