protagoras   

Prodicus, and the others told me by all means to do as I proposed.

Then now, I said, I will endeavour to explain to you my opinion

about this poem of Simonides. There is a very ancient philosophy which

is more cultivated in Crete and Lacedaemon than in any other part of

Hellas, and there are more philosophers in those countries than

anywhere else in the world. This, however, is a secret which the

Lacedaemonians deny; and they pretend to be ignorant, just because

they do not wish to have it thought that they rule the world by

wisdom, like the Sophists of whom Protagoras was speaking, and not

by valour of arms; considering that if the reason of their superiority

were disclosed, all men would be practising their wisdom. And this

secret of theirs has never been discovered by the imitators of

Lacedaemonian fashions in other cities, who go about with their ears

bruised in imitation of them, and have the caestus bound on their

arms, and are always in training, and wear short cloaks; for they

imagine that these are the practices which have enabled the

Lacedaemonians to conquer the other Hellenes. Now when the

Lacedaemonians want to unbend and hold free conversation with their

wise men, and are no longer satisfied with mere secret intercourse,

they drive out all these laconizers, and any other foreigners who

may happen to be in their country, and they hold a philosophical

seance unknown to strangers; and they themselves forbid their young

men to go out into other cities-in this they are like the Cretans-in

order that they may not unlearn the lessons which they have taught

them. And in Lacedaemon and Crete not only men but also women have a

pride in their high cultivation. And hereby you may know that I am

right in attributing to the Lacedaemonians this excellence in

philosophy and speculation: If a man converses with the most

ordinary Lacedaemonian, he will find him seldom good for much in

general conversation, but at any point in the discourse he will be

darting out some notable saying, terse and full of meaning, with

unerring aim; and the person with whom he is talking seems to be