treasures which the ancient sages have left us; we run over their works,
and if we find anything excellent we take notice of it and select it: in
short, we believe we have made a great improvement when we begin to love
one another." This was the answer he made, and when I heard him speak in
this manner I thought him very happy, and that he effectually stirred up
his hearers to the love of virtue.

Another time when Antiphon asked him why he did not concern himself with
affairs of State, seeing he thought himself capable to make others good
politicians? he returned this answer:--"Should I be more serviceable to
the State if I took an employment whose function would be wholly bounded
in my person, and take up all my time, than I am by instructing every one
as I do, and in furnishing the Republic with a great number of citizens
who are capable to serve her?"



CHAPTER VII. IN WHAT MANNER SOCRATES DISSUADED MEN FROM SELF-CONCEIT AND
OSTENTATION.


But let us now see whether by dissuading his friends from a vain
ostentation he did not exhort them to the pursuit of virtue. He
frequently said that there was no readier way to glory than to render
oneself excellent, and not to affect to appear so. To prove this he
alleged the following example:--"Let us suppose," said he, "that any one
would be thought a good musician, without being so in reality; what
course must he take? He must be careful to imitate the great masters in
everything that is not of their art; he must, like them, have fine
musical instruments; he must, like them, be followed by a great number of