A source-book of ancient history - The Search For Mecca

290 Greek Life and Thought
first arose the universal conceit of omniscience and general
[t spreads
through the
whole community.
lawlessness ;—freedom came following afterward, and m_en,
fancying that they knew what they did not know, had no
longer any fear, and the absence of fear begets shamelessness.
For what is this shamelessness, which is so evil a
thing, but the insolent refusal to regard the opinion of the
better by reason of an over-daring sort of liberty?
Meg. Very true.
Ath. Consequent upon this freedom comes the other
freedom, of disobedience to rulers; and then the attempt
to escape the control and exhortation of
father, mother,
elders, and when near the end, the control of the laws also;
and at the very end there is
the contempt of oaths and
pledges, and no regard at all for the Gods,—herein they
exhibit and imitate the old so-called Titanic nature, and
come to the same point as the Titans when they rebelled
against God, leading a life of endless evils.
S Derates
goes to
Peiraeus.
Plato, Republic
(opening).
Cephalus is
father of
Lysias the
orator; Ancient
World,
287. They
were a family
of resident
aliens
(me tics).
III. Socrates Visits Cephalus
I went down yesterday to the Peirjeus with Glaucon the
son of Ariston, that I might offer up my prayers to the
goddess; and also because I wanted to see in what manner
they would celebrate the festival, which was a new thing.
I was delighted with the procession of the inhabitants;
but that of the Thracians was equally, if not more, beautiful.
When we had finished our prayers and viewed the
spectacle, we turned in the direction of the city; and at
that instant Polemarchus the son of Cephalus chanced to
catch sight of us from a distance as we were starting on
our way home, and told his servant to run and bid us wait
for him. The servant took hold of me by the cloak behind,
and said: Polemarchus desires you to wait.
I turned round, and asked him where his master was.