eminence, a certain measure of rhetorical facility and persuasive power was indispensable. With a view to this acquisition, he frequented the society of various sophistical and rhetorical teach ers,[1] Prodikus, Protagoras, and others ; but most of all that or Sokrates. His intimacy with Sokrates has become celebrated on many grounds, and is commemorated both by Plato and Xenophon, though unfortunately with less instruction than we could desire. We may readily believe Xenophon, when he tells us that Alkibiades like the oligarchical Kritias, of whom we shall have much to say hereafter was attracted to Sokratês by his unrivalled skill of dialectical conversation, his suggestive influence over the minds of his hearers, in eliciting new thoughts and combinations, his mastery of apposite and homely illustrations, his power of seeing far beforehand the end of a long cross-examination, his ironical affectation of ignorance, whereby the humiliation of opponents was rendered only the more complete, when they were convicted of inconsistency and contradiction out of their own answers. The exhibitions of such ingenuity were in themselves highly interesting, and stimulating to the mental activity of listeners, while the faculty itself was one of peculiar value to those who proposed to take the lead in public debate; with which view both these ambitious young men tried to catch
the knack from Sokratês,[2] and to copy his formidable string of
- ↑ See the description in the Protagoras of Plato, c. 8, p. 317
- ↑ See Xenophon, Memorab. i, 2, 12-24, 39-47. (
Greek characters) Compare Plato, Apolog. Sokrat. c. 10, p. 23 ; c. 22, p. 33. Xenophon represents Alkibiades and Kritias as frequenting the society of Sokrates, for the same reason and with the same objects as Plato affirms that young men generally went to the Sophists : see Plato, Scphist. c. 20. p. 232 ]). "Nam et Socrati (observes Quintilian, Inst. Or. ii, 1C) objidunt comici, docerc cum, quomodo pcjorem cansam racliorcm reddat ; et contra Tisiam et Gorgiam similia dicit poliiceri Plato."
