444 HISTORY OF GREECE. It was this indirect and negative proceeding, which, ttough only a part of the whole, stood out as his most original and most conspicuous characteristic, and determined his reputation with a large number of persons who took no trouble to know anything else about him. It was an exposure no less painful than surprising to the person questioned, and produced upon several of them an effect of permanent alienation, so that they never came near him again, 1 but reverted to their former state of mind without any per- manent change. But on the other hand, the ingenuity and nov- elty of the process was highly interesting to hearers, especially youthful hearers, sons of rich men, and enjoying leisure ; who not only carried away with them a lofty admiration of Sokrates, but were fond of trying to copy his negative polemics. 2 Probably men like Alkibiades and Kritias frequented his society chiefly for the purpose of acquiring a quality which they might turn to some account in their political career. His constant habit of never suffering a general term to remain undetermined, but apply- ing it at once to particulars ; the homely and effective instances of the slave of Menon (Plato, Menon, c. 18, p. 84, B; Charmides, c. 30, p. 1C6, D). As the Platonic Sokrates, even in the Defence, where his own personalitj stands most manifest, denounces as the worst and deepest of all mental defects, this conceit of knowledge without reality, ij uua&ia aiirr) rj knovei- itorof, i] TOV olecrdai eldevai u OVK oldsv, c. 17, p. 29, B, so the Xeno- phontic Sokrates, in the same manner, treats this same mental infirmity as being near to madness, and distinguishes it carefully from simple want of knowledge, or conscious ignorance : Maviav ye fiT)v ivavnov ftcv Ityi] elvat oo$ig, ov fiEvroi -ye TTJV uvEKiaTTifiocvvriv paviav h>6[ii^ev. Td 6e ayvoelv eavrbv, not u fir/ Tif aide dogu&iv, nal oleodai yiyvuaKEiv, iyyvruru fiaviaf etoyi&To slvai (Mem. iii, 9, 6). This conviction thus stands foremost in the mental character of Sokrates, and on the best evidence, Plato and Xen- ophon united. 1 Xenoph. Mem. iv, 2, 40. IIo/lAoi filv ovv TUV OVTU dtare&evTuv TO 2uAcpuroiif OVKCTI avrij irpoarjeoav, ovf KOI fihanurepovc h>6[ii&v.
- Plato, Apol. Sok. c. 9, p. 23, A. Olovrai yap (IE kKuarore ol xapovTef
-ravra avrbv elvai CTO^OV, a uv ah'hov feAeyw. Ibid. c. 10, p. 23, C. Ilpdf 6s TOVTOIC, ol veoi fioi iTroKoAov&ovvTec, oZj TIV, ol r(Jv nfovaturuTuv, avroftaroi xaipovaiv uxovovret ruv avdpuxuv, Kai nvrol iroWuKif ipe fiifiovvTai, clra tr'ei povaiv dXAovf e^eru^eiv, etc. Compare also ibid. 22, p. 33, C ; c. *, p. 37, D.
