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VIII. NEW BOOKS. 'Hi- TluM'tetus of I'lato : a Tranxlutimt trill! 11,1 lntfiHti'.-ti,,,,. Bv S. W. DYDE, D.Sc., Professor of Mental Philosophy. g,i,.,-n - I i, sity, Kingston, Canada. Glasgow: James Mm-lehose & Sons, 1- Pp. viii., 173. THK Thartctus is probably more read by ordinary students of i>hilo.-o|,h , who have little Greek, than any other dialogue of Plato, except the Republic. Thf present volume seems to be intruded mainly for student- of this type. The introduction supplies an explanation of the aide of Plato's thought that is represented in the Tin-it 1,-tn.i, and throughout the translation the Greek equivalents of the more important philosophical terms are given, so that the most superficial student cannot altogether avoid direct contact with the original. The introduction occupies nearly half of the volume, and consists of four chapters. The first chapter contains a clear and intonating account of Plato's style and method. I have noted only one point in it as open to serious question. AiciAficror is hardly the right word to emphasise as the techni- cal term for Plato's method, and it is positively misleading to ssiy that this word ' was used by Plato as the name of the science built up from the lower sciences gradually ' (p. 5). The second and third chapters are the part of the introduction that has most connexion with the Thea'ti'tiix. They contain a discussion of the views of Protagoras and his followers, and of Plato's criticism of these views. The account of Protagoras's political opinions strikes one as especially good. Perhaps on the whole Prof. Dyde tends to ascribe too definite a theory to Protagoras. It is doubtful if we ought to talk of the ' philosophy ' of Protagoras at all. As to the Protagoreans, Prof. Dvde's view is that 'the phrase "disciples of Protagoras may of ne- have been used by Plato with a comprehensiveness sullicient to include Antisthenes and Aristippus as well as the more direct followers of the Sophist '. Perhaps Prof. Dyde makes hardly enough allowance for the possibility that some of the views expressed in the Thnrti-tnx ni;iy not have been held by any one. There is no reason why Plato should not develop current tendencies or suggestions, just to see the result of -tating them in an extreme form. The fourth chapter is on the whole the most important part of the introduction. It contains an excellent summary of the later develop- ments of Plato's metaphysics, especially as represented in the Sophist. To turn now to the appended translation of the Thni-trtux. The practice to which I have already referred of giving the Greek equivalents of technical terms is obviously excellent. The precise principle followed by Prof. Dyde is not very clear. He seems to give the Greek word even when it is not used in a technical sense, partly perhaps to indicate that Plato's philosophical terms were not completely fixed. On the whole, however, the result is good : the Greek equivalent is given us neither too