Symposium.
Pausanias, Aristodemus, Aristophanes, Eryximachus.
The speech of Eryximachus the physician. 555 tliis disinterested sort is there any disgrace in being deceived, Sym- but in every other case there is equal disgrace in being or /'"""'"• 185 not being deceived. For he who is gracious to his lover p^u^anias, ■^ ° *=* _ Aristode- under the impression that he is rich, and is disappointed of ""s, his gains because he turns out to be poor, is disgraced all phanes, the same : for he has done his best to show that he would ch™."*"^' give himself up to any one's 'uses base ' for the sake of money ; but this is not honourable. And on the same principle he who gives himself to a lover because he is a good man, and in the hope that he will be improved by his company, shows himself to be virtuous, even though the object of his affection turn out to be a villain, and to have no virtue ; and if he is deceived he has committed a noble error. For he has proved that for his part he will do anything for anybody with a view to virtue and improvement, than which there can be nothing nobler. Thus noble in every case is the acceptance of another for the sake of virtue. This is that love which is the love of the heavenly g6ddess, and is heavenly, and of great price to individuals and cities, making the lover and the beloved alike eager in the work of their own improve- ment. But all other loves are the offspring of the other, who is the common goddess. To you, Phaedrus, I offer this my contribution in praise of love, which is as good as I could make extempore. Pausanias came to a pause — this is the balanced way in Aristo- which I have been taught by the wise to speak ; and Aristo- Planes has demus said that the turn of Aristophanes was next, but cough, and either he had eaten too much, or from some other cause Eryxima- he had the hiccough, and was obliged to change turns in his turn, with Eryximachus the physician, who was reclining on the couch below him. Eryximachus, he said, you ought either to stop my hiccough, or to speak in my turn until I have left off. I will do both, said Eryximachus : I will speak in your turn, and do you speak in mine ; and while I am speaking let me recommend you to hold your breath, and if after you have done so for some time the hiccough is no better, then gargle with a little water; and if it still continues, tickle your nose with something and sneeze ; and if you sneeze once or twice, even the most violent hiccough is sure
