TAKING UPON HIM THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC, FOR WHICH HE WAS UNFIT.
A young man whose name was Glaucon, the son of Ariston, had so fixed it
in his head to govern the Republic, that before he was twenty years of
age he frequently presented himself before the people to discourse of
affairs of state; nor was it in the power of his relations or friends to
dissuade him from that design, though all the world laughed at him for
it, and though sometimes he was dragged from the tribunal by force.
Socrates had a kindness for him, upon account of Plato and Charmidas, and
he only it was who made him change his resolution. He met him, and
accosted him in so winning a manner, that he first obliged him to hearken
to his discourse. He began with him thus:--
"You have a mind, then, to govern the Republic, my friend?" "I have so,"
answered Glaucon. "You cannot," replied Socrates, "have a more noble
design; for if you can accomplish it you will be absolute. You will be
able to serve your friends, you will raise your family, you will extend
the bounds of your country, you will be known not only in Athens but
through all Greece, and perhaps your renown will fly even to the
barbarous nations, as did that of Themistocles. In short, wherever you
come you will be respected and admired."
These words soothed up Glaucon, and won him to give ear to Socrates, who
went on in this manner:--"But it is certain, my dear friend, that if you
desire to be honoured, you must be useful to the State." "Certainly,"
said Glaucon. "I conjure you, then, to tell me," replied Socrates, "what
is the first service that you desire to render the State?" Glaucon was
considering what to answer, when Socrates continued:--"If you intended to
make the fortune of one of your friends, you would endeavour to make him
rich, and thus perhaps you will make it your business to enrich the
Republic." "I would," answered Glaucon. "Would not the way to enrich
the Republic," replied Socrates, "be to increase its revenue?" "It is
very likely it would," said Glaucon. "Tell me, then, in what consists
the revenue of the State, and to how much it may amount? I presume you
have particularly studied this matter, to the end that if anything should
be lost on one hand, you might know where to make it good on another, and
that if a fund should fail on a sudden, you might immediately be able to
settle another in its place." "I protest," answered Glaucon, "I have
never thought of this." "Tell me at least the expenses of the Republic,
for no doubt you intend to retrench the superfluous." "I never thought
of this neither," said Glaucon. "You had best, then, put off to another
time your design of enriching the Republic, which you can never be able
to do while you are ignorant both of its expense and revenue."
"There is another way to enrich a State," said Glaucon, "of which you
take no notice, and that is by the ruin of its enemies." "You are in the
right," answered Socrates; "but to this end it is necessary to be
stronger than they, otherwise we should run the hazard of losing what we
have. He, therefore, who talks of undertaking a war, ought to know the
strength on both sides, to the end that if his party be the stronger, he
may boldly advise for war, and that if it be the weaker, he may dissuade
the people from engaging themselves in so dangerous an enterprise." "All
this is true." "Tell me, then," continued Socrates, "how strong our
forces are by sea and land, and how strong are our enemies?" "Indeed,"
said Glaucon, "I cannot tell you that on a sudden." "If you have a list
of them in writing, pray show it me, I should be glad to hear it read."
"I never took a list of them." "I see, then," said Socrates, "that we
shall not engage in war so soon; for it is like that the greatness of the
undertaking will hinder you from maturely weighing all the consequences
of it in the beginning of your government. But," continued he, "you have
thought of the defence of the country, you know what garrisons are
necessary, and what are not; you know what number of troops is sufficient
in one garrison, and not sufficient in another; you will cause the
necessary garrisons to be reinforced, and will disband those that are
useless?" "I should be of opinion," said Glaucon, "to leave none of them
on foot, because they ruin a country, on pretence of defending it."
"But," Socrates objected, "if all the garrisons were taken away, there
would be nothing to hinder the first comer from carrying off what he
pleased. But how come you to know that the garrisons behave themselves
so ill? Have you been upon the place, have you seen them?" "Not at all;
but I suspect it to be so." "When, therefore, we are certain of it,"
said Socrates, "and can speak upon better grounds than simple
conjectures, we will propose this advice to the Senate." "It will be
very proper to do so," said Glaucon.
"It comes into my mind too," continued Socrates, "that you have never
been at the mines of silver, to examine why they bring not in so much now
as they did formerly." "You say true, I have never been there." "Indeed,
they say the place is very unhealthy, and that may excuse you." "You
rally me now," said Glaucon. Socrates added, "But I believe you have at
least observed how much corn our lands produce, how long it will serve to
supply our city, and how much more we shall want for the whole year, to
the end you may not be surprised with a scarcity of bread, but may give
timely orders for the necessary provisions." "There is a deal to do,"
said Glaucon, "if we must take care of all these things." "There is so,"
replied Socrates; "and it is even impossible to manage our own families
well unless we know all that is wanting, and take care to provide it. As
you see, therefore, that our city is composed of above ten thousand
families, and it being a difficult task to watch over them all at once,
why did you not first try to retrieve your uncle's affairs, which are
running to decay, that after having given a proof of your care,
faithfulness, and capacity in that smaller trust, you might have taken
upon you a greater? But now, when you find yourself incapable of aiding
a private man, how can you think of behaving yourself so as to be useful
to a whole people? Ought a man who has not strength enough to carry a
hundred pound weight undertake to carry a burden that is much heavier?"
"I would have done good service to my uncle," said Glaucon, "if he would
have taken my advice." "How!" replied Socrates; "have you hitherto been
unable to govern your uncle, who is but one person, and do you imagine,
when you have failed in that, to govern the whole Athenians, whose minds
are so fickle and inconstant? Take heed, my dear Glaucon, take heed,
lest a too great desire of glory should render you despised. Consider
how dangerous it is to speak and employ ourselves about things we do not
understand. What a figure do those forward and rash people make in the
world who do so: and you yourself may judge whether they acquire more
esteem than blame, whether they are more admired than contemned. Think,
on the contrary, with how much honour a man is regarded who understands
perfectly what he says and what he does, and then you will confess that
renown and applause have always been the recompense of true merit, and
shame the reward of ignorance and temerity. If, therefore, you would be
honoured, endeavour to be a man of true merit, for if you enter upon the
government of the Republic with a mind more sagacious than usual, I shall
not wonder if you succeed in all your designs."