Memorabilia

phon and Chaerecrates, both well known to him, had drawn his atte

unt his fellow-citizens loss, and yet their possessions are not his; only it seems in their case he has wits to see that to dwell securely with many and have enough is better than to own the whole wealth of a community and to live in dangerous isolation; but this same doctrine as applied to brothers they ignore. Again, if a man have the means, he will purchase domestic slaves, because he wants assistants in his work; he will acquire friends, because he needs their support; but this brother of his — who cares about b

brother, and not avoid him for some mere trifle’s sake, for a brother of the right sort is, as you say, a

rephon can please any more than he can please you

. He can be pleasing enough to others, but to me, whenever he appears on th

ider who essays to handle him, so in like manner, if a man tries to deal

I know the art of repaying kind words and good deeds in kind? But a man who tries all he can to

ly growl and show his teeth. Well; you take no notice of the dog’s ill-temper, you try to propitiate him by kindness; but your brother? If your brother were what he ought to be, he would be a

ve no wisdom or cunning to make Chaerep

ry. Only bait your hook in the way best known to yourself, and yo

rm, Socrates, of which I am the happy but unconsc

me acquaintance to invite you to dinner when he n

im a good example by inviting

to look after your affairs during your absenc

a precedent in undertaking to loo

n friend to take you under his roof while

came to Athens, in order to enlist his zeal in furthering the objects of my visit;

l cause by kindly advances to your brother? And yet it is commonly held to redound to a man’s praise to have outstripped an enemy in mischief or a friend in kindness. Now if it seemed to me that Chaerephon were better

younger take precedence of my elder brother. Why, it is contrary to the universal custom of ma

his elder in the street and to give him place? Is he not expected to get up and offer him

h alacrity. Do you not note your brother’s character, proud and frank and sensitive to honour? He is not a mean and sorry rascal to be caught

pose that, for all my attempts,

ndness is wasted. But nothing of the sort is going to happen, as I conjecture. My belief is that as soon as he hears your challenge,

injury what was meant for advantage? And yet in fashioning two brothers God intends them, methinks, to be of more benefit to one another than either two hands, or two feet, or two eyes, or any other of those pairs which belong to man from his birth.166 Consider how powerless these hands of ours if called upon to combine their action at two points more than a singl

,” II. viii. 17: “Justice! the

manifests itself in animals.” See “Cyrop.” VIII.

is less liable

“Hiero,” viii. 3. Cf. Theophr. “Char.

lian, or if phusin, tran

t bed,” or, as we sa

fears, essay a so

ess verging u

ch man is end

an ‘arms’-str

retch two objects, even o

s separate them.”<