each them also up to what point
it was proper for an educated man to acquire empiric knowledge of any
particular matter. (5)

(2) Lit. "a beautiful and good man."

(3) Or, "where he lacked acquaintance with the matter himself." See,
for an instance, "Econ." iii. 14.

(4) "To those who had the special knowledge"; "a connoisseur in the
matter."

(5) Or, "of any particular branch of learning"; "in each department of
things."

To take geometry as an instance: Every one (he would say) ought to be
taught geometry so far, at any rate, as to be able, if necessary, to
take over or part with a piece of land, or to divide it up or assign a
portion of it for cultivation, (6) and in every case by geometric rule.
(7) That amount of geometry was so simple indeed, and easy to learn,
that it only needed ordinary application of the mind to the method of
mensuration, and the student could at once ascertain the size of the
piece of land, and, with the satisfaction of knowing its measurement,
depart in peace. But he was unable to approve of the pursuit of geometry
up to the point at which it became a study of unintelligible diagrams.
(8) What the use of these might be, he failed, he said, to see; and
yet he was not unversed in these recondite matters himself. (9) These
things, he would say, were enough to wear out a man's life, and to
hinder him from many other more useful studies. (10)

(6) {e ergon apodeixasthai}, or "and to explain the process." Cf.
Plat. "Rep." vii. 528 D. See R. Kuhner ad loc. for other
interpretations of the phrase. Cf. Max. Tyr. xxxvii. 7.

(7) Or, "by correct measurement"; lit. "by measurement of the earth."

(8) Cf. Aristot. "Pol." v. (viii.) 2; Cic. "Acad. Post." I. iv. 15.
For the attitude compare the attitude of a philosopher in other
respects most unlike Socrates--August Comte, e.g. as to the
futility of sidereal astronomy, "Pos. Pol." i. 412 (Bridges).

(9) Cf. Isocr. "On the Antidosis," 258-269, as to the true place of
"Eristic" in education. See above, IV. ii. 10.

(10) Cf. A. Comte as to "perte intellectuelle" in the pursuit of
barren studies.

Again, a certain practical knowledge of astronomy, a certain skill in
the study of the stars, he strongly insisted on. Every one should know
enough of the science to be able to discover the hour of the night or
the season of the month or year, for the purposes of travel by land or
sea--the march, the voya