Yes, but I will; and my word shall be an oath. 'I say, or
rather swear'--but what god will be witness of my oath?--'By this
plane-tree I swear, that unless you repeat the discourse here in the
face of this very plane-tree, I will never tell you another; never let
you have word of another!'

SOCRATES: Villain! I am conquered; the poor lover of discourse has no
more to say.

PHAEDRUS: Then why are you still at your tricks?

SOCRATES: I am not going to play tricks now that you have taken the
oath, for I cannot allow myself to be starved.

PHAEDRUS: Proceed.

SOCRATES: Shall I tell you what I will do?

PHAEDRUS: What?

SOCRATES: I will veil my face and gallop through the discourse as fast
as I can, for if I see you I shall feel ashamed and not know what to
say.

PHAEDRUS: Only go on and you may do anything else which you please.

SOCRATES: Come, O ye Muses, melodious, as ye are called, whether you
have received this name from the character of your strains, or because
the Melians are a musical race, help, O help me in the tale which my
good friend here desires me to rehearse, in order that his friend whom
he always deemed wise may seem to him to be wiser than ever.

Once upon a time there was a fair boy, or, more properly speaking, a
youth; he was very fair and had a great many lovers; and there was one
special cunning one, who had persuaded the youth that he did not love
him, but he really loved him all the same; and one day when he was
paying his addresses to him, he used this very argument--that he
ought to accept the non-lover rather than the lover; his words were as
follows:--

'All good counsel begins in the same way; a man should know what he
is advising about, or his counsel will all come to nought. But people
imagine that they know about the nature of things, when they don't know
about them, and, not having come to an understanding at first
because they think that they know, they end, as might be expected, in
contradicting one another and themselves. Now you and I must not be
guilty of this fundamental error which we condemn in others; but as our
question is whether the lover or non-lover is to be preferred, let us
first of all agree in defining the nature and power of love, and then,
keeping our eyes upon the definition and to this appealing, let us
further enquire whether love brings advantage or disadvantage.

'Every one sees that love is a desire, and we know also that non-lovers
desire the beaut