troubles. Unfortunately, however,
this latter furnishes the chief materials of the imitative arts. Whereas
reason is ever in repose and cannot easily be displayed, especially to a
mixed multitude who have no experience of her. Thus the poet is like the
painter in two ways: first he paints an inferior degree of truth, and
secondly, he is concerned with an inferior part of the soul. He indulges
the feelings, while he enfeebles the reason; and we refuse to allow him
to have authority over the mind of man; for he has no measure of greater
and less, and is a maker of images and very far gone from truth.

But we have not yet mentioned the heaviest count in the indictment--the
power which poetry has of injuriously exciting the feelings. When we
hear some passage in which a hero laments his sufferings at tedious
length, you know that we sympathize with him and praise the poet; and
yet in our own sorrows such an exhibition of feeling is regarded as
effeminate and unmanly (Ion). Now, ought a man to feel pleasure in
seeing another do what he hates and abominates in himself? Is he not
giving way to a sentiment which in his own case he would control?--he is
off his guard because the sorrow is another's; and he thinks that he
may indulge his feelings without disgrace, and will be the gainer by
the pleasure. But the inevitable consequence is that he who begins by
weeping at the sorrows of others, will end by weeping at his own. The
same is true of comedy,--you may often laugh at buffoonery which you
would be ashamed to utter, and the love of coarse merriment on the stage
will at last turn you into a buffoon at home. Poetry feeds and waters
the passions and desires; she lets them rule instead of ruling them. And
therefore, when we hear the encomiasts of Homer affirming that he is
the educator of Hellas, and that all life should be regulated by his
precepts, we may allow the excellence of their intentions, and agree
with them in thinking Homer a great poet and tragedian. But we shall
continue to prohibit all poetry which goes beyond hymns to the Gods and
praises of famous men. Not pleasure and pain, but law and reason shall
rule in our State.

These are our grounds for expelling poetry; but lest she should charge
us with discourtesy, let us also make an apology to her. We will remind
her that there is an ancient quarrel between poetry and philosophy, of
which there are many traces in the writings of the poets, such as the
saying of 'th