ged to, modelling a complete lion
upon the standard of a single part of it. You too would recognise a
human hand were the rest of the body concealed. Even so with the
schools of philosophy:--the leading doctrines of each might be learned
in an afternoon. That over-exactness of yours, which required so long
a time, is by no means necessary for making the better choice.

--You are forcible, Hermotimus! with this theory of The Whole by the
Part. Yet, methinks, I heard you but now propound the contrary. But
tell me; would Pheidias when he saw the lion's talon have known that it
was a lion's, if he had never seen the animal? Surely, the cause of
his recognising the part was his knowledge of the whole. There is a
way of choosing one's philosophy even less troublesome than yours. Put
the names of all the philosophers into an urn. Then call a little
child, and let him draw the name of the philosopher you shall follow
all the rest of your days.

--Nay! be serious with me. Tell me; did you ever buy wine?

--Surely.

--And did you first go the whole round of [164] the wine-merchants,
tasting and comparing their wines?

--By no means.

--No! You were contented to order the first good wine you found at
your price. By tasting a little you were ascertained of the quality of
the whole cask. How if you had gone to each of the merchants in turn,
and said, 'I wish to buy a cotyle of wine. Let me drink out the whole
cask. Then I shall be able to tell which is best, and where I ought to
buy.' Yet this is what you would do with the philosophies. Why drain
the cask when you might taste, and see?

--How slippery you are; how you escape from one's fingers! Still, you
have given me an advantage, and are in your own trap.

--How so?

--Thus! You take a common object known to every one, and make wine the
figure of a thing which presents the greatest variety in itself, and
about which all men are at variance, because it is an unseen and
difficult thing. I hardly know wherein philosophy and wine are alike
unless it be in this, that the philosophers exchange their ware for
money, like the wine-merchants; some of them with a mixture of water or
worse, or giving short measure. However, let us consider your
parallel. The wine in the cask, you say, is of one kind throughout.
But have the philosophers--has your own [165] master even--but one and
the same thing only to tell you, every day and all days, on a subject
so manifo