Phaedrus — Plato

p. 282diers to one another and to their enemies? I should be inclined to propose that the soldier who leaves his rank or throws away his arms, or is guilty of any other act of cowardice,*^ should be degraded into the rank of a husbandman or artisan. What do you think ? By all means, I should say.

And he who allows himself to be taken prisoner may even be made a present of to his enemies ; he is their prey and they may do as they like with him. Certainly. But the hero who has distinguished himself, what shall be done to him ? In the first place, he shall receive honor in the army from his youthfiil comrades ; every one of them in succession shall crown him. What do you say to that ? I approve.

And what do you say to his receiving the right hand of fellowship ? To that too, I agree. But I suspect that you will hardly agree to my next proposal. What is that ? That he should kiss and be kissed by them. That I entirely approve, and should be disposed to add another clause : Let no one whom he has a mind to kiss refuse to be kissed by him while the expedition lasts.

So that if there be a lover in the army, whether his love be youth or maiden, he may be more eager to win the prize of valor. That is good, I said. That the brave man is to have more wives than others has been already determined ; and he is to have first choices in such matters more than others, in order that he may have as many children as possible. That was agreed.

And the propriety of thus honoring brave youths may be proved out of Homer ; who tells how Ajax,^ after he had distinguished himself in battle, was rewarded with long chines, which seems to be a complement appropriate to a hero in the flower of his age, being not only a tribute of honor but also a very strengthening thing. * The Greeks generally regarded an act of cowardice in battle as worse than death.

It was in many cities punished by loss of citizenship. Bosanquet quotes the Athenian's oath : " I will not disgrace my sacred shield. I will not desert my fellow-soldier in the ranks," • See Apology, note 56.

p. 283Very true, he said. Then in this, I said, Homer will be our teacher ; and we too, at sacrifices and on the like occasions, will honor the brave with hymns — "And seats of precedence, and meats and flowing goblets; " not only honoring them, but also exercising them in virtue. That, he replied, is excellent.

Good, I said ; and when a man dies gloriously in war shall we not say, in the first place, that he is of the golden race ? * To be sure. Nay, have we not the authority of Hesiod for affirming that when they are dead — " They are holy angels upon the earth, authors of good, avert- .^r. ers of ill, the guardians of speaking men ? " ^ ^ And we shall believe him.

And suppose that we inquire of the god how we are to order the sepulture of divine and heroic personages, and do as he bids ? 5 By all means. In ages to come we will do service to them and worship at their shrines as heroes. And not only they but all other bene- ' factors who die from age, or in any other way, shall be ad- . mitted to the same honors. That is very right, he said. Next, how shall our soldiers treat their enemies ?

What do you say about this? In what respect do you mean ? I mean, shall they be made slaves ? Do you think that . Hellenes ought to enslave Hellenes,^ or allow others to enslave them, as far as they can help? Should not their custom be to spare them, considering the danger which there is that the whole race may one day fall under the yoke of the barbarians ? To spare them is infinitely better.

Then no Hellene should be owned by them as a slave ; that is a rule which they will observe and advise the other Hellenes to observe. Certainly, he said ; that is the way to unite them against * Compare myth at close of Book III. » See Book IV. , 427. * At this time the Spartans held fellow Greeks in slavery.

p. 284the barbarians, and make them keep their hands off one another. Next as to the slain ; ought the conquerors, I said, to take anything but their armor ? Does not the practice of despoiHng an enemy afford an excuse for not facing the battle? They skulk about the dead, pretending to be executing a duty, and many an army before now has been lost from this love of plunder. Very true.

And is there not iUiberality and avarice, and a degree of meanness and womanishness, in robbing a corpse, and making the dead body an enemy when the real enemy has walked away and left only his fighting gear behind him, — is not this rather like a dog who cannot get at his assailant, quarreling with the stones which strike him instead ? That is exactly parallel, he said. Then we must abstain from spoiling the dead or hindering their burial?

Yes, he replied, that we must. Neither, as our object is to preserve good feeling among the Hellenes, shall we offer up the arms of Hellenes at any rate, at the temples of the gods ; nay, we have some reason to be afraid that such an offering may be a pollution unless commanded by the god himself Very true. Again, as to the devastation of an Hellenic territory or the burning of houses, what is to be the practice ?

Will you let me have the pleasure, he said, of hearing your opinion upon this? Both should be forbidden, in my judgment; I would take the annual produce and no more. Would you wish to know why I say this ? Very much.

Why, I imagine that as there is a difference in the names *' discord *' and ** war,*' there is also a difference in their natures ; the one is expressive of what is internal and domestic, the other of what is external and foreign ; and the first of these is properly termed discord, and only the second, war. That is a very just distinction, he replied.

Shall I further add that the Hellenic race is all united by ties of blood and friendship, and alien and strange to the barbarians ?