Hermotimus

Lycinus What shall we do, then? I do not think we ought to despair, in the momentary absence of such a guide. Perhaps the best and safest plan of all is to set to work oneself, go through every system, and carefully examine the various doctrines.

Hermotimus That is what seems to be indicated. I am afraid, though, there is an obstacle in what you said just now: it is not

easy, when you have committed yourself with a spread of canvas to the wind, to get home again. How can a man try all the roads, when, as you said, he will be unable to escape from the first of them?

Lycinus My notion is to copy Theseus, get dame Ariadne to give us a skein, and go into one labyrinth after another, with the certainty of getting out by winding it up.

Hermotimus Who is to be our Ariadne? Where shall we find the skein?

Lycinus Never despair; I fancy I have found something to hold on to and escape.

Hermotimus And what is that?

Lycinus It is not original; I borrow it from one of the wise men: ‘Be sober and doubt all things,’ says he. If we do not believe everything we are told, but behave like jurymen who suspend judgement till they have heard the other side, we may have no difficulty in getting out of the labyrinths.

Hermotimus A good plan; let us try it.

Lycinus Very well, which shall we start with? However, that will make no difference; we may begin with whomsoever we fancy, Pythagoras, say; how long shall we allow for learning the whole of Pythagoreanism? and do not omit the five years of silence; including those, I suppose thirty altogether will do; or, if you do not like that, still we cannot put it lower than twenty.

Hermotimus Put it at that.

Lycinus Plato will come next with as many more, and then Aristotle cannot do with less.

Hermotimus No.

Lycinus As to Chrysippus, I need not ask you; you have told me already that forty is barely enough.

Hermotimus That is so.

Lycinus And we have still Epicurus and the others, I am not

taking high figures, either, as you will see if you reflect upon the number of octogenarian Stoics, Epicureans, and Platonists who confess that they have not yet completely mastered their own systems. Or, if they did not confess it, at any rate Chrysippus, Aristotle, and Plato would for them; still more Socrates, who is as good as they; he used to proclaim to all comers that, so far from knowing all, he knew nothing whatever, except the one fact of his own ignorance. Well, let us add up. Twenty years we gave Pythagoras, the same to Plato, and so to the others. What will the total come to, if we assume only ten schools?

Hermotimus Over two hundred years.

Lycinus Shall we deduct a quarter of that, and say a hundred and fifty will do? or can we halve it?