Upon my word, a charming business! (exclaimed Socrates). Poverty! of all things the least liable to envy; seldom, if ever, an object of contention; (20) never guarded, yet always safe; the more you starve it, the stronger it grows.
(20) Cf. Plat. "Rep." 521 A; "Laws," 678 C.
And you, Socrates, yourself (their host demanded), what is it you pride yourself upon?
Then he, with knitted brows, quite solemnly: On pandering. (21) And when they laughed to hear him say this, (22) he continued: Laugh to your hearts content, my friends; but I am certain I could make a fortune, if I chose to practise this same art.
(21) Or, more politely, "on playing the go-between." See Grote, "H.
G." viii. 457, on the "extremely Aristophanic" character of the
"Symposium" of Xenophon.
(22) "Him, the master, thus declare himself."
At this point Lycon, turning to Philippus: We need not ask you what you take the chiefest pride in. What can it be, you laughter-making man, except to set folk laughing?
Yes (he answered), and with better right, I fancy, than Callippides, (23) the actor, who struts and gives himself such pompous airs, to think that he alone can set the crowds a-weeping in the theatre. (24)
(23) For illustrative tales about him see Plut. "Ages." xxi.; "Alcib."
xxxii.; Polyaen. vi. 10. Cf. "Hell." IV. viii. 16.
(24) Or, "set for their sins a-weeping."
And now you, Lycon, tell us, won't you (asked Antisthenes), what it is you take the greatest pride in?
You all of you, I fancy, know already what that is (the father answered); it is in my son here.