Megillus:  No.

Athenian:  There is a further consideration relating to the due and undue award of honours in states.

Megillus:  What is it?

Athenian:  I should like to know whether temperance without the other virtues, existing alone in the soul of man, is rightly to be praised or blamed?

Megillus:  I cannot tell.

Athenian:  And that is the best answer; for whichever alternative you had chosen, I think that you would have gone wrong.

Megillus:  I am fortunate.

Athenian:  Very good; a quality, which is a mere appendage of things which can be praised or blamed, does not deserve an expression of opinion, but is best passed over in silence.

Megillus:  You are speaking of temperance?

Athenian:  Yes; but of the other virtues, that which having this appendage is also most beneficial, will be most deserving of honour, and next that which is beneficial in the next degree; and so each of them will be rightly honoured according to a regular order.

Megillus:  True.

Athenian:  And ought not the legislator to determine these classes?

Megillus:  Certainly he should.

Athenian:  Suppose that we leave to him the arrangement of details.  But the general division of laws according to their importance into a first and second and third class, we who are lovers of law may make ourselves.

Megillus:  Very good.

Athenian:  We maintain, then, that a State which would be safe and happy, as far as the nature of man allows, must and ought to distribute honour and dishonour in the right way.  And the right way is to place the goods of the soul first and highest in the scale, always assuming temperance to be the condition of them; and to assign the second place to the goods of the body; and the third place to money and property.  And if any legislator or state departs from this rule by giving money the place of honour, or in any way preferring that which is really last, may we not say, that he or the state is doing an unholy and unpatriotic thing?

Megillus:  Yes; let that be plainly declared.

Athenian:  The consideration of the Persian governments led us thus far to enlarge.  We remarked that the Persians grew worse and worse.  And we affirm the reason of this to have been, that they too much diminished the freedom of the people, and introduced too much of despotism, and so destroyed friendship and community of feeling.  And when there is an end of these, no longer do the governors govern on behalf of their subjects or of the people, but on behalf of themselves; and if they think that they can gain ever so small an advantage for themselves, they devastate cities, and send fire and desolation among friendly races.  And as they hate ruthlessly and horribly, so are they hated; and when they want