| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Lesser Hippias by Plato: what he was saying just now about Homer. I have heard your father,
Apemantus, declare that the Iliad of Homer is a finer poem than the Odyssey
in the same degree that Achilles was a better man than Odysseus; Odysseus,
he would say, is the central figure of the one poem and Achilles of the
other. Now, I should like to know, if Hippias has no objection to tell me,
what he thinks about these two heroes, and which of them he maintains to be
the better; he has already told us in the course of his exhibition many
things of various kinds about Homer and divers other poets.
EUDICUS: I am sure that Hippias will be delighted to answer anything which
you would like to ask; tell me, Hippias, if Socrates asks you a question,
will you answer him?
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Gorgias by Plato: SOCRATES: I mean to say, that is most disgraceful has been already
admitted to be most painful or hurtful, or both.
POLUS: Certainly.
SOCRATES: And now injustice and all evil in the soul has been admitted by
us to be most disgraceful?
POLUS: It has been admitted.
SOCRATES: And most disgraceful either because most painful and causing
excessive pain, or most hurtful, or both?
POLUS: Certainly.
SOCRATES: And therefore to be unjust and intemperate, and cowardly and
ignorant, is more painful than to be poor and sick?
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Four Arthurian Romances by Chretien DeTroyes: violence that he tears the soft flesh from his shoulder and all
down his side. He strips whatever he touches, so that the
entrails lie exposed. The other two avenge this blow.
(Vv. 4533-4634.) Now they are all even on the field. The
seneschal is marked for death, as he turns and welters in the red
stream of warm blood pouring from his body. The lion attacks the
others; for my lord Yvain is quite unable, though he did his best
by beating or by threatening him, to drive him back; but the lion
doubtless feels confident that his master does not dislike his
aid, but rather loves him the more for it: so he fiercely attacks
them, until they have reason to complain of his blows, and they
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