Soc。Doyouknowthatthespectatoristhelastoftherings
which，asIamsaying，receivethepoweroftheoriginalmagnetfrom
oneanother？Therhapsodelikeyourselfandtheactorareintermediate
links，andthepoethimselfisthefirstofthem。Throughallthese
theGodswaysthesoulsofmeninanydirectionwhichhepleases，
andmakesonemanhangdownfromanother。Thusthereisavastchain
ofdancersandmastersandundermastersofchoruses，whoare
suspended，asiffromthestone，atthesideoftheringswhichhang
downfromtheMuse。AndeverypoethassomeMusefromwhomheis
suspended，andbywhomheissaidtobepossessed，whichisnearlythe
samething;forheistakenholdof。Andfromthesefirstrings，which
arethepoets，dependothers，somederivingtheirinspirationfrom
Orpheus，othersfromMusaeus;butthegreaternumberarepossessedand
heldbyHomer。Ofwhom，Ion，youareone，andarepossessedby
Homer;andwhenanyonerepeatsthewordsofanotherpoetyougoto
sleep，andknownotwhattosay;butwhenanyonerecitesastrain
ofHomeryouwakeupinamoment，andyoursoulleapswithinyou，
andyouhaveplentytosay;fornotbyartorknowledgeaboutHomerdo
yousaywhatyousay，butbydivineinspirationandbypossession;
justastheCorybantianrevellerstoohaveaquickperceptionof
thatstrainonlywhichisappropriatedtotheGodbywhomtheyare
possessed，andhaveplentyofdancesandwordsforthat，buttakeno
heedofanyother。Andyou，Ion，whenthenameofHomerismentioned
haveplentytosay，andhavenothingtosayofothers。Youask，\"Why
isthis？\"TheansweristhatyoupraiseHomernotbyartbutbydivine
inspiration。
Ion。Thatisgood，Socrates;andyetIdoubtwhetheryouwillever
haveeloquenceenoughtopersuademethatIpraiseHomeronlywhenI
ammadandpossessed;andifyoucouldhearmespeakofhimIam
sureyouwouldneverthinkthistobethecase。
Soc。Ishouldlikeverymuchtohearyou，butnotuntilyouhave
answeredaquestionwhichIhavetoask。OnwhatpartofHomerdo
youspeakwell？—notsurelyabouteverypart。
Ion。Thereisnopart，Socrates，aboutwhichIdonotspeakwell
ofthatIcanassureyou。
Soc。SurelynotaboutthingsinHomerofwhichyouhaveno
knowledge？
Ion。AndwhatisthereinHomerofwhichIhavenoknowledge？
Soc。Why，doesnotHomerspeakinmanypassagesaboutarts？For
example，aboutdriving;ifIcanonlyrememberthelinesIwillrepeat
them。
Ion。Iremember，andwillrepeatthem。
Soc。Tellmethen，whatNestorsaystoAntilochus，hisson，wherehe
bidshimbecarefuloftheturnatthehorse—raceinhonourof
Patroclus。
Ion。Hesays:
Bendgentlyinthepolishedchariottotheleftofthem，andurge
thehorseontherighthandwithwhipandvoice;andslackentherein。
Andwhenyouareatthegoal，letthelefthorsedrawnear，yetso
thatthenaveofthewell—wroughtwheelmaynotevenseemtotouchthe
extremity;andavoidcatchingthestone。
Soc。Enough。Now，Ion，willthecharioteerorthephysicianbethe
betterjudgeoftheproprietyoftheselines？
Ion。Thecharioteer，clearly。
Soc。Andwillthereasonbethatthisishisart，orwilltherebe
anyotherreason？
Ion。No，thatwillbethereason。
Soc。AndeveryartisappointedbyGodtohaveknowledgeofa
certainwork;forthatwhichweknowbytheartofthepilotwedonot
knowbytheartofmedicine？
Ion。Certainlynot。
Soc。Nordoweknowbytheartofthecarpenterthatwhichweknow
bytheartofmedicine？
Ion。Certainlynot。
Soc。Andthisistrueofallthearts;—thatwhichweknowwith
oneartwedonotknowwiththeother？Butletmeaskaprior
question:Youadmitthattherearedifferencesofarts？
Ion。Yes。
Soc。Youwouldargue，asIshould，thatwhenoneartisofone
kindofknowledgeandanotherofanother，theyaredifferent？
Ion。Yes。
Soc。Yes，surely;forifthesubjectofknowledgewerethesame，
therewouldbenomeaninginsayingthattheartsweredifferent，—
iftheybothgavethesameknowledge。Forexample，Iknowthathere
arefivefingers，andyouknowthesame。AndifIweretoask
whetherIandyoubecameacquaintedwiththisfactbythehelpof
thesameartofarithmetic，youwouldacknowledgethatwedid？
Ion。Yes。
Soc。Tellme，then，whatIwasintendingtoaskyou—whetherthis
holdsuniversally？Mustthesamearthavethesamesubjectof
knowledge，anddifferentartsothersubjectsofknowledge？
Ion。Thatismyopinion，Socrates。
Soc。Thenhewhohasnoknowledgeofaparticularartwillhaveno
rightjudgmentofthesayingsanddoingsofthatart？
Ion。Verytrue。
Soc。Thenwhichwillbeabetterjudgeofthelineswhichyouwere
recitingfromHomer，youorthecharioteer？
Ion。Thecharioteer。
Soc。Why，yes，becauseyouarearhapsodeandnotacharioteer。
Ion。Yes。
Soc。Andtheartoftherhapsodeisdifferentfromthatofthe
charioteer？
Ion。Yes。
Soc。Andifadifferentknowledge，thenaknowledgeofdifferent
matters？
Ion。True。
Soc。YouknowthepassageinwhichHecamede，theconcubineof
Nestor，isdescribedasgivingtothewoundedMachaonaposset，as
hesays，
MadewithPramnianwine;andshegratedcheeseofgoat’smilkwitha
graterofbronze，andathissideplacedanonionwhichgivesarelish
todrink。
Nowwouldyousaythattheartoftherhapsodeortheartof
medicinewasbetterabletojudgeoftheproprietyoftheselines？
Ion。Theartofmedicine。
Soc。AndwhenHomersays，
Andshedescendedintothedeeplikealeadenplummet，which，setin
thehornofoxthatrangesinthefields，rushesalongcarrying
deathamongtheravenousfishes，—
willtheartofthefishermanoroftherhapsodebebetterableto
judgewhethertheselinesarerightlyexpressedornot？
Ion。Clearly，Socrates，theartofthefisherman。
Soc。Comenow，supposethatyouweretosaytome:\"Sinceyou，
Socrates，areabletoassigndifferentpassagesinHomertotheir
correspondingarts，Iwishthatyouwouldtellmewhatarethe
passagesofwhichtheexcellenceoughttobejudgedbytheprophetand
propheticart\";andyouwillseehowreadilyandtrulyIshall
answeryou。Fortherearemanysuchpassages，particularlyinthe
Odyssey;as，forexample，thepassageinwhichTheoclymenusthe
prophetofthehouseofMelampussaystothesuitors:—
Wretchedmen！whatishappeningtoyou？Yourheadsandyourfaces
andyourlimbsunderneathareshroudedinnight;andthevoiceof
lamentationburstsforth，andyourcheeksarewetwithtears。And
thevestibuleisfull，andthecourtisfull，ofghostsdescending
intothedarknessofErebus，andthesunhasperishedoutofheaven，
andanevilmistisspreadabroad。
AndtherearemanysuchpassagesintheIliadalso;asforexample
inthedescriptionofthebattleneartherampart，wherehesays:—
Astheywereeagertopasstheditch，therecametothemanomen:
asoaringeagle，holdingbackthepeopleontheleft，boreahuge
bloodydragoninhistalons，stilllivingandpanting;norhadhe
yetresignedthestrife，forhebentbackandsmotethebirdwhich
carriedhimonthebreastbytheneck，andheinpainlethimfall
fromhimtothegroundintothemidstofthemultitude。Andtheeagle，
withacry，wasborneafaronthewingsofthewind。
ThesearethesortofthingswhichIshouldsaythattheprophet
oughttoconsideranddetermine。
Ion。Andyouarequiteright，Socrates，insayingso。
Soc。Yes，Ion，andyouarerightalso。AndasIhaveselectedfrom
theIliadandOdysseyforyoupassageswhichdescribetheofficeof
theprophetandthephysicianandthefisherman，doyou，whoknow
HomersomuchbetterthanIdo，Ion，selectformepassageswhich
relatetotherhapsodeandtherhapsode’sart，andwhichthe
rhapsodeoughttoexamineandjudgeofbetterthanothermen。
Ion。Allpassages，Ishouldsay，Socrates。
Soc。Notall，Ion，surely。Haveyoualreadyforgottenwhatyou
weresaying？Arhapsodeoughttohaveabettermemory。
Ion。Why，whatamIforgetting？
Soc。Doyounotrememberthatyoudeclaredtheartoftherhapsode
tobedifferentfromtheartofthecharioteer？
Ion。Yes，Iremember。
Soc。Andyouadmittedthatbeingdifferenttheywouldhavedifferent
subjectsofknowledge？
Ion。Yes。
Soc。Thenuponyourownshowingtherhapsode，andtheartofthe
rhapsode，willnotknoweverything？
Ion。Ishouldexcludecertainthings，Socrates。
Soc。Youmeantosaythatyouwouldexcludeprettymuchthesubjects
oftheotherarts。Ashedoesnotknowallofthem，whichofthemwill
heknow？
Ion。Hewillknowwhatamanandwhatawomanoughttosay，andwhat
afreemanandwhataslaveoughttosay，andwhatarulerandwhata
subject。
Soc。Doyoumeanthatarhapsodewillknowbetterthanthepilot
whattherulerofasea—tossedvesseloughttosay？
Ion。No;thepilotwillknowbest。
Soc。Orwilltherhapsodeknowbetterthanthephysicianwhatthe
rulerofasickmanoughttosay？
Ion。Hewillnot。
Soc。Buthewillknowwhataslaveoughttosay？
Ion。Yes。
Soc。Supposetheslavetobeacowherd;therhapsodewillknow
betterthanthecowherdwhatheoughttosayinordertosoothethe
infuriatedcows？
Ion。No，hewillnot。
Soc。Buthewillknowwhataspinning—womanoughttosayaboutthe
workingofwool？
Ion。No。
Soc。Atanyratehewillknowwhatageneraloughttosaywhen
exhortinghissoldiers？
Ion。Yes，thatisthesortofthingwhichtherhapsodewillbe
suretoknow。
Soc。Well，butistheartoftherhapsodetheartofthegeneral？
Ion。IamsurethatIshouldknowwhatageneraloughttosay。
Soc。Why，yes，Ion，becauseyoumaypossiblyhaveaknowledgeofthe
artofthegeneralaswellasoftherhapsode;andyoumayalsohavea
knowledgeofhorsemanshipaswellasofthelyre:andthenyouwould
knowwhenhorseswerewellorillmanaged。ButsupposeIweretoask
you:Bythehelpofwhichart，Ion，doyouknowwhetherhorsesare
wellmanaged，byyourskillasahorsemanorasaperformeronthe
lyre—whatwouldyouanswer？
Ion。Ishouldreply，bymyskillasahorseman。
Soc。Andifyoujudgedofperformersonthelyre，youwouldadmit
thatyoujudgedofthemasaperformeronthelyre，andnotasa
horseman？
Ion。Yes。
Soc。Andinjudgingofthegeneral’sart，doyoujudgeofitasa
generalorarhapsode？
Ion。Tomethereappearstobenodifferencebetweenthem。
Soc。Whatdoyoumean？Doyoumeantosaythattheartofthe
rhapsodeandofthegeneralisthesame？
Ion。Yes，oneandthesame。
Soc。Thenhewhoisagoodrhapsodeisalsoagoodgeneral？
Ion。Certainly，Socrates。
Soc。Andhewhoisagoodgeneralisalsoagoodrhapsode？
Ion。No;Idonotsaythat。
Soc。Butyoudosaythathewhoisagoodrhapsodeisalsoagood
general。
Ion。Certainly。
Soc。AndyouarethebestofHellenicrhapsodes？
Ion。Farthebest，Socrates。
Soc。Andareyouthebestgeneral，Ion？
Ion。Tobesure，Socrates;andHomerwasmymaster。
Soc。Butthen，Ion，whatinthenameofgoodnesscanbethereason
whyyou，whoarethebestofgeneralsaswellasthebestofrhapsodes
inallHellas，goaboutasarhapsodewhenyoumightbeageneral？
DoyouthinkthattheHelleneswantarhapsodewithhisgolden
crown，anddonotwantageneral？
Ion。Why，Socrates，thereasonis，thatmycountrymen，the
Ephesians，aretheservantsandsoldiersofAthens，anddonotneed
ageneral;andyouandSpartaarenotlikelytohaveme，foryouthink
thatyouhaveenoughgeneralsofyourown。
Soc。MygoodIon，didyouneverhearofApollodorusofCyzicus？
Ion。Whomayhebe？
Soc。Onewho，thoughaforeigner，hasoftenbeenchosentheir
generalbytheAthenians:andthereisPhanosthenesofAndros，and
HeraclidesofClazomenae，whomtheyhavealsoappointedtothecommand
oftheirarmiesandtootheroffices，althoughaliens，afterthey
hadshowntheirmerit。AndwilltheynotchooseIontheEphesiantobe
theirgeneral，andhonourhim，ifheprovehimselfworthy？Werenot
theEphesiansoriginallyAthenians，andEphesusisnomeancity？
But，indeed，Ion，ifyouarecorrectinsayingthatbyartand
knowledgeyouareabletopraiseHomer，youdonotdealfairlywith
me，andafterallyourprofessionsofknowingmany，gloriousthings
aboutHomer，andpromisesthatyouwouldexhibitthem，youareonly
adeceiver，andsofarfromexhibitingtheartofwhichyouarea
master，willnot，evenaftermyrepeatedentreaties，explaintomethe
natureofit。YouhaveliterallyasmanyformsasProteus;andnowyou
goallmannerofways，twistingandturning，and，likeProteus，become
allmannerofpeopleatonce，andatlastslipawayfrommeinthe
disguiseofageneral，inorderthatyoumayescapeexhibitingyour
Homericlore。Andifyouhaveart，then，asIwassaying，in
falsifyingyourpromisethatyouwouldexhibitHomer，youarenot
dealingfairlywithme。Butif，asIbelieve，youhavenoart，but
speakallthesebeautifulwordsaboutHomerunconsciouslyunderhis
inspiringinfluence，thenIacquityouofdishonesty，andshallonly
saythatyouareinspired。Whichdoyouprefertobethought，
dishonestorinspired？
Ion。Thereisagreatdifference，Socrates，betweenthetwo
alternatives;andinspirationisbyfarthenobler。
Soc。Then，Ion，Ishallassumethenobleralternative;andattribute
toyouinyourpraisesofHomerinspiration，andnotart。