[
375a]
so far as our strength
allows.” “No, we mustn't.” “Do you
think,” said I, “that there is any difference between
the nature of a well-bred hound for this watch-dog's work and of a well-born
lad?” “What point have you in mind?”
“I mean that each of them must be keen of perception, quick in
pursuit of what it has apprehended,
1 and strong too if it has to fight
it out with its captive.” “Why, yes,” said he,
“there is need of all these qualities.” “And
it must, further, be brave
2 if it is to fight
well.” “Of course.” “And will a
creature be ready to be brave that is not high-spirited, whether horse or
dog or
[
375b]
anything else? Have you never
observed what an irresistible and invincible thing is spirit,
3 the presence of which
makes every soul in the face of everything fearless and
unconquerable?” “I have.” “The
physical qualities of the guardian, then, are obvious.”
“Yes.” “And also those of his soul, namely
that he must be of high spirit.” “Yes, this
too.” “How then, Glaucon,” said I,
“will they escape being savage to one another
4 and to the other citizens if this is to be their
nature?” “Not easily, by Zeus,” said he.
“And yet
[
375c]
we must have them
gentle to their friends and harsh to their enemies; otherwise they will not
await their destruction at the hands of others, but will be first themselves
in bringing it about.” “True,” he said.
“What, then, are we to do?” “said I.
“Where shall we discover a disposition that is at once gentle and
great-spirited? For there appears to be an opposition
5 between the
spirited type and the gentle nature.” “There
does.” “But yet if one lacks either of these qualities,
a good guardian he never can be. But these requirements resemble
impossibilities, and so
[
375d]
the result is
that a good guardian is impossible.” “It seems
likely,” he said. And I was at a standstill, and after
reconsidering what we had been saying, I said, “We deserve to be
at a loss, my friend, for we have lost sight of the comparison that we set
before ourselves.
6” “What do you mean?” “We
failed to note that there are after all such natures as we thought
impossible, endowed with these opposite qualities.”
“Where?” “It may be observed in other animals,
but especially in that which we
[
375e]
likened
to the guardian. You surely have observed in well-bred hounds that their
natural disposition is to be most gentle to their familiars and those whom
they recognize, but the contrary to those whom they do not know.”
“I am aware of that.” “The thing is possible,
then,” said I, “and it is not an unnatural requirement
that we are looking for in our guardian.” “It seems
not.”
“And does it
seem to you that our guardian-to-be will also need, in addition to the being
high-spirited, the further quality of having the love of wisdom in his
nature?” “How so?” he said; “I don't
apprehend your meaning.”