Plato, Ion, section 540e

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Epinomis, or Nocturnal Council

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[540e] but if I asked you, “By which art is it, Ion, that you know that horses are being well managed, by your skill as a horseman, or as a player of the lyre?” what would your answer be?

Ion
I should say, by my skill as a horseman.

Socrates
And if again you were distinguishing the good lyre-players, you would admit that you distinguished by your skill in the lyre, and not by your skill as a horseman.

Ion
Yes.

Socrates
And when you judge of military matters, do you judge as having skill in generalship, or as a good rhapsode?

Ion
To my mind, there is no difference.

Plato. Plato in Twelve Volumes, Vol. 9 translated by W.R.M. Lamb. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1925.

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