Charmides, Plato [easy books to read .txt] 📗

ot worthy of much consideration. For why shouldAristotle, because he has quoted several Dialogues of Plato, have quotedthem all? Something must be allowed to chance, and to the nature of thesubjects treated of in them.) On the other hand, Mr. Grote trusts mainlyto the Alexandrian Canon. But I hardly think that we are justified inattributing much weight to the authority of the Alexandrian librarians inan age when there was no regular publication of books, and every temptationto forge them; and in which the writings of a school were naturallyattributed to the founder of the school. And even without intentionalfraud, there was an inclination to believe rather than to enquire. WouldMr. Grote accept as genuine all the writings which he finds in the lists oflearned ancients attributed to Hippocrates, to Xenophon, to Aristotle? TheAlexandrian Canon of the Platonic writings is deprived of credit by theadmission of the Epistles, which are not only unworthy of Plato, and inseveral passages plagiari