THE SHIP OF STATE 403
der of nature ; neither are " the wise to go to the doors of the rich " — the ingenious author of this saying tokl a lie — but the truth is, that, when a man is ill, whether he be rich or poor, to the physician he must go, and he who wants to be governed, to him who is able to govern. The ruler who is good for anything ought not to beg his subjects to be ruled by him ; although the present governors of mankind are of a different stamp ; they may be justly compared to the mutinous sailors, and the true helmsman to those who are called by them good-for-nothings and star-gazers.
Precisely so, he said.
For these reasons, and among men like these, phi- losophy, the noblest pursuit of all, is not likely to ha much esteemed by those of the opposite faction : not that the greatest and most lasting injury is done to her by her opponents, but by her own piofessing fol- lowers, the same of whom you suppose the accuser to say that the greater number of them are arrant rogues, and the best are useless ; in which opinion I agreed.
Yes.
And the reason why the good are useless has now been explained ?
True.
Then shall we proceed to show that the corruption of the majority is also unavoidable, and that this is not to be laid to the charge of philosophy any more than the other ?
By all means.
And let us ask and answer in turn, first going back to the description of the gentle and noble nature. Truth, as you will remember, was his leader, whom he followed always and in all things ; failing in this, he
