[
459a]
“By all
means.” “How, then, would the greatest benefit result?
Tell me this, Glaucon. I see that you have in your house hunting-dogs and a
number of pedigree cocks.
1 Have you ever considered something
about their unions and procreations?”
“What?”
2 he said. “In the first
place,” I said, “among these themselves, although they
are a select breed, do not some prove better than the rest?”
“They do.” “Do you then breed from all
indiscriminately, or are you careful to breed from the best
3?”
[
459b]
“From the best.” “And,
again, do you breed from the youngest or the oldest, or, so far as may be,
from those in their prime?” “From those in their
prime.” “And if they are not thus bred, you expect, do
you not, that your birds and hounds will greatly degenerate?”
“I do,” he said. “And what of horses and other
animals?” I said; “is it otherwise with them?”
“It would be strange if it were,” said he.
“Gracious,” said I, “dear friend, how
imperative, then, is our need of the highest skill in our rulers, if the
principle holds also for mankind.”
[
459c]
“Well, it does,” he said,
“but what of it?” “This,” said I,
“that they will have to employ many of those drugs
4 of which we were speaking. We thought
that an inferior physician sufficed for bodies that do not need drugs but
yield to diet and regimen. But when it is necessary to prescribe drugs we
know that a more enterprising and venturesome physician is
required.” “True; but what is the pertinency?”
“This,” said I: “it seems likely that our
rulers will have to make considerable use of falsehood and deception
[
459d]
for the benefit
5 of their
subjects. We said, I believe, that the use of that sort of thing was in the
category of medicine.” “And that was right,”
he said. “In our marriages, then, and the procreation of children,
it seems there will be no slight need of this kind of
‘right.'” “How so?” “It
follows from our former admissions,” I said, “that the
best men must cohabit with the best women in as many cases as possible and
the worst with the worst in the fewest,
[
459e]
and that the offspring of the one must be reared and that of the other
not, if the flock
6 is to be as perfect as possible. And
the way in which all this is brought to pass must be unknown to any but the
rulers, if, again, the herd of guardians is to be as free as possible from
dissension.” “Most true,” he said.
“We shall, then, have to ordain certain festivals and sacrifices,
in which we shall bring together the brides and the bridegrooms, and our
poets must compose hymns