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MENEXENUS
by
Plato¡¡£¨see¡¡Appendix¡¡I¡¡above£©
Translated¡¡by¡¡Benjamin¡¡Jowett
INTRODUCTION¡£
The¡¡Menexenus¡¡has¡¡more¡¡the¡¡character¡¡of¡¡a¡¡rhetorical¡¡exercise¡¡than¡¡any
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Socrates£»¡¡who¡¡does¡¡not¡¡recover¡¡after¡¡having¡¡heard¡¡one¡¡of¡¡them¡¡for¡¡three
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favourite¡¡loci¡¡communes£»¡¡one¡¡of¡¡which£»¡¡as¡¡we¡¡find¡¡in¡¡Lysias£»¡¡was¡¡the
shortness¡¡of¡¡the¡¡time¡¡allowed¡¡them¡¡for¡¡preparation¡£¡¡¡¡But¡¡Socrates¡¡points
out¡¡that¡¡they¡¡had¡¡them¡¡always¡¡ready¡¡for¡¡delivery£»¡¡and¡¡that¡¡there¡¡was¡¡no
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mistress¡¡of¡¡Pericles£»¡¡and¡¡any¡¡one¡¡whose¡¡teachers¡¡had¡¡been¡¡far¡¡inferior¡¡to
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that¡¡Antiphon¡¡is¡¡described¡¡by¡¡Thucydides¡¡as¡¡the¡¡best¡¡pleader¡¡of¡¡his¡¡day£»
the¡¡satire¡¡on¡¡him¡¡and¡¡on¡¡the¡¡whole¡¡tribe¡¡of¡¡rhetoricians¡¡is¡¡transparent¡£
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knows¡¡so¡¡well¡¡how¡¡to¡¡give¡¡a¡¡hint£»¡¡or¡¡some¡¡one¡¡writing¡¡in¡¡his¡¡name£»
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