<TEI xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" xmlns:py="http://codespeak.net/lxml/objectify/pytype" py:pytype="TREE"><text xml:lang="eng"><body><div type="translation" n="urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0059.tlg027.perseus-eng2" xml:lang="eng"><div type="textpart" subtype="section" resp="perseus" n="542"><said who="#Socrates" rend="merge"><label>Soc.</label><p>You are a perfect Proteus in the way you take on every kind of shape, twisting about this way and that, until at last you elude my grasp in the guise of a general, so as to avoid displaying your skill <milestone unit="page" resp="Stephanus" n="542"/><milestone unit="section" resp="Stephanus" n="542a"/> in Homeric lore.  Now if you are an artist and, as I was saying just now, you only promised me a display about Homer to deceive me, you are playing me false;  whilst if you are no artist, but speak fully and finely about Homer, as I said you did, without any knowledge but by a divine dispensation which causes you to be possessed by the poet, you play quite fair.  Choose therefore which of the two you prefer us to call you, dishonest or divine.</p></said><said who="#Ion"><label>Ion.</label><p>The difference is great, Socrates;  for it is far nobler to be called divine.
    </p></said><milestone unit="section" resp="Stephanus" n="542b"/><said who="#Socrates"><label>Soc.</label><p>Then you may count on this nobler title in our minds, Ion, of being a divine and not an artistic praiser of Homer.</p></said></div></div></body></text></TEI>