These five, Mnesippos, I have chosen from
many to tell you of. And now it should be time
to decide between us whether you are to lose
your tongue or I my right hand. Who, then,
shall be our judge? Mnesippos No one, for we did not appoint any
arbiter of the discussion. But do you know what
we shall do? Since we have this time shot our
arrows without a mark, let us choose an umpire
and tell him the stories of other friends, and then


 



he who is defeated shall be punished by the loss
of his tongue if it be I, of his right hand if it be
you. Nay, this is barbarous; but since you have
shown yourself an encomiast of friendship, and I,
too, believe that mankind have no better or fairer
possession, why should not we too agree between
ourselves that we are friends now and will be forever, and acquiesce in a common victory, carrying
off the greatest prizes—instead of one tongue or
one right-hand, each gaining two and four eyes
besides, and four feet, and a double allowance of
everything? For when two or three friends join.
they form something like the painters' picture of
Geryon, a man with six hands and three heads.
It strikes me that they were three people acting
in concert as they ought to do, if they are friends.