HERMOTIMUS It seems to me, Lycinus, that you do not understand what I mean. LYCINUS Then you must speak more clearly, if your argument is to be different from what I say. HERMOTIMUS You will learn at once what I mean. Let us suppose that two persons have entered the Asclepieum
or the sanctuary of Dionysus, and that subsequently one of the sacred chalices is missing. It will without doubt be necessary to search both of them to find out which one of the two has the chalice in his clothing. LYCINUS Very true. HERMOTIMUS One of them surely has it. LYCINUS Of course, if it has disappeared. HERMOTIMUS And if you discover it on the first, you will not strip the other. It will be quite clear that he has not got it. LYCINUS Quite clear. HERMOTIMUS And if we were not to find it in the first one’s clothing, the second man surely has it, and there is in this case too no need of a search. LYCINUS Yes, he has it. HERMOTIMUS So too in our case. Suppose we find the chalice already in the hands of the Stoics, we shall not bother to search the others, since we have what we have


 


been looking for for a long time. Why should we trouble further?