Then, young man, hand me over this gold.A SHARPER.(staring at him.)What gold am I to give you?CHARMIDESThat which you have owned you received from me.A SHARPER.Received from you?CHARMIDESYes, I say so.A SHARPER.Who are you? CHARMIDESI am Charmides, who gave you the thousand pieces of money.A SHARPER.I’ faith, you are not he; and this day, you never shall be he, for this gold, at any rate. Away with you, if you please, you impostor! (Aside.) You are trying to cheat the cheater.CHARMIDESI am Charmides. A SHARPER.I’ faith, you are so to no purpose, for I carryFor I carry: He takes the other to be as great a rogue as himself and means, that his being Charmides only depended on whether he himself admitted that he was in possession of the gold of Charmides. no gold. Right cleverly were you down upon me, at the very nick of time. After I said that I was bringing the gold, that instant you became Charmides. Before I made mention of the gold, you were not he. It won’t do. Just, therefore, in such manner as you Charmidised yourself, do you again un-Charmidise yourself.CHARMIDESWho am I, then, if in fact I am not he who I really am?A SHARPER.What matters that to me? So long as you are not he whom I do not choose you to be, you may be who you like, for what I care.Just now, you were not he who you were, now you are become he who then you were not.CHARMIDESCome, despatch, if you are going to do it.A SHARPER.What am I to do?CHARMIDESGive me back the gold.A SHARPER.You are dreaming, old gentleman.CHARMIDESDid you own that Charmides delivered the gold to you?A SHARPER.Yes—in writingYes, in writing: This, of course, was the fact, as Megaronides and Callicles would know better than entrust the fellow with any money. It probably means that he was entrusted with a letter to Callicles, enclosing a counterfeit bill at sight, or order on the Athenian bankers for payment of a thousand Philippeans to Callicles. This, Callicles was to show to Lesbonicus, to put him off the scent as to the treasure whence the money really was taken. The Sharper has told Charmides that he has the money with him, merely by way of boasting of his trustworthy character.. CHARMIDESAre you making haste or not, you night-robber, to be off with all speed this very instant from this neighbourhood, before I order you to be soundly cudgelled on the spot?A SHARPER.For what reason? CHARMIDESBecause I am that self-same Charmides about whom you have been thus lying, and who you said gave the letters to you.A SHARPER.How now; prithee, are you really he?CHARMIDESI really am he. A SHARPER.Say you so, pray? Are you really he himself?CHARMIDESI do say so. A SHARPER.Are you his own self?CHARMIDESHis own self, I say. I am Charmides.A SHARPER.And are you then his own self?