that a deeper insight into the nature of human speech will
give us a greater command of it and enable us to make a nobler use
of it. (Compare again W. Humboldt, 'Ueber die Verschiedenheit des
menschlichen Sprachbaues;' M. Muller, 'Lectures on the Science
of Language;' Steinthal, 'Einleitung in die Psychologie und
Sprachwissenschaft:' and for the latter part of the Essay, Delbruck,
'Study of Language;' Paul's 'Principles of the History of Language:' to
the latter work the author of this Essay is largely indebted.)

CRATYLUS

By Plato

Translated by Benjamin Jowett

PERSONS OF THE DIALOGUE: Socrates, Hermogenes, Cratylus.

HERMOGENES: Suppose that we make Socrates a party to the argument?

CRATYLUS: If you please.

HERMOGENES: I should explain to you, Socrates, that our friend Cratylus
has been arguing about names; he says that they are natural and not
conventional; not a portion of the human voice which men agree to use;
but that there is a truth or correctness in them, which is the same for
Hellenes as for barbarians. Whereupon I ask him, whether his own name
of Cratylus is a true name or not, and he answers 'Yes.' And Socrates?
'Yes.' Then every man's name, as I tell him, is that which he is called.
To this he replies--'If all the world were to call you Hermogenes,
that would not be your name.' And when I am anxious to have a further
explanation he is ironical and mysterious, and seems to imply that he
has a notion of his own about the matter, if he would only tell, and
could entirely convince me, if he chose to be intelligible. Tell me,
Socrates, what this oracle means; or rather tell me, if you will be so
good, what is your own view of the truth or correctness of names, which
I would far sooner hear.

SOCRATES: Son of Hipponicus, there is an ancient saying, that 'hard is
the knowledge of the good.' And the knowledge of names is a great
part of knowledge. If I had not been poor, I might have heard the
fifty-drachma course of the great Prodicus, which is a complete
education in grammar and language--these are his own words--and then
I should have been at once able to answer your question about the
correctness of names. But, indeed, I have only heard the single-drachma
course, and therefore, I do not know the truth about such matters; I
will, however, gladly assist you and Cratylus in the investigation
of them. When he declares that your name is not really Hermogenes, I
suspect that he is only making