| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Philebus by Plato: times brought back again, that he may support pleasure, of which he remains
to the end the uncompromising advocate. On the other hand, the youthful
group of listeners by whom he is surrounded, 'Philebus' boys' as they are
termed, whose presence is several times intimated, are described as all of
them at last convinced by the arguments of Socrates. They bear a very
faded resemblance to the interested audiences of the Charmides, Lysis, or
Protagoras. Other signs of relation to external life in the dialogue, or
references to contemporary things and persons, with the single exception of
the allusions to the anonymous enemies of pleasure, and the teachers of the
flux, there are none.
The omission of the doctrine of recollection, derived from a previous state
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Hidden Masterpiece by Honore de Balzac: "How much happiness is there!--upon that canvas," said Porbus.
The absorbed old man gave no heed to their words; he was smiling at
his visionary woman.
"But sooner or later, he will perceive that there is nothing there,"
cried Poussin.
"Nothing there!--upon my canvas?" said Frenhofer, looking first at the
two painters, and then at his imaginary picture.
"What have you done?" cried Porbus, addressing Poussin.
The old man seized the arm of the young man violently, and said to
him, "You see nothing?--clown, infidel, scoundrel, dolt! Why did you
come here? My good Porbus," he added, turning to his friend, "is it
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Michael Strogoff by Jules Verne: whence men CAN return."
The Czar had the right to utter these words with some
pride, for often, by his clemency, he had shown that Rus-
sian justice knew how to pardon.
The head of the police did not reply to this observation,
but it was evident that he did not approve of such half-
measures. According to his idea, a man who had once
passed the Ural Mountains in charge of policemen, ought
never again to cross them. Now, it was not thus under the
new reign, and the chief of police sincerely deplored it.
What! no banishment for life for other crimes than those
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