THE CLASSICAL REVIEW Clearly, as Professor Taylor once remarked on this passage, 'there is nowhere in the universe any

independent power which can cause this divine purpose to fail of its intent'. Other passages of the Laws also appear to have been too lightly assessed; e.g. the account of evil as due (896 D, etc.) not to matter or necessity but to ungodly souls; or 818 B, where Ritter finds the doctrine that God is the author of a necessity binding on Himself. One hesitates to add to Professor Greene's references; but omitting a very large number of points of disagreement, I must find room to say that it is incorrect to cite Cornford's criticism of Taylor for finding monotheism in Plato, without also citing Cornford's very considerable retractation in Mind, N.S. xlvii, 1938, p. 324.
J. TATE. University of St. Andrews.

THE HIPPOCRATIC OATH Ludwig EDELSTEIN: The Hippocratic intended to commit suicide; they adOath. Text, Translation, and Inter- ministered abortive remedies; they pretation. Pp. vii+64. Baltimore: practised surgery. Johns Hopkins Press, 1943. Paper, Edelstein maintains that the oath
$1.25. originated among the Pythagoreans of

THE author has the reputation of being the fourth century B.C., who did hold an ingenious and learned student of the views on these points that differed from Hippocratic Corpus, and the work under those commonly held throughout the review will add to it. The closer the Greek world. The plea put forward for new interpretation is studied, the more holiness and purity (dyvcD? ai oaUos), convinced the reader becomes of its the dread of dSi/oa, the promise to essential truth. Edelstein has called keep secret a fj/fj ypr\ TTOTC e/cAaAeea&u attention to many points unnoticed lw and to regard them as dpprjra, all before by editors of the fascinating have a Pythagorean ring. Greek document called the Hippocratic It may perhaps be ungracious if the Oath; even if future commentators reviewer, who derived great profit and reject the theory by which Edelstein pleasure from the commentary, points interprets the new facts, these must be out that he did feel a little disappointtaken into account whenever a fresh ment when he found in it no light theory is put forward and defended. thrown on three very disturbing factors In the text itself Edelstein would in any interpretation of the oath: translate ftiov KonxaoaoBai 'to live my (1) The first part (the Covenant) is full of rare Greek, with a dislife in partnership with him', thus tinctly archaic or poetical flavour, separating the meaning from the phrase e.g. oSe used without the article, following; dSeA<eW appeal, 'brothers in loru>p = witness. male lineage'; em 8IJA^CT Se teal dSiKtr) eipgeiv1 ' I will keep them from (2) One important manuscript (Amharm and injustice' [will em allow of bros. B 113 Sup.) omits the ov this ?]; Siairqfjiaari ' dietetic measures'. refieoi clause altogether, having The writer then proceeds, clause by in its place one that begins with clause, to defend his own interpretation. oir' ifiolai, but goes on to make He shows that the articles of the oath the swearer promise not even to were by no means generally accepted connive at the giving of poison or by ancient physicians. For centuries, the causing of abortion. in opposition to the demands made in (3) There is still extant a form of the the oath, they put poison in the hands Oath with many modifications of of those among their patients who the textus receptus, which does not contain the operation clause, but calls itself the 'Hippocratic 1 In my edition I suggest reading efy>feo, and Oath in a form that a Christian translating: ' I will keep off treatment when with can take'. harmful intent.'

THE CLASSICAL REVIEW These facts are important data. Edelstein scarcely notices them, but the reviewer was much worried during his perusal by a continuous effort to make them fit in with the new interpretation.
W. H. S. JONES. St. Catharine's College, Cambridge.

PLATO AND MODERN EDUCATION (1) Sir Richard LIVINGSTONE : Plato and vitalized by an understanding of man's Modern Education. (Rede Lecture, chief end. To build up such an under1944.) Pp. 36. Cambridge: Univer- standing is the true function of education; 'the most important truth that sity Press, 1944. Paper, is. net. (2) Sir Walter MOBERLY : Plato's Con- we can learn from Plato' is that educaception of Education and its Meaning tion is ' essentially a training in values'. for To-day. (Presidential Address to Sir Richard produces telling evidence the Classical Association, 1944.) Pp.32. of the sad results of the education of London: Milford, 1944. Paper, M. net. the immediate past, and its deliberate IN a time when it is possible to pass omission to supply its victims with the an Education Act which has nothing standards and ultimate convictions to say about education, these lectures which would save civilization from derecall the discussion to the essential generating into a mood of despair only question: what ought to be the purpose partly hidden beneath an 'elaborate of education, and how can it be at- barbarism'. Sir Walter Moberly also tained ? Both lecturers agree strikingly has' grounds for fearing a ' moral in discarding, thanks to some help from anarchy' resulting (as was foretold long Plato, the doctrinaire secularism of the ago) from the failure to teach those last two generations, to which positive fundamental truths-such as the reality beliefs on any matter of importance of the Christian Godon which ' there were a bugbear. It would mean a is an orthodoxy which it is right to inmomentous revolution if the Platonic culcate'. Sir Richard criticizes especidoctrine which they preach were to ally the universities for neglecting to become dominant: that no system of provide a true philosophy of life, a sense instruction can properly be called edu- of values. That these valuestruth, cation if it renounces the responsibility goodness, beautyare real and objecof teaching sound views of the meaning tive, 'born where Heaven is', and not and purpose of human life. Disinter- to be explained away in purely naturalested or 'useless' knowledge is no istic fashion, is the reasoned conviction longer accepted as an ideal. Yet no- of the Greco-Christian philosophy, thinghealth, wealth, or' knowledge' which 'has been the creative and is of any use unless one knows what to formative force in Western civilization'. Sir Walter speaks even more exuse it for. Hence Sir Richard Livingstone argues that the aims recognized by plicitly from a Christian point of view; modern educational practicewhether the true and coherent philosophy of life an acquaintance with technical facts which he desiderates turns out to be, and the principles of special sciences or tout court, the Christian religion, held even a formal training in the arts of not as a vague sentiment but as the thinkingare good only so far as they 'moral and intellectual basis for truly go. As Plato held, expertness in calcu- human life'. He includes an interesting lation and quickness of mind are not 'partial reply' to the charge that Plato enough; they do not make for good was ' the first Fascist'; there is all the government of a state or for good difference in the world between an formation of character in the individual. ideology which is true and one which is Studies like sociology or economics not only false but based on the conmust not be confused with the science scious denial of reason and truth. At of government. Such ' techniques' are the same time he admits the need to 'no substitute for some vision of the modify some of Plato's enactments in Idea of the Good'; they need to be the light of Christian doctrine and