FEINBERG/WHITMAN
NOTES and NOTEBOOKS
NOTEBOOKS
1858
A Study of Plato
(Dcl/16)
Box 38 Folder 2

1st Vol Plato
PLATO
430- to 350 years B. C
Bohn's edition -1858
translated by Henry Cary, A.M.
born at Athens, (or Ægina) 
429 B.C
                      } aged 81. 
died 348 " "
was a pupil of Socrates
(as young Plato in the hands of Socrates)
during the latter part of 
S's. life, (8 or 10 years)
was a poet & traveler 
- [was] had a school in Athens & 
was a teacher [in]
traveled in Egypt 
real name Aristocles- the name 
Plato is said to come from his gymnastic
teacher who gave it him from his broad
breast & shoulders - Plato = platitude broad

Plato
"never married-never mingled
in public affairs-seems to have
regarded the constitution & character
of his native city with disfavor 
& almost despair."

Plato is the reporter of 
Socrates (as the disciples 
[were] [are the] are of Christ, in the New Testament.)-

He makes Socrates the defender
& eulogist of the 
platonic love Phaedrus with Lysis- advocates it,
plainly, but carries is into
higher & purer regions

There is a vein of too-
fine drawn argument  in
many of these dialogues- too 
much of mere verbal point
& distinction - it is often 
quite a nuisance [& is] being
carried on tediously and interminably.

"The great business of the 
philosopher, therefore, is to 
emancipate himself, as far as 
possible, not only from the 
dominion of the animal appetites, 
but also from the illusions of 
sense - & to retire with that interior
world of reflection in 
which his mind can commune 
with its kindred essences."
Art. Plato
Vol. 13-  Appleton's Encyc.

In Phaedrus
the admirable legend of
god Theuth and King Thamus, in
Egypt - on the effect
of the invention of letters
Thy faver not wisdom itself, but the 
appearance of wisdom

In Phaedrus
Socrates is  presented as
making light of the written
discourse in comparison
with the speech of the 
live & learned speaker

Phae-drus
(Plato)

purports to be a dialogue
between Socrates & Phaedrus
- the latter a young
man, who, coming to Socrates
in full of a discourse by
Lysias on Love - he,
reads it to S. - who finally
proceeds to give a discourse
on the same theme - 
- by love he evidently means the
passion inspired in [a] one
man by another man, more
particularly a beautiful 
youth, the [?] [a] talk
seems to hinge on the question
whether such a youth
should bestow his "favors"
more profitably on a declared
"lover," as on one not specially so.

See [indese?] as very begining
ican't ¶¶ [verses] 80-81-82-83-84]

at ¶29 Socrates begins;
(it is quite rhythmic,
even in translation)
His whole treatment assumes
the illustration of 
Love by the attachment
a man has for another
man (a beautiful youth
as aforementioned more especially)
-(it is astounding to
modern ideas) - 
¶ 5-4 - he makes an ingenious
comparison - the gross &
spiritual in a human being
in love - 80-81 - They
"lie down together" "Kiss"
& fondle each other &c &c
Socrates has first a statement
- which, secondly he repels. &
makes "recantation"
[?upubratis]

Socrates was a poet
-- while in prison, 
waiting for death, he
[?] made a hymn to 
Apollo & put in 
verse the Fables of
Esop.

[?] "Lysis" (another piece 
or argument on love)

   ~~ "for from my 
childhood I happen to have had 
a desire for a certain thing -- as
another person may have had for
something else; for one desires to
possess horses, another dogs, another
gold, & another honors; but I, for
my part, am indifferent about
these things -- but have a fond 
desire for the possession of friends
-- & I had rather have a good
friend -- aye, by Jupiter! I should 
much prefer the possession of
such an intimate, than the gold
of Darius, or even Darius himself
-- so fond am I of intimate friends."

(Lysis is a beautiful youth
whom [Hippothalsles] Hippothales 
loves & pines for.)

All the preceding refers 
to the1st vol. Plato.

[*704*]

1858  NOTEBOOK CONTAINING A STUDY OF PLATO.
A.MS. (12p.  20 x 13 cm.) 

On ruled paper; the pages were folded over by Walt Whitman and pasted together to form a notebook. This study was made from Bohn's edition of 
Plato, translated by Henry Cary, 1858. Biographical notes on Plato, also on Socrates, Phaedrus and Lysias were jotted down. Walt Whitman calls Plato:
"the reporter of Socrates (as the disciples of Christ in the New Testament) --
In Phaedrus Socrates is presented as making light of the written 
discourse in comparison with the speech of the live and learned speaker."
                                                                                                                            {16}                                                  

Transcribed and reviewed by contributors participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.