I will, if you like, suggest another, less troublesome way, without this slaughter of victims or sacrifice to anybody or calling in one of these expensive priests: put some tablets into a pitcher with the name of each of the philosophers on them, and tell a boy—a young lad with both parents living—to go to the pitcher and pick out whichever tablet he first touches with his hand; then all you have to do is to study the philosophy of the one whose lot he has picked.

This is mere burlesque and not like you. Now you tell me: have you ever bought wine yourself?

Of course, many a time.

Then did you go round all the wine-merchants of the city in turn, tasting and comparing and judging the wines?

Not at all.

I think that you must take away the first wine you come to that is good and satisfactory.

Certainly.

Could you have said from that brief tasting what was the quality of the whole?

Yes.

If you had approached the wine-merchants and said: “I wish to buy half a pint of wine; each of you give me, please, the whole jar to drink, so that when I have drained it all I may learn who has the better wine and who is to receive my custom”—if you had said this, do you not think that they would have laughed at you, and if you troubled them further, you might have had a jug of water poured on you?

I do think so, and I should deserve it.

Apply the same consideration to philosophy. Why drain a butt when the tasting of a little can indicate the quality of the whole?