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Socrates, and is inclined to attribute authorship to Plato himself. If however, we take into consideration the fact that the subject matter of the Republic was in circulation long before the time of Plato: for Protagoras is supposed to have lived from 481-411 B.C. and Plato, from 427-347 B.C., reason forbids the assignment of the authorship to Plato.

But the important question remains: From what source did Protagoras draw the ideas of the Republic which were circulated in the Controversies?

Text books on Greek philosophy tell us that Protagoras was a pupil of Democritus; but when we turn to the writings of Democritus we are unable to discover any connection between them and the (a) educational system and the (b) paternal government which are advocated in the Republic.

This fact forces us to the conclusion that the subject matter of Plato's Republic was neither produced by Plato, nor any Greek philosopher.

(C) The Authorship of Timaeus.

According also to Diogenes Laertius Book VIII p. 399-401, when Plato visited Dionysius at Sicily, he paid Philolaus, a Pythagorean, 40 Alexandrian Minae of silver, for a book, from which he copied the whole contents of the Timaeus.

Under these circumstances it is clear that Plato wrote neither the Republic nor the Timaeus, whose subject matter identifies them with the purpose of the Mysteries of Egypt.

(Roger's Students Hist. of Philosophy p. 76; 78; and 104).

(Zeller's Hist. of Philosophy: Introduction p. 13 and 103).

(Wm. Turner's Hist. of Philosophy p. 79 and 95).

(Plato; Apology, Crito, and Phaedo).

(Xenophon: Memorabilia; Strabo; Ancient Mysteries by C. H. Vail).

(Clement: Stromata Bk. V. C. 7 and 9).

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