The
Ion
is
the
shortest,
or
nearly
the
shortest,
of
all
the
writings
which
bear
the
name
of
Plato,
and
is
not
authenticated
by
any
early
external
testimony.
The
grace
and
beauty
of
this
little
work
supply
the
only,
and
perhaps
a
sufficient,
proof
of
its
genuineness.
The
plan
is
simple;
the
dramatic
interest
consists
entirely
in
the
contrast
between
the
irony
of
Socrates
and
the
transparent
vanity
and
childlike
enthusiasm
of
the
rhapsode
Ion.
The
theme
of
the
Dialogue
may
possibly
have
been
suggested
by
the
passage
of
Xenophon's
Memorabilia
in
which
the
rhapsodists
are
described
by
Euthydemus
as
'very
precise
about
the
exact
words
of
Homer,
but
very
idiotic
themselves.'
(Compare
Aristotle,
Met.)
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the
Current Sentence Translation
The Ion is the shortest, or nearly the shortest, of all the writings which bear the name of Plato, and is not authenticated by any early external testimony.