28

Logic IV 31
to suppose Socrates born in the latter part of ol. 86.1 and Plato in the early part of ol. 87.4. But neither of those statements agree with others and we must suppose that one or both are erroneous computations such as are extremely common in ancient authors. If Plato were born 420 BC in the 88th Olympiad but if his conventional birth day fell in the May of that year that is in Ol. 87.4 it could nationally be said that he was seven years younger than a man born in Ol. 86.1. Diogenes states that Plato was 6 years younger than Isocrates as an influence from is having been born the year of the death of Pericles and he probably only means that Socrates was born six years before the death of Pericles which is true if he was born in the spring. We now come to calculations of Plato's birth from his age af death although that method give very insecure results in general as applied to