I The Sophists: History of a Name and Prejudice

One day around the year 430 bc, before dawn, a young and promising Athenian, Hippocrates, son of Apollodorus, hastens to Socrates’ house to rouse him from his sleep. The reason for this bizarre behaviour soon becomes clear: Protagoras is in Athens! With a knowing smile, Socrates answers that he is already aware of this, as though he could not really understand the reason for all this excitement. But Hippocrates shows no hesitation: Protagoras, the great sophist, he who ‘makes people wise’, is in Athens – an opportunity not to be missed! The two of them must leave immediately, and Socrates must help Hippocrates gain access to Callias’ house, where the sophist is staying. However, Socrates insists on enquiring about the reason for Hippocrates’ excitement: does he wish to become a sophist?