第 3 节
作者:      更新:2021-02-18 23:31      字数:9320
  possessing virtue should deign to ask money as its price instead of simply
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  finding   his   rward   in   the   acquisition   of   an   honest   friend;   as   if   the   new…
  fledged soul of honour   could forget her debt of gratitude   to her   greatest
  benefactor。
  For  himself;   without   making   any  such   profession;   he   was   content   to
  believe that those who accepted his views would play their parts as good
  and   true   friends   to   himself   and   one   another   their   lives   long。   Once   more
  then:   how   should   a   man   of   this   character   corrupt   the   young?   unless   the
  careful cultivation of virtue be corruption。
  But; says the accuser;'2' by all that's sacred! did not Socrates cause his
  associates to   despise the  established laws   when   he dwelt   on the  folly  of
  appointing state officers by ballot?'3' a principle which; he said; no one
  would care to apply in selecting a pilot or a flute… player or in any similar
  case; where a mistake would be far less disastrous than in matters political。
  Words like these; according to the accuser; tended to incite the young to
  contemn        the    established      constitution;     rendering      them     violent     and
  headstrong。  But   for   myself   I   think   that   those   who   cultivate   wisdom  and
  believe themselves able to instruct their fellow…citizens as to their interests
  are least likely to become partisans of violence。 They are too well aware
  that to violence attach enmities and dangers; whereas results as good may
  be obtained by persuasion safely and amicably。 For the victim of violence
  hates with vindictiveness as one from whom something precious has been
  stolen;   while   the   willing   subject   of   persuasion   is   ready   to   kiss   the   hand
  which has done him a service。 Hence compulsion is not the method of him
  who makes wisdom his study; but of him who wields power untempered
  by   reflection。   Once   more:   the   man   who   ventures   on   violence   needs   the
  support     of   many   to    fight  his   battles;   while    he  whose     strength    lies  in
  persuasiveness triumphs single…handed; for he is conscious of a cunning to
  compel consent unaided。 And what has such a one to do with the spilling
  of blood? since how ridiculous it were to do men to death rather than turn
  to account the trusty service of the living。
  '2'   {o   kategoros}   =   Polycrates   possibly。   See   M。   Schantz;   op。   cit。;
  〃Einleitun;〃 S。 6: 〃Die Anklagerede des Polykrates〃; Introduction;                            p。
  xxxii。 foll。
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  '3'   i。e。   staking   the   election   of   a   magistrate   on   the   colour   of   a   bean。
  See Aristot。 〃Ath。 Pol。〃 viii。 2; and Dr。 Sandys ad loc。
  But;   the   accuser   answers;   the   two   men'4'   who   wrought   the   greatest
  evils   to   the   state   at   any   timeto   wit;   Critias   and Alcibiadeswere   both
  companions of SocratesCritias the oligarch; and Alcibiades the democrat。
  Where would you find a more arrant thief; savage; and murderer'5' than
  the    one?    where    such    a  portent    of  insolence;     incontinence;      and   high…
  handedness as the other? For my part; in so far as these two wrought evil
  to the state; I have no desire to appear as the apologist of either。 I confine
  myself to explaining what this intimacy of theirs with Socrates really was。
  '4' See 〃Hell。〃 I。 and II。 passim。
  '5'   Reading      {kleptistatos     te   kai   biaiotatos  kai   phonikotatos};   or     if
  {pleonektistatos te kai biaiotatis}; translate 〃such a manner of                         greed
  and violence as the one; of insolence; etc。; as the other?〃                       See Grote;
  〃H。 G。〃 viii。 337。       Never were two more ambitious citizens seen at Athens。
  Ambition was in their blood。 If they were to have their will; all power was
  to be in their hands; their fame was to eclipse all other。 Of Socrates they
  knewfirst   that   he   lived   an   absolutely   independent   life   on   the   scantiest
  means;   next   that   he   was   self…disciplined   to   the   last   degree   in   respect   of
  pleasures;   lastly   that   he   was   so   formidable   in   debate   that   there   was   no
  antagonist he could not twist round his little finger。 Such being their views;
  and such the character of the pair; which is the more probable: that they
  sought the society of Socrates because they felt the fascination of his life;
  and were attracted by the bearing of the man? or because they thought; if
  only   we   are   leagued   with   him   we   shall   become   adepts   in   statecraft   and
  unrivalled in the arts of speech and action? For my part I believe that if the
  choice from Heaven had been given them to live such a life as they saw
  Socrates living to its close; or to die; they would both have chosen death。
  Their acts are a conclusive witness to their characters。 They no sooner
  felt themselves to be the masters of those they came in contact with than
  they sprang aside from Socrates and plunged into that whirl of politics but
  for which they might never have sought his society。
  It   may  be   objected:   before giving his   companions   lessons   in   politics
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  Socrates   had   better   have   taught   them   sobriety。'6'   Without   disputing   the
  principle;   I   would   point   out   that   a   teacher   cannot   fail   to   discover   to   his
  pupils   his   method   of   carrying out   his own precepts;   and   this   along   with
  argumentative         encouragement。        Now      I  know      that   Socrates     disclosed
  himself   to   his   companions   as   a   beautiful   and   noble   being;   who   would
  reason and debate with them concerning virtue and other human interests
  in the noblest manner。 And of these two I know that as long as they were
  companions of Socrates even they were temperate; not assuredly from fear
  of being fined or beaten by Socrates; but because they were persuaded for
  the nonce of the excellence of such conduct。
  '6' {sophrosune} = 〃sound…mindedness;〃 〃temperence。〃 See below; IV。
  iii。 1。
  Perhaps some self…styled philosophers'7' may here answer: 〃Nay; the
  man   truly   just   can   never   become   unjust;   the   temperate   man   can   never
  become intemperate; the man who has learnt any subject of knowledge can
  never   be   as   though   he   had   learnt   it not。〃 That;  however;   is   not   my   own
  conclusion。 It is with the workings of the soul as with those of the body;
  want of   exercise   of   the organ   leads   to   inability  of   function; here   bodily;
  there   spiritual;   so   that   we   can   neither   do   the   things   that   we   should   nor
  abstain from the things we should not。 And that is why fathers keep their
  sons;   however   temperate   they   may   be;   out   of   the   reach   of   wicked   men;
  considering that if the society of the good is a training in virtue so also is
  the society of the bad its dissolution。
  '7'   In   reference   to   some   such   tenet   as   that   of Antisthenes   ap。   Diog。
  Laert。   VI。   ix。   30;   {areskei   d'   autois   kai   ten   areten   didakten         einai;
  katha phesin 'Antisthenes en to 'Rraklei kai anapobleton                         uparkhein}。
  Cf。 Plat。 〃Protag。〃 340 D; 344 D。
  To this the poet'8' is a witness; who says:
  〃From the noble thou shalt be instructed in nobleness; but; and if
  thou minglest with the base thou wilt destroy what wisdom thou                             hast
  now〃;
  And he'9' who says:
  〃But the good man has his hour of baseness as well as his hour of
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  virtue〃
  to whose testimony I would add my own。 For I see that it is impossible
  to    remember       a   long    poem      without     practice     and    repetition;    so    is
  forgetfulness of the words of instruction engendered in the heart that has
  ceased to value them。 With the words of warning fades the recollection of
  the very condition of mind in which the soul yearned after holiness; and
  once   forgetting   this;   what   wonder   that   the   man   should   let   slip   also   the
  memory of   virtue itself! Again I see that   a   man who   falls   into habits of
  drunkenness or plunges headlong into licentious love; loses his old power