第 6 节
作者:      更新:2021-02-18 23:31      字数:9322
  a problem which he was perpetually working at。 His opinion came to this:
  If a madman may; as a matter of expediency to himself and his friends; be
  kept in prison; surely; as a matter of justice; the man who knows not what
  he ought to know should be content to sit at the feet of those who know;
  and be taught。
  But it was the rest of their kith and kin; not fathers only (according to
  the   accuser);   whom   Socrates   dishonoured   in   the   eyes   of   his   circle   of
  followers; when he said that 〃the sick man or the litigant does not derive
  assistance from his relatives;'26' but from his doctor in the one case; and
  his   legal   adviser    in  the  other。〃   〃Listen    further   to  his  language     about
  friends;〃     says   the  accuser:    〃'What    is  the   good    of  their  being    kindly
  disposed; unless they can be of some practical use to you? Mere goodness
  of disposition is nothing; those only are worthy of honour who combine
  with the knowledge of what is right the faculty of expounding it;''27' and
  so   by   bringing   the   young   to   look   upon   himself   as   a   superlatively   wise
  person gifted with an extraordinary capacity for making others wise also;
  he so worked on the dispositions of those who consorted with him that in
  their esteem the rest of the world counted for nothing by comparison with
  Socrates。〃
  '26' See Grote; 〃H。 G。〃 v。 535。
  '27'   Cf。   Thuc。   ii。   60。   Pericles   says;   〃Yet   I   with   whom   you   are   so
  angry   venture      to  say  of   myself;   that   I  am   as  capable    as  any   one   of
  devising and explaining a sound policy。〃Jowett。
  Now     I  admit    the  language     about    fathers   and   the  rest  of   a  man's
  relations。 I can go further; and add some other sayings of his; that 〃when
  the soul (which is alone the indwelling centre of intelligence) is gone out
  of a man; be he our nearest and dearest friend; we carry the body forth and
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  bury it out of sight。〃 〃Even in life;〃 he used to say; 〃each of us is ready to
  part with any portion of his best possessionto wit; his own bodyif it be
  useless and unprofitable。 He will remove it himself; or suffer another to do
  so in his stead。 Thus men cut off their own nails; hair; or corns; they allow
  surgeons to cut and cauterise them; not without pains and aches; and are so
  grateful to the doctor for his services that they further give him a fee。 Or
  again; a man ejects the spittle from his mouth as far as possible。'28' Why?
  Because it is of no use while it stays within the system; but is detrimental
  rather。〃
  '28' See Aristot。 〃Eth。 Eud。〃 vii。 1。
  Now   by   these   instances   his   object   was   not   to   inculcate   the   duty   of
  burying   one's   father   alive   or   of   cutting   oneself   to   bits;   but   to   show   that
  lack   of   intelligence   means   lack   of   worth;'29'   and   so   he   called   upon   his
  hearers to be as sensible and useful as they could be; so that; be it father or
  brother or any one else whose esteem he would deserve; a man should not
  hug    himself   in   careless   self…interest;   trusting   to   mere   relationship;   but
  strive to be useful to those whose esteem he coveted。
  '29' i。e。 〃witless and worthless are synonymous。〃
  But    (pursues     the   accuser)    by   carefully    culling    the   most    immoral
  passages of the famous poets; and using them as evidences; he taught his
  associates      to  be   evildoers     and   tyrranical:    the   line  of   Hesiod'30'      for
  instance
  No work is a disgrace; slackness of work is the disgrace
  〃interpreted;〃 says the accuser; 〃by Socrates as if the poet enjoined us
  to abstain from no work wicked or ignoble; do everything for the sake of
  gain。〃
  '30'   〃Works      and   Days;〃     309   {'Ergon     d'   ouden   oneidos}。   Cf。    Plat。
  〃Charm。〃 163 C。
  Now while Socrates would have entirely admitted the propositions that
  〃it is a blessing and a benefit to a man to be a worker;〃 and that 〃a lazy do…
  nothing is a pestilent evil;〃 that 〃work is good and idleness a curse;〃 the
  question   arises;   whom  did   he   mean   by  workers?   In   his   vocabulary   only
  those were  good   workmen'31'  who   were  engaged on good   work;   dicers
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  and gamblers and others engaged on any other base and ruinous business
  he    stigmatised    as  the   〃idle  drones〃;    and   from    this  point   of  view    the
  quotation from Hesiod is unimpeachable
  No work is a disgrace; only idlesse is disgrace。
  But there was a passage from Homer'32' for ever on his lips; as the
  accuser tells usthe passage which says concerning Odysseus;
  What prince; or man of name; He found flight…giv'n; he would restrain
  with words of gentlest blame: 〃Good sir; it fits you not to fly; or fare as
  one afraid; You should not only stay yourself; but see the people stayed。〃
  Thus     he  the   best  sort  us'd;   the  worst;   whose     spirits  brake    out  in
  noise;'33' He cudgell'd with his sceptre; chid; and said; 〃Stay; wretch; be
  still; And hear thy betters; thou art base; and both in power and skill Poor
  and   unworthy;   without   name   in   counsel   or   in   war。〃   We   must   not   all   be
  kings。
  '31' See below; III。 ix。 9。
  '32' 〃Il。〃 ii。 188 foll。; 199 foll。 (so Chapman)。
  '33'   Lit。   〃But   whatever   man   of   the   people   he   saw   and   found   him
  shouting。〃W。 Leaf。
  The accuser informs us that Socrates interpreted these lines as though
  the poet approved the giving of blows to commoners and poor folk。 Now
  no   such   remark   was   ever   made   by   Socrates;   which   indeed   would   have
  been tantamount to maintaining that he ought to be beaten himself。 What
  he did say was; that those who were useful neither in word nor deed; who
  were incapable of rendering assistance in time of need to the army or the
  state or the people itself; be they never so wealthy; ought to be restrained;
  and especially if to incapacity they added effrontery。
  As to Socrates; he was the very opposite of all thishe was plainly a
  lover   of   the   people;   and   indeed   of   all   mankind。   Though   he   had   many
  ardent   admirers   among   citizens   and   strangers   alike;   he   never   demanded
  any fee for his society from any one;'34' but bestowed abundantly upon
  all   alike   of   the  riches    of  his   souldgood      things;   indeed;    of  which
  fragments accepted gratis at his hands were taken and sold at high prices
  to the rest of the community by some;'35' who were not; as he was; lovers
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  of the people; since with those who had not money to give in return they
  refused   to   discourse。   But   of   Socrates   be   it   said   that   in   the   eyes   of   the
  whole world he reflected more honour on the state and a richer lustre than
  ever Lichas;'36' whose fame is proverbial; shed on Lacedaemon。 Lichas
  feasted     and   entertained     the   foreign    residents    in  Lacedaemon        at  the
  Gymnopaediae          most     handsomely。      Socrates     gave     a  lifetime    to   the
  outpouring of his substance in the shape of the greatest benefits bestowed
  on all who cared to receive them。 In other words; he made those who lived
  in his society better men; and sent them on their way rejoicing。
  '34' See 〃Symp。〃 iv。 43; Plat。 〃Hipp。 maj。〃 300 D; 〃Apol。〃 19 E。
  '35' See Diog。 Laert。 II。 viii。 1。
  '36'  See   〃Hell。〃   III。   ii。   21; Thuc。 v。  50;   Plut。   〃Cim。〃   284   C。   For   the
  Gymnopaediae; see Paus。 III。 xi。 9; Athen。 xiv。 p。 631。
  To no other conclusion; therefore; can I come but that; being so good a
  man; Socrates was worthier to have received honour from the state than
  death。 And this   I   take   to   be   the strictly  legal view of   the   case;  for   what
  does the law require?'37' 〃If a man be proved to be a thief; a filcher of
  clothes;   a   cut…purse;   a   housebreaker;   a   man…stealer;   a   robber   of   temples;
  the penalty is death。〃 Even so; and of all men Socrates stood most aloof
  from such crimes。
  '37' See 〃Symp。〃 iv。 36; Plat。 〃Rep。〃 575 B; 〃Gorg。〃 508 E。
  To the state he was never the cause of any evilneither disaster in war;
  nor   faction;   nor   treason;   nor   any   other   mischief   whatsoever。 And   if   his
  public life was free from all offence; so was his private。 He never hurt a
  single soul either by deprivation