第 8 节
作者:      更新:2021-02-18 23:31      字数:9322
  zealously with things which no man; not even a madman; would choose to
  make an object of concern。
  Xen。 O Heracles! how fell a power to reside in a kiss!
  Soc。 Does it surprise you? Do you not know that the tarantula; which
  is no bigger than a threepenny bit;'13' has only to touch the mouth and it
  will afflict its victim with pains and drive him out of his senses。
  '13'   Lit。   〃a   half…obol   piece。〃   For   the   {phalaggion}   see   Aristot。   〃H。
  A。〃 ix。 39; 1。
  Xen。 Yes; but then the creature injects something with its bite。
  Soc。 Ah; fool! and do you   imagine that these lovely creatures   infuse
  nothing with their kiss; simply because you do not see the poison? Do you
  not know that this wild beast which men call beauty in its bloom is all the
  more terrible than the tarantula in that the insect must first touch its victim;
  but this at a mere glance of thebeholder; without even contact; will inject
  something into himyards away which will make him man。 And may be
  that is why the Loves are called 〃archers;〃 because these beauties wound
  so far off。'14' But my advice to you; Xenophon; is; whenever you catch
  sight of one of these fair forms; to run helter…skelter for bare life without a
  glance behind; and to you; Critobulus; I would say; 〃Go abroad for a year:
  so long time will it take to heal you of this wound。〃
  '14'   L。   Dindorf;   etc。   regard   the   sentence   as   a   gloss。   Cf。   〃Symp。〃   iv。
  26 '{isos de kai 。 。 。 entimoteron estin}'。
  Such   (he   said);   in   the   affairs   of   Aphrodite;   as   in   meats   and   drinks;
  should be the circumspection of all whose footing is insecure。 At least they
  26
  … Page 27…
  The Memorabilia
  should confine themselves to such diet as the soul would dispense   with;
  save for some necessity of the body; and which even so ought to set up no
  disturbance。'15' But for himself; it was clear; he was prepared at all points
  and   invulnerable。   He      found   less    difficulty   in  abstaining   from   beauty's
  fairest   and   fullest   bloom   than   many  others   from   weeds   and   garbage。  To
  sum up:'16' with regard to eating and drinking and these other temptations
  of the sense; the equipment of his soul made him independent; he could
  boast honestly that in his moderate fashion'17' his pleasures were no less
  than theirs who take such trouble to procure them; and his pains far fewer。
  '15' Cf。 〃Symp。〃 iv。 38。
  '16' L。 Dindorf 'brackets' this passage as spurious。
  '17' On the principle 〃enough is as good as a feast;〃 {arkountos}。
  IV
  A  belief   is   current;   in   accordance   with   views   maintained   concerning
  Socrates     in  speech     and   writing;   and   in  either   case   conjecturally;    that;
  however   powerful   he   may   have   been   in   stimulating   men   to   virtue   as   a
  theorist; he was incapable of acting as their guide himself。'1' It would be
  well   for   those   who   adopt   this   view   to   weigh   carefully   not   only   what
  Socrates effected 〃by way of castigation〃 in cross… questioning whose who
  conceived      themselves      to  be   possessed     of  all  knowledge;      but  also   his
  everyday conversation with those who spent their time in close intercourse
  with himself。 Having done this; let them decide whether he was incapable
  of making his companions better。
  '1'  Al。   〃If   any   one   believes   that   Socrates;   as   represented   in   certain
  dialogues (e。g。 of Plato; Antisthenes; etc。) of an imaginary                      character;
  was   an   adept   ({protrepsasthai})   in   the   art   of       stimulating   people   to
  virtue    negatively     but  scarcely   the   man    to        guide    ({proagein})      his
  hearers on the true path himself。〃 Cf。                (Plat。) 〃Clitophon;〃 410 B; Cic。
  〃de Or。〃 I。 xlvii。 204; Plut。             〃Mor。〃 798 B。 See Grote; 〃Plato;〃 iii。 21;
  K。 Joel; op。 cit。 p。 51           foll。; Cf。 below; IV。 iii。 2。
  27
  … Page 28…
  The Memorabilia
  I   will   first   state   what   I   once   heard   fall   from   his   lips   in   a   discussion
  with    Aristodemus;'2'        〃the   little;〃  as  he   was   called;   on   the   topic   of
  divinity。'3' Socrates had observed that Aristodemus neither sacrificed nor
  gave heed to divination; but on the contrary was disposed to ridicule those
  who did。
  '2' See Plat。 〃Symp。〃 173 B: 〃He was a little fellow who never wore
  any shoes; Aristodemus; of the deme of Cydathenaeum。〃Jowett。
  '3' Or; 〃the divine element。〃
  So tell me; Aristodemus (he begain); are there any human beings who
  have won your admiration for their wisdom?
  Ar。 There are。
  Soc。 Would you mention to us their names?
  Ar。   In   the   writings   of   epic   poetry   I   have   the   greatest   admiration   for
  Homer。 。 。 。 And as a dithyrambic poet for Melanippides。'4' I admire also
  Sophocles as a tragedian; Polycleitus as a sculptor; and Zeuxis as a painter。
  '4' Melanippides; 430 B。C。 See Cobet; 〃Pros。 Xen。〃 s。n。
  Soc。   Which   would   you   consider   the   more   worthy   of   admiration;   a
  fashioner of senseless images devoid of motion or one who could fashion
  living creatures endowed with understanding and activity?
  Ar。 Decidedly the latter; provided his living creatures owed their birth
  to design and were not the offspring of some chance。
  Soc。 But now if you had two sorts of things; the one of which presents
  no   clue   as   to   what   it   is   for;   and   the   other   is   obviously   for   some   useful
  purposewhich   would   you   judge   to   be   the   result   of   chance;   which   of
  design?
  Ar。 Clearly that which is produced for some useful end is the work of
  design。
  Soc。   Does   it   not   strike   you   then   that   he   who   made   man   from   the
  beginning'5' did for some useful end furnish him with his several senses
  giving     him    eyes   to  behold     the   visible   word;    and   ears   to   catch   the
  intonations   of   sound?   Or   again;   what   good   would   there   be   in   odours   if
  nostrils had not been bestowed upon us? what perception of sweet things
  and pungent; and of all the pleasures of the palate; had not a tongue been
  28
  … Page 29…
  The Memorabilia
  fashioned in us as an interpreter of the same? And besides all this; do you
  not think this looks like a matter of foresight; this closing of the delicate
  orbs of sight with eyelids as with folding doors; which; when there is need
  to use them for any purpose; can be thrown wide open and firmly closed
  again in sleep? and; that even the winds of heaven may not visit them too
  roughly;     this  planting    of  the   eyelashes    as  a  protecting     screen?'6'    this
  coping of the region above the eyes with cornice…work of eyebrow so that
  no drop of sweat fall from the head and injure them? again this readiness
  of the ear to catch all sounds and yet not to be surcharged? this capacity of
  the   front   teeth   of   all   animals   to   cut   and   of   the   〃grinders〃   to   receive   the
  food and reduce it to pulp? the position of the mouth again; close to the
  eyes and nostrils as a portal of ingress for all the creature's supplies? and
  lastly;   seeing   that   matter   passing   out'7'   of   the   body   is   unpleasant;   this
  hindward direction of the passages; and their removal to a distance from
  the avenues of sense? I ask you; when you see all these things constructed
  with such show of foresight can you doubt whether they are products of
  chance or intelligence?
  '5'   Cf。   Aristot。   〃de  Part。   Animal。〃     1。  For   the   〃teleological〃    views
  see IV。 iii。 2 foll。
  '6' 〃Like a sieve〃 or 〃colander。〃
  '7' 〃That which goeth out of a man。〃
  Ar。   To   be   sure   not!   Viewed   in   this   light   they   would   seem   to   be   the
  handiwork of some wise artificer;'8' full of love for all things living。'9'
  '8' 〃Demiurge。〃
  '9' Passage referred to by Epictetus ap。 Stob。 〃Flor。〃 121; 29。
  Soc。   What   shall   we   say   of   this   passion   implanted   in   man   to   beget
  offspring; this passion in the mother to rear her babe; and in the creature
  itself; once born; this deep desire of life and fear of death?
  Ar。    No   doubt    these    do   look   like   the  contrivances      of   some    one
  deliberately planning the existence of living creatures。
  Soc。 Well; and doubtless you feel to have a spark