第 11 节
作者:      更新:2021-02-18 23:31      字数:9319
  capitulate and cry 〃mercy〃 in a siegethe man of elaborate wants; or he
  who can get along happily with the readiest things to hand? You; Antiphon;
  would seem to suggest that happiness consists of luxury and extravagance;
  I hold a different creed。 To have no wants at all is; to my mind; an attribute
  of Godhead;'5' to have as few wants as possible the nearest approach to
  Godhead; and as that which is divine is mightiest; so that is next mightiest
  which comes closest to the divine。
  '5' Cf。 Aristot。 〃Eth。 N。〃 x。 viii。 1。
  Returning to the charge at another time; this same Antiphon engaged
  Socrates in conversation thus。
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  Ant。 Socrates; for my part; I believe you to be a good and upright man;
  but for your wisdom I cannot say much。 I fancy you would hardly dispute
  the verdict yourself; since; as I remark; you do not ask a money payment
  for your society; and yet if it were your cloak now; or your house; or any
  other of   your possessions;  you would   set some   value upon it; and   never
  dream; I will not say of parting with it gratis; but of exchanging it for less
  than its worth。 A plain proof; to my mind; that if you thought your society
  worth anything; you would ask for it not less than its equivalent in gold。'6'
  Hence the conclusion to which I have come; as already stated: good and
  upright you may be; since you do not cheat people from pure selfishness;
  but wise you cannot be; since your knowledge is not worth a cent。
  '6' Or rather 〃money;〃 lit。 〃silver。〃
  To this onslaught Socrates: Antiphon; it is a tenet which we cling   to
  that beauty and wisdom have this in common; that there is a fair way and a
  foul way in which to dispose of them。 The vendor of beauty purchases an
  evil name; but supposing the same person have discerned a soul of beauty
  in   his   lover   and   makes     that  man    his   friend;   we   regard    his  choice    as
  sensible。'7'  So   is   it   with   wisdom;   he   who sells   it   for   money  to   the   first
  bidder     we   name     a  sophist;'8'    as   though    one    should    say   a  man    who
  prostitutes his wisdom; but if the same man; discerning the noble nature of
  another; shall teach that other every good thing; and make him his friend;
  of such a one we say he does that which it is the duty of every good citizen
  of   gentle   soul   to   do。   In   accordance   with   this   theory;   I   too;   Antiphon;
  having   my   tastes;   even   as   another   finds   pleasure   in   his   horse   and   his
  hounds;'9' and another in his fighting cocks; so I too take my pleasure in
  good   friends;   and   if   I   have   any   good   thing   myself   I   teach   it   them;   or   I
  commend them to others by whom I think they will be helped forwards on
  the   path   of   virtue。   The   treasures   also   of   the   wise   of   old;   written   and
  bequeathed   in   their   books;'10'  I   unfold   and   peruse in   common   with   my
  friends。 If our eye light upon any good thing we cull it eagerly; and regard
  it as great gain if we may but grow in friendship with one another。
  '7' Add 〃and a sign of modesty;〃 {sophrona nomizomen}。
  '8'    {sophistas}。     See   Grote;    〃H。   G。〃   viii。  482   foll。;  〃Hunting;〃      xi。
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  foll。
  '9' Cf。 Plat。 〃Lys。〃 211 E。
  '10' Cf。 〃Symp。〃 iv。 27。
  As I listened to this talk I could not but reflect that he; the master; was
  a person to be envied; and that we; his hearers; were being led by him to
  beauty and nobility of soul。
  Again   on   some   occasion   the   same Antiphon   asked   Socrates   how   he
  expected to make politicians of others when; even if he had the knowledge;
  he did not engage in politics himself。
  Socrates replied: I will put to you a question; Antiphon: Which were
  the    more    statesmanlike      proceeding;      to  practise    politics   myself     single…
  handed; or to devote myself to making as many others as possible fit to
  engage in that pursuit?
  VII
  Let us here turn and consider whether by deterring his associates from
  quackery   and   false   seeming   he   did   not   directly   stimulate   them   to   the
  pursuit   of   virtue。'1'   He   used   often   to   say   there   was   no   better   road   to
  renown   than   the   one   by   which   a   man   became   good   at   that   wherein   he
  desired   to   be   reputed   good。'2'   The   truth   of   the   concept   he   enforced   as
  follows: 〃Let us reflect on what a man would be driven to do who wanted
  to be   thought   a good   flute  player;  without   really  being   so。  He  would   be
  forced to imitate the good flute player in the externals of his art; would he
  not?    and    first  or  all;  seeing   that   these   artists  always     have    a  splendid
  equipment;'3'   and   travel   about   with   a   long   train   of   attendants;   he   must
  have   the   same;   in   the   next   place;   they   can   command   the   plaudits   of   a
  multitude; he therefore must pack a conclave of clackers。 But one thing is
  clear:   nothing   must   induce   him   to   give   a   performance;   or   he   will         be
  exposed at once; and find himself a laughing…stock not only as a sorry sort
  of   flute   player;   but   as   a   wretched   imposter。  And   now   he   has   a   host   of
  expenses to meet; and not one advantage to be reaped; and worse than all
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  his evil reputation。 What is left him but to lead a life stale and unprofitable;
  the scorn and mockery of   men? Let us try another case。 Suppose a man
  wished to be thought a good general or a good pilot; though he were really
  nothing of the sort; let us picture to our minds how it will fare with him。
  Of    two    misfortunes      one:    either   with    a  strong    desire    to  be   thought
  proficient   in   these   matters;   he   will   fail   to   get   others   to   agree   with   him;
  which will be bad enough; or he will succeed; with worse result; since it
  stands to reason that anyone appointed to work a vessel or lead an army
  without   the   requisite   knowledge   will   speedily   ruin   a   number   of   people
  whom   he   least   desires   to   hurt;   and   will   make   but   a   sorry   exit   from   the
  stage   himself。〃   Thus   first   by   one   instance   and   then   another   would   he
  demonstrate the unprofitableness of trying to appear rich; or courageous;
  or strong; without really being the thing pretended。 〃You are sure sooner
  or later to have commands laid upon you beyond your power to execute;
  and failing just where you are credited with capacity; the world will give
  you no commiseration。〃 〃I call that man a cheat; and a great cheat too;〃 he
  would say; 〃who gets money or goods out of some one by persuasion; and
  defrauds him; but of all imposters he surely is the biggest who can delude
  people into thinking that he is fit to lead the state; when all the while he is
  a worthless creature。〃'4'
  '1' {apotrepon proutrepen}。 See K。 Joel; op。 cit。 p。 450 foll。
  '2' Cf。 〃Cyrop。〃 I。 vi。 22。
  '3'    Or;   〃furniture     of   the   finest;〃   like   Arion's    in   Herod。     i。  24。
  Schneid。 cf。 Demosth。 565。 6。
  '4'    Here    follows     the   sentence     '{emoi     men    oun    edokei     kai   tou
  alazoneuesthai          apotrepein       tous     sunontas      toiade      dialegomenos}';
  which;      for   the   sake    of   convenience;       I  have     attached     to  the    first
  sentence of Bk。 II。 ch。 i。 '{edokei de moi 。 。 。 ponou。}' I                      believe that
  the commentators are right in bracketing both one and                           the other   as
  editorial interpolations。
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  BOOK II
  I
  Now;   if   the   effect   of   such   discourses   was;   as   I   imagine;   to   deter   his
  hearers from the paths of quackery and false…seeming;'1' so I am sure that
  language   like   the   following   was   calculated   to   stimulate   his   followers   to
  practise self…control and endurance: self…control   in the   matters of   eating;
  drinking;   sleeping;   and   the   cravings   of   lust;   endurance   of   cold   and   heat
  and   toil   and   pain。   He   had   noticed   the   undue   licence