第 19 节
作者:      更新:2021-02-18 23:31      字数:9322
  him or his society。
  Soc。 Well! what of the quarrelsome and factious person'4' whose main
  object is to saddle his friends with a host of enemies?
  '4' 〃The partisan。〃
  Cri。 For God's sake let us avoid him also。
  Soc。 But now we will imagine a man exempt indeed from all the above
  defectsa   man   who   has   no   objection   to   receive   kindnesses;   but   it   never
  enters into his head to do a kindness in return。
  Cri。 There will be no good in him either。 But; Socrates; what kind of
  man shall we endeavour to make our friend? what is he like?
  Soc。  I   should say  he   must   be   just the   converse   of   the   above:   he   has
  control over the pleasures of the body; he is kindly disposed;'5' upright in
  all his dealings;'6' very zealous is he not to be outdone in kindness by his
  benefactors;      if  only    his  friends    may     derive   some     profit   from    his
  acquaintance。
  '5' Reading {eunous}; or if {euorkos}; transl。 〃a man of his word。〃
  '6' Or; 〃easy to deal with。〃
  Cri。    But   how     are   we    to  test   these   qualities;    Socrates;    before
  acquaintance?
  Soc。 How do we test the merits of a sculptor?not by inferences drawn
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  from   the   talk   of   the   artist   merely。   No;   we   look   to   what   he   has   already
  achieved。 These former statues of his were nobly executed; and we trust he
  will do equally well with the rest。
  Cri。 You mean that if we find a man whose kindness to older friends is
  established; we may take it as proved that he will treat his newer friends as
  amiably?
  Soc。 Why; certainly; if I see a man who has shown skill in the handling
  of   horses   previously;   I   argue   that   he   will   handle   others   no   less   skilfully
  again。
  Cri。 Good! and when we have discovered a man whose friendship is
  worth having; how ought we to make him our friend?
  Soc。   First   we   ought   to   ascertain   the   will   of   Heaven   whether   it   be
  advisable to make him our friend。
  Cri。 Well! and how are we to effect the capture of this friend of our
  choice; whom the gods approve? will you tell me that?
  Not; in good sooth (replied Socrates); by running him down like a hare;
  nor by decoying him like a bird; or by force like a wild boar。'7' To capture
  a friend against his will is a toilsome business; and to bind him in fetters
  like a slave by no means easy。 Those who are so treated are apt to become
  foes instead of friends。'8'
  '7' Reading {kaproi}; al。 {ekhthroi}; 〃an enemy。〃
  '8' Or; 〃Hate rather than friendship is the outcome of these methods。〃
  Cri。 But how convert them into friends?
  Soc。   There   are   certain   incantations;   we   are   told;   which   those   who
  know them have only to utter; and they can make friends of whom they list;
  and there are certain philtres also which those who have the secret of them
  may administer to whom they like and win their love。
  Cri。 From what source shall we learn them?
  Soc。 You need not go farther than Homer to learn that which the Sirens
  sang to Odysseus;'9' the first words of which run; I think; as follows:
  Hither; come hither; thou famous man; Odysseus; great glory of
  the        Achaeans!
  '9' 〃Od。〃 xii。 184。
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  Cri。 And did the magic words of this spell serve for all men alike? Had
  the    Sirens   only   to   utter  this  one    incantation;    and   was    every    listener
  constrained to stay?
  Soc。 No; this was the incantation reserved for souls athirst for fame; of
  virtue emulous。
  Cri。 Which is   as much as   to say; we   must suit the   incantation to the
  listener;    so  that  when     he  hears   the   words    he   shall  not   think   that  the
  enchanter is laughing   at him in   his sleeve。 I  cannot certainly conceive  a
  method better calculated to excite hatred and repulsion than to go to some
  one who knows that he is small and ugly and a weakling; and to breathe in
  his ears the flattering tale that he is beautiful and tall and stalwart。 But do
  you know any other love… charms; Socrates?
  Soc。   I   cannot   say   that   I   do;   but   I   have   heard   that   Pericles'10'   was
  skilled in not a few; which he poured into the ear of our city and won her
  love。
  '10' See above; I。 ii。 40; 〃Symp。〃 viii。 39。
  Cri。 And how did Themistocles'11' win our city's love?
  '11' See below; III。 vi。 2; IV。 ii。 2。
  Soc。 Ah; that was not by incantation at all。 What he did was to encircle
  our city with an amulet of saving virtue。'12'
  '12' See Herod。 vii。 143; 〃the wooden wall〃; Thuc。 i。 93; 〃'the walls'
  of Athens。〃
  Cri。 You would imply; Socrates; would you not; that if we want to win
  the   love   of   any   good   man   we   need   to   be   good   ourselves   in   speech   and
  action?
  And did you imagine (replied Socrates) that it was possible for a bad
  man to make good friends?
  Cri。   Why;   I   could   fancy   I   had   seen   some   sorry   speech…monger   who
  was   fast   friends   with   a   great   and   noble   statesman;   or   again;   some   born
  commander   and   general   who   was   boon   companion   with   fellows   quite
  incapable of generalship。'13'
  '13'  Or;  〃Why;   yes;  when   I   see   some   base   orator   fast   friends   with   a
  great     leader    of   the   people;     or;  again;    some     fellow     incapable     of
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  generalship a comrade to the greatest captains of his age。〃
  Soc。   But   in   reference   to   the   point   we   were   discussing;   may   I   ask
  whether you know of any one who can attach a useful friend to himself
  without   being   of   use   in   return?'14'   Can   service   ally   in   friendship   with
  disservice?
  '14' Add; 〃Can service ally in friendship with disservice? Must there
  not be a reciprocity of service to make friendship lasting?〃
  Cri。 In good sooth no。 But now; granted it is impossible for a base man
  to be friends with the beautiful and noble;'14' I am concerned at once to
  discover if one who is himself of a beautiful and noble character can; with
  a wave of the hand; as it were; attach himself in friendship to every other
  beautiful and noble nature。
  '14' {kalous kagathous}。
  Soc。 What perplexes and confounds you; Critobulus; is the fact that so
  often    men    of  noble    conduct;    with   souls   aloof   from   baseness;     are  not
  friends   but   rather   at   strife   and   discord   with   one   another;   and   deal   more
  harshly by one another than they would by the most good…for… nothing of
  mankind。
  Cri。 Yes; and this holds true not of private persons only; but states; the
  most   eager   to   pursue   a   noble   policy   and   to   repudiate   a   base   one;   are
  frequently in hostile relation   to one another。 As   I reason on these  things
  my heart fails me; and the question; how friends are to be acquired; fills
  me   with    despondency。       The   bad;   as   I   see;  cannot   be  friends   with  one
  another。 For how can such people; the ungrateful; or reckless; or covetous;
  or faithless; or incontinent; adhere together as friends? Without hesitation I
  set   down     the  bad   as  born   to  be   foes   not  friends;   and   as  bearing    the
  birthmark of internecine hate。 But then again; as you suggest; no more can
  these same people harmonise in friendship with the good。 For how should
  they who do evil be friends with those who hate all evil…doing? And if; last
  of all; they that cultivate virtue are torn by party strife in their struggle for
  the headship of the states; envying one another; hating one another; who
  are   left   to   be   friends?   where   shall   goodwill   and   faithfulness   be   found
  among men?
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  Soc。 The fact is there is some subtlety in the texture of these things。'15'
  Seeds   of   love   are   implanted   in   man   by   nature。   Men   have   need   of   one
  another; feel pity; help each other by united efforts; and in recognition of
  the fact show mutual gratitude。 But there are seeds of war implanted also。
  The   same   objects   being   regarded   as   beautiful   or   agreeable   by   all   alike;
  they do battle for their possession; a spirit of disunion'16' enters; and the
  parties   range   themselv