第 21 节
作者:      更新:2021-02-18 23:31      字数:9322
  authorised   thus   to   report   of   you;   I   think   you   will   find   me   a   serviceable
  fellow…hunter in the quest of friends; which is the conquest of the good。
  Cri。 Why this appeal to me?as if you had not free permission to say
  exactly what you like about me。
  Soc。 No; that I deny; on the authority of Aspasia。'25' I have it from her
  own   lips。   〃Good   matchmakers;〃   she   said   tome;   〃were   clever   hands   at
  cementing       alliances   between     people;    provided    the   good    qualities   they
  vouched for were truthfully reported; but when it came to their telling lies;
  for her part she could not compliment them。'26' Their poor deluded dupes
  ended by hating each other and the go…betweens as well。〃 Now I myself
  am so fully persuaded of the truth of this that I feel it is not in my power to
  say aught in your praise which I cannot say with truth。
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  '25' Aspasia;   daughter   of Axiochus;   of   Miletus。   See   〃Econ。〃   iii。   14;
  Plat。 〃Menex。〃 235 E; Aesch。 Socrat。 ap。 Cic。 〃de Invent。〃 I。                      xxxi。 51。
  See Grote; 〃H。 G。〃 vi。 132 foll。; Cobet; 〃Pros。 Xen。〃
  '26' Reading {ouk ethelein epainein}; or if {ouk ophelein epainousas}
  with     Kuhner      transl。    〃Good     matchmakers;        she    told    me;    have    to
  consult truth when reporting favourably of any one: then indeed                         they
  are    terribly   clever    at  bringing     people    together:    whereas             false
  flatterers do no good; their dupes;〃 etc。
  Cri。 Really; Socrates; you are a wonderfully good friend to mein so
  far as I have any merit which will entitle me to win a friend; you will lend
  me   a   helping   hand;   it   seems;   otherwise   you   would   rather   not   forge   any
  petty fiction for my benefit。
  Soc。 But tell me; how shall I assist you best; think you? By praising
  you falsely or by persuading you to try to be a good man? Or if it is not
  plain to you thus; look at the matter by the light of some examples。 I wish
  to introduce you to a shipowner; or to make him your friend: I begin by
  singing your praises to him falsely thus; 〃You will find him a good pilot〃;
  he catches at the phrase; and entrusts his ship to you; who have no notion
  of   guiding   a vessel。 What   can   you   expect but   to   make   shipwreck   of   the
  craft   and   yourself   together?   or   suppose   by   similar   false   assertions   I   can
  persuade the state at large to entrust her destinies to you〃a man with a
  fine genius for command;〃 I say; 〃a practised lawyer;〃 〃a politician born;〃
  and so forth。 The odds are; the state and you may come to grief through
  you。    Or   to  take   an   instance   from    everyday     life。  By   my    falsehoods     I
  persuade   some   private   person   to   entrust   his   affairs   to   you   as   〃a   really
  careful and business…like person with a head for economy。〃 When put to
  the test would not your administration prove ruinous; and the figure you
  cut   ridiculous?   No;   my   dear   friend;   there   is   but   one   road;   the   shortest;
  safest; best; and it is simply this: In whatsoever you desire to be deemed
  good; endeavour to be good。 For of all the virtues namable among men;
  consider;   and   you   will   find   there   is   not   one   but   may   be   increased   by
  learning and practice。 For my part then; Critobulus; these are the principles
  on which we ought to go a… hunting; but if you take a different view; I am
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  all attention; please instruct me。
  Then Critobulus: Nay; Socrates; I should be ashamed to gainsay what
  you    have    said;  if  I  did;  it  would   neither   be   a  noble   statement    nor   a
  true。'27'
  '27' {kala 。 。 。 alethe}。
  VII
  He had two ways of dealing with the difficulties of his friends: where
  ignorance was the cause; he tried to meet the trouble by a dose of common
  sense; or where want and poverty were to blame; by lessoning them that
  they should assist one another according to their ability; and here I may
  mention certain incidents which occurred within my own knowledge。 How;
  for   instance;   he   chanced   upon Aristarchus   wearing   the   look   of   one   who
  suffered from a fit of the 〃sullens;〃 and thus accosted him。
  Soc。 You seem to have some trouble on your mind; Aristarchus; if so;
  you should share it with your friends。 Perhaps together we might lighten
  the weight of it a little。
  Aristarchus answered: Yes; Socrates; I am in sore straits indeed。 Ever
  since the   party strife   declared itself   in the   city;'1' what   with the   rush of
  people to Piraeus; and the wholesale banishments; I have been fairly at the
  mercy of my poor deserted female relatives。 Sisters; nieces; cousins; they
  have   all   come   flocking   to   me   for   protection。   I   have   fourteen   free…born
  souls; I tell you; under my single roof; and how are we to live? We can get
  nothing out of the soilthat is in the hands of the enemy; nothing from my
  house   property;   for   there   is   scarcely   a   living   soul   left   in   the   city;   my
  furniture? no one will buy it; money? there is none to be borrowedyou
  would have a better chance to find it by looking for it on the road than to
  borrow it from a banker。 Yes; Socrates; to stand by and see one's relatives
  die   of   hunger   is   hard   indeed;   and   yet   to   feed   so   many   at   such   a   pinch
  impossible。
  '1' i。e。 circa 404…403 B。C。 See 〃Hell。〃 II。 iv。
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  After    he  listened    to  the  story;  Socrates    asked:    How    comes     it  that
  Ceramon;'2' with so many mouths to feed; not only contrives to furnish
  himself and them  with the   necessaries of life;  but to   realise a   handsome
  surplus; whilst you being in like plight'3' are afraid you will one and all
  perish of starvation for want of the necessaries of life?
  '2' An employer of labour; apparently; on a grand scale。
  '3'   Lit。   〃with   your   large   family   to   feed。〃   L。   Dindorf   would   like   to
  read {su de oligous}; 〃you with your small family。〃
  Ar。 Why; bless your soul; do you not see he has only slaves and I have
  free…born souls to feed?
  Soc。   And   which   should   you   say   were   the   better   human   beings;   the
  free… born members of your household or Ceramon's slaves?
  Ar。 The free souls under my roof without a doubt。
  Soc。 Is it not   a shame; then;  that he   with   his baser  folk to   back him
  should     be   in   easy   circumstances;       while   you    and    your   far   superior
  household are in difficulties?
  Ar。 To be sure it is; when he has only a set of handicraftsmen to feed;
  and I my liberally…educated household。
  Soc。 What is a handicraftsman? Does not the term apply to all who can
  make any sort of useful product or commodity?
  Ar。 Certainly。
  Soc。 Barley meal is a useful product; is it not?
  Ar。 Pre…eminently so。
  Soc。 And loaves of bread?
  Ar。 No less。
  Soc。 Well;  and   what   do   you   say  to   cloaks   for   men   and   for   women
  tunics; mantles; vests?'4'
  '4'   For   these   articles   of   dress   see   Becker's   〃Charicles;〃   Exc。   i。   to
  Sc。 xi。 〃Dress。〃
  Ar。 Yes; they are all highly useful commodities。
  Soc。 Then your household do not know how to make any of these?
  Ar。 On the contrary; I believe they can make them all。
  Soc。 Then you are not aware that by means of the manufacture of one
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  of   these   alonehis   barley   meal   storeNausicydes'5'   not   only   maintains
  himself and his domestics; but many pigs and cattle besides; and realises
  such      large     profits    that    he    frequently      contributes      to    the    state
  benevolences;'6'         while   there    is  Cyrebus;     again;   who;    out   of  a   bread
  factory; more than maintains the whole of his establishment; and lives in
  the lap of luxury; and Demeas of Collytus gets a livelihood out of a cloak
  business; and Menon as a mantua…maker; and so; again; more than half the
  Megarians'7' by the making of vests。
  '5' Nausicydes。 Cobet; 〃Pros。 Xen。〃 cf。 Aristoph。 〃Eccles。〃 426。
  '6'   Lit。   〃state   liturgies;〃   or   〃to   the   burden   of   the   public   services。〃
  Fo