第 28 节
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  won   by   land   and   sea。   Heroes   were   these   men   also;   far   outshining;   as
  tradition tells us; the peoples of their time。
  '12' Cf。 〃Il。〃 ii。 547; {'Erekhtheos megaletoros k。t。l。}
  '13' Cf。 Isoc。 〃Paneg。〃 19; who handles all the topics。
  '14' Commonly spoken of as 〃the Return。〃 See Grote; 〃H。 G。〃 II。 ch。
  xviii。
  '15'   Against     the  Amazons      and   Thracians;     cf。  Herod。    ix。  27;  Plut。
  〃Thes。〃 27。
  '16' The 〃Persian〃 wars; cf。 Thucyd。 I。 i。
  '17' He omits the Plataeans。
  Per。 Yes; so runs the story of their heroism。
  Soc。 Therefore it is that; amidst the many changes of inhabitants; and
  the   migrations   which   have;   wave   after   wave;   swept   over   Hellas;   these
  maintained      themselves      in  their  own    land;   unmoved;      so  that  it  was   a
  common thing for others to turn to them as to a court of appeal on points
  of right; or to flee to Athens as a harbour of refuge from the hand of the
  oppressor。'18'
  '18' Cf。 (Plat。) 〃Menex。〃; Isocr。 〃Paneg。〃
  Then Pericles: And the wonder to me; Socrates; is how our city ever
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  came to decline。
  Soc。 I think we are victims of our own success。 Like some athlete;'19'
  whose facile preponderance in the arena has betrayed him into laxity until
  he   eventually   succumbs   to   punier   antagonists;   so   we   Athenians;   in   the
  plenitude   of   our   superiority;   have   neglected   ourselves   and   are   become
  degenerate。
  '19'   Reading   {athletai   tines};   or   if   {alloi   tines};   translate   〃any   one
  else。〃
  Per。 What then ought we to do now to recover our former virtue?
  Soc。 There need be no mystery about that; I think。 We can rediscover
  the institutions of our forefathersapplying them to the regulation of our
  lives   with    something      of   their   precision;   and   not   improbably   with   like
  success; or we can imitate those who stand at the front of affairs to…day;'20'
  adapting to ourselves their rule of life; in which case; if we live up to the
  standard of our models; we may hope at least to rival their excellence; or;
  by a more conscientious adherence to what they aim at; rise superior。
  '20' Sc。 the Lacedaemonians。 See W。 L。 Newman; op。 cit。 i。 396。
  You would seem to suggest (he answered) that the spirit of beautiful
  and brave manhood has taken wings and left our city;'21' as; for instance;
  when   will   Athenians;   like   the   Lacedaemonians;   reverence   old   agethe
  Athenian; who takes his own father as a starting…point for the contempt he
  pours upon grey hairs? When will he pay as strict an attention to the body;
  who is not content with neglecting a good habit;'22' but laughs to scorn
  those who are careful in this matter? When shall we Athenians so obey our
  magistrateswe who take a pride; as it were; in despising authority? When;
  once more; shall we be united as a peoplewe who; instead of combining
  to    promote      common        interests;    delight    in   blackening      each     other's
  characters;'23'   envying   one   another   more   than   we   envy   all   the   world
  besides;     andwhich      is  our   worst    failingwho;      in  private   and    public
  intercourse   alike;   are   torn   by   dissension   and   are   caught   in   a   maze   of
  litigation;   and   prefer   to   make   capital   out   of   our   neighbour's   difficulties
  rather than to render natural assistance? To make our conduct consistent;
  indeed;   we   treat   our   national   interests   no   better   than   if   they   were   the
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  concerns   of   some   foreign   state;   we   make   them   bones   of   contention   to
  wrangle over; and rejoice in nothing so much as in possessing means and
  ability to indulge these tastes。 From this hotbed is engendered in the state a
  spirit   of   blind   folly'24'   and   cowardice;   and   in   the   hearts   of   the   citizens
  spreads a tangle of hatred and mutual hostility which; as I often shudder to
  think; will some day cause some disaster to befall the state greater than it
  can bear。'25'
  '21' Or; 〃is far enough away from Athens。〃
  '22' See below; III。 xii。 5; 〃Pol。 Ath。〃 i。 13; 〃Rev。〃 iv。 52。
  '23' Or; 〃to deal despitefully with one another。
  '24'    Reading      {ateria}。   See    L。  Dindorf     ad   loc。;  Ox。    ed。  lxii。  Al。
  {apeiria}; a want of skill; or {ataxia}; disorderliness。 Cf。 〃Pol。                     Ath。〃 i。
  5。
  '25'   Possibly   the   author   is   thinking   of   the   events   of   406;   405   B。C。
  (see 〃Hell。〃 I。 vii。 and II。); and history may repeat itself。
  Do    not   (replied    Socrates);    do   not;  I  pray   you;   permit    yourself    to
  believe that Athenians are smitten with so incurable a depravity。 Do you
  not observe their discipline in all naval matters? Look at their prompt and
  orderly   obedience   to   the   superintendents   at   the   gymnastic   contests;'26'
  their quite unrivalled subservience to their teachers in the training of our
  choruses。
  '26' Epistatoi; i。e。 stewards and training…masters。
  Yes (he answered); there's the wonder of it; to think that all those good
  people should so obey their leaders; but that our hoplites and our cavalry;
  who may be supposed to rank before the rest of the citizens in excellence
  of manhood;'27' should be so entirely unamenable to discipline。
  '27' {kalokagathia}。
  Then     Socrates:    Well;    but   the  council    which     sits  on  Areopagos       is
  composed of citizens of approved'28' character; is it not?
  '28' Technically; they must have passed the {dokimasia}。 And for the
  〃Aeropagos〃 see  Grote;   〃H。  G。〃   v。  498; Aristot。   〃Pol。〃   ii。   12;             〃Ath。
  Pol。〃 4。 4; where see Dr。 Sandys' note; p。 18。
  Certainly (he answered)。
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  Soc。 Then can you name any similar body; judicial or executive; trying
  cases   or   transacting   other   business   with   greater   honour;   stricter   legality;
  higher dignity; or more impartial justice?
  No; I have no fault to find on that score (he answered)。
  Soc。 Then we ought not to despair as though all sense of orderliness
  and good discipline had died out of our countrymen。
  Still (he answered); if it is not to harp upon one string; I maintain that
  in    military    service;    where;    if   anywhere;      sobreity    and    temperance;
  orderliness     and    good    discipline    are  needed;     none   of   these   essentials
  receives any attention。
  May it not perhaps be (asked Socrates) that in this department they are
  officered by those who have the least knowledge?'29' Do you not notice;
  to take the case of harp…players; choric performers; dancers; and the like;
  that   no   one   would     ever   dream    of   leading    if  he  lacked    the  requisite
  knowledge? and the same holds of wrestlers or pancratiasts。
  '29' {episteme}。 See below; III。 ix。 10。
  Moreover;   while   in   these   cases   any   one   in   command   can   tell   you
  where   he   got   the   elementary   knowledge   of   what   he   presides   over;   most
  generals are amateurs and improvisers。'30' I do not at all suppose that you
  are one of that sort。 I believe you could give as clear an account of your
  schooling in strategy as you could in the matter of wrestling。 No doubt you
  have got at first hand many of your father's 〃rules for generalship;〃 which
  you carefully preserve; besides having collected many others from every
  quarter whence it was possible to pick up any knowledge which would be
  of use to a future general。 Again; I feel sure you are deeply concerned to
  escape even unconscious ignorance of anything which will be serviceable
  to you in so high an office; and if you detect in yourself any ignorance;
  you   turn   to   those   who have   knowledge   in   these  matters   (sparing   neither
  gifts nor gratitude) to supplement your ignorance by their knowledge and
  to secure their help。
  '30' Cf。 〃Pol。 Lac。〃 xiii。 5。
  To which Pericles: I am not so blind; Socrates; as to imagine you say
  these words under the idea that I am truly so careful in these matters; but
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  rather   your   object   is   to   teach   me   that   the   would…be   general   must   make
  such things his care。 I admit in any c