第 37 节
作者:      更新:2021-02-18 23:31      字数:9322
  is much better  that it   should be in the  best condition; since; even   where
  you might imagine the claims upon the body to be slightestin the act of
  reasoningwho         does   not   know     the   terrible   stumbles     which    are   made
  through   being   out   of   health?      It   suffices   to  say   that   forgetfulness;   and
  despondency;   and   moroseness;   and   madness   take   occasion   often   of   ill…
  health     to  visit   the   intellectual    faculties    so   severely    as   to   expel    all
  knowledge'8'   from   the   brain。   But   he   who   is   in   good   bodily   plight   has
  large security。 He runs no risk of incurring any such catastrophe through
  ill…health at any rate; he has the expectation rather that a good habit must
  procure consequences the opposite to those of an evil habit;'9' and surely
  to this end there is nothing a man in his senses would not undergo。 。 。 。 It is
  a base thing   for a man   to wax old   in careless self…neglect before he  has
  lifted up his eyes and seen what manner of man he was made to be; in the
  full    perfection    of   bodily    strength     and   beauty。    But    these   glories    are
  withheld from him who is guilty of self…neglect; for they are not wont to
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  blaze forth unbidden。'10'
  '7' Cf。 〃Pol。 Ath。〃 i。 13; and above; III。 v。 15。
  '8' Or; 〃whole branches of knowledge〃 ({tas epistemas})。
  '9' Or; 〃he may well hope to be insured by his good habit against the
  evils attendant on its opposite。〃
  '10' Or; 〃to present themselves spontaneously。〃
  XII
  Once   when   some   one   was   in   a   fury   of   indignation   because   he   had
  bidden a passer…by good…day and the salutation was not returned; Socrates
  said:   〃It   is   enough   to   make   one   laugh!   If   you   met   a   man   in   a   wretched
  condition of body; you would not fall into a rage; but because you stumble
  upon a poor soul somewhat boorishly disposed; you feel annoyed。〃
  To the remark of another who complained that he did not take his foot
  with   pleasure;   he   said:   〃Acumenus'1'   has   a   good   prescription   for   that。〃
  And when the other asked: 〃And what may that be?〃 〃To stop eating;〃 he
  said。 〃On the score of pleasure; economy; and health; total abstinence has
  much in its favour。〃'2'
  '1'   A   well…known       physician。    See   Plat。   〃Phaedr。〃    227    A;  269    A;
  〃Symp。〃           176 B。 A similar story is told of Dr。 Abernethy; I think。
  '2' Lit。 〃he would live a happier; thriftier; and healthier life; if                 he
  stopped eating。〃
  And   when   some   one   else   lamented   that   〃the   drinking…water   in   his
  house was hot;〃 he replied: 〃Then when you want a warm bath you will
  not have to wait。〃
  The Other。 But for bathing purposes it is cold。
  Soc。   Do   you   find   that   your   domestics   seem   to   mind   drinking   it   or
  washing in it?
  The    Other。    Quite   the  reverse;    it  is  a  constant   marvel    to  me   how
  contentedly they use it for either purpose。
  Soc。 Which is   hotter to the  tastethe water  in your house  or the  hot
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  spring in the temple of Asclepius?'3'
  '3'   In   the   Hieron   at   Epidauros   probably。   See   Baedeker;   〃Greece;〃   p。
  240 foll。
  The Other。 The water in the temple of Asclepius。
  Soc。 And which is colder for bathingyours or the cold spring in the
  cave of Amphiaraus?'4'
  '4' Possibly at Oropos。 Cf。 Paus。 i。 34。 3。
  The Other。 The water in the cave of Amphiaraus。
  Soc。 Then please to observe: if you do not take care; they will set you
  down as harder to please than a domestic servant or an invalid。'5'
  '5' i。e。 〃the least and the most fastidious of men。〃
  A man had administered a severe whipping to the slave in attendance
  on him;  and   when Socrates   asked:   〃Why he   was   so wroth   with   his own
  serving…man?〃 excused himself on the ground that 〃the fellow was a lazy;
  gourmandising; good…for…nothing doltfonder of money than of work。〃 To
  which Socrates: 〃Did it ever strike you to consider which of the two in that
  case the more deserves a whippingthe master or the man?〃
  When some one was apprehending the journey to Olympia; 〃Why are
  you   afraid   of   the   long   distance?〃   he   asked。   〃Here   at   home   you   spend
  nearly all your day in taking walks。'6' Well; on your road to Olympia you
  will take a walk and breakfast; and then you will take another walk and
  dine; and go to bed。 Do you not see; if you take and tack together five or
  six days' length of walks; and stretch them out in one long line; it will soon
  reach from Athens to Olympia? I would recommend you; however; to set
  off a day too soon rather than a day too late。 To be forced to lengthen the
  day's journey beyond a reasonable amount may well be a nuisance; but to
  take one day's journey beyond what is necessary is pure relaxation。 Make
  haste to start; I say; and not while on the road。〃'7'
  '6' {peripateis}; 〃promenading up and down。〃
  '7' 〃Festina lente〃that is your motto。
  When some one else remarked 〃he was utterly prostrated after a long
  journey;〃 Socrates asked him: 〃Had he had any baggage to carry?〃
  〃Not I;〃 replied the complainer; 〃only my cloak。〃
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  Soc。 Were you travelling alone; or was your man…servant with you?
  He。 Yes; I had my man。
  Soc。 Empty…handed; or had he something to carry?
  He。 Of course; carrying my rugs and other baggage。
  Soc。 And how did he come off on the journey?
  He。 Better than I did myself; I take it。
  Soc。 Well; but now  suppose you   had had to carry  his baggage;  what
  would your condition have been like?
  He。 Sorry enough; I can tell you; or rather; I could not have carried it
  at all。
  Soc。 What a confession! Fancy being capable of so much less toil than
  a poor slave boy! Does that sound like the perfection of athletic training?
  XIV
  On   the   occasion    of   a  common     dinner…party'1'   where      some    of  the
  company would present themselves with a small; and others with a large
  supply   of    viands;   Socrates    would    bid  the  servants'2'     throw   the  small
  supplies into the general stock; or else to help each of the party to a share
  all round。 Thus the grand victuallers were ashamed in the one case not to
  share in the common stock; and in the other not to throw in their supplies
  also。'3' Accordingly  in   went   the   grand   supplies   into   the   common   stock。
  And now; being no better off than the small contributors; they soon ceased
  to cater for expensive delicacies。
  '1'   For   the  type   of  entertainment     see   Becker;   〃Charicles;〃     p。  315
  (Eng。 tr。)
  '2' 〃The boy。〃
  '3'   Or;   〃were   ashamed   not   to   follow   suit   by  sharing   in   the   common
  stock and contributing their own portion。〃
  At a supper…party one member of the company; as Socrates chanced to
  note;   had   put   aside   the   plain   fare   and   was   devoting   himself   to   certain
  dainties。'4' A discussion was going on about names and definitions; and
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  the    proper    applications     of   terms    to  things。'5'    Whereupon        Socrates;
  appealing to the company: 〃Can we explain why we call a man a 'dainty
  fellow'? What is the particular action to which the term applies?'6' since
  every one adds some dainty to his food when he can get it。'7' But we have
  not quite hit the definition yet; I think。 Are we to be called dainty eaters
  because we like our bread buttered?〃'8'
  '4'  For  the  distinction between   {sitos}  and   {opson}  see  Plat。   〃Rep。〃
  372 C。
  '5' Or; 〃The conversation had fallen upon names: what is the precise
  thing   denoted   under   such   and   such   a   term?   Define   the   meaning   of   so
  and so。〃
  '6' {opsophagos} = {opson} (or relish) eater; and so a 〃gourmand〃 or
  〃epicure〃; but how to define a gourmand?
  '7' Lit。 〃takes some {opson} (relish) to his {sitos} (food)。〃
  '8'   Lit。   〃simply   for   that〃   (sc。   the   taking   of   some   sort   of   {opson}。
  For {epi touto} cf。 Plat。 〃Soph。〃 218 C; 〃Parmen。〃 147 D。
  No! hardly! (some me