'night hunting was not to be practised within a certain
considerable radius, whereby the proficients in that art might
deprive it (lit. in order that they might not deprive) them (the
young huntsmen) of their game.'
[12] Lit. 'in truth and reality (not among visionary phantoms).'
[13] These words are commonly regarded as an addition; and what does
{te} signify?
[14] Or, 'Here you have the making of brave soldiers and generals.
Here in embryo are to be found your future soldiers and generals
worthy the name.'
[15] {outoi aristoi}: these are prima virorum, the true aristocrats.
Some people tell us it is not right to indulge a taste for hunting, lest it lead to neglect of home concerns, not knowing that those who are benefactors of their country and their friends are in proportion all the more devoted to domestic duties. If lovers of the chase pre- eminently fit themselves to be useful to the fatherland, that is as much as to say they will not squander their private means; since with the state itself the domestic fortunes of each are saved or lost. The real fact is, these men are saviours, not of their own fortunes only, but of the private fortunes of the rest, of yours and mine. Yet there are not a few irrational people amongst these cavillers who, out of jealousy, would rather perish, thanks to their own baseness, than owe their lives to the virtue of their neighbours. So true is it that the mass of pleasures are but evil,[16] to which men succumb, and thereby are incited to adopt the worse cause in speech and course in action.[17] And with what result?-from vain and empty arguments they contract emnities, and reap the fruit of evil deeds, diseases, losses, death-to the undoing of themselves, their children, and their friends.[18] Having their senses dulled to things evil, while more than commonly alive to pleasures, how shall these be turned to good account for the salvation of the state? Yet from these evils every one will easily hold aloof, if once enamoured of those joys whose brief I hold, since a chivalrous education teaches obedience to laws, and renders justice familiar to tongue and ear.[19]
[16] See 'Hellenica Essays,' p. 371.
[17] 'To depravity of speech and conduct' (whether as advocates or
performers). See Aristoph. 'Clouds.'
[18] Or, 'bring down on themselves, their children, and their friends
a spring of misfortunes in the shape of diseases, losses, or even
death.'
[19] 'For what does a chivalrous education teach save to obey the law,
and to make the theme of justice familiar to tongue and ear?'
In the one camp are those who, subjecting themselves ever to new toil and fresh instruction, have, at the cost of lessons and exercises painful to themselves, obtained to their several states salvation; and in the other are those who for the very irksomeness of the process choose not to be taught, but rather to pass away their days in pleasures unseasonable-nature's abjects these.[20] Not theirs is it to obey either laws or good instruction;[21] nay, how should they, who never toil, discover what a good man ought to be?-in other words, wisdom and justice are alike beyond their power. Subject to indiscipline, they have many a fault to find with him who is well educated.
[20] Lit. 'the sorriest of mankind these by nature.'
[21] Or, 'virtuous argument'; {logois agathois}, lit. 'good words.'
Through the instrumentality of such as these nothing can go well; whereas every blessing which mankind enjoys has been discovered by the efforts of the nobler sort. Nobler, I say, are those who choose to toil.[22]
[22] Or, 'of choice spirits; and who are the choice spirits?-Clearly
those who choose to toil.'
And this has been proved conclusively by a notable example. If we look back to the men of old who sat at the feet of Cheiron-whose names I mentioned-we see that it was by dedicating the years of their youth to the chase [23] that they learnt all their noble lore; and therefrom they attained to great renown, and are admired even to this day for their virtue-virtue who numbers all men as her lovers, as is very plain. Only because of the pains it costs to win her the greater number fall away; for the achievement of her is hid in obscurity; while the pains that cleave to her are manifest. Perchance, if only she were endowed with a visible bodily frame, men would less have neglected her, knowing that even as she is visible to them, so they also are not hid from her eyes. For is it not so that when a man moves in the presence of him whom he dearly loves,[24] he rises to a height above himself, being incapable of aught base or foul in word or deed in sight of him?[25] But fondly dreaming that the eye of virtue is closed to them, they are guilty of many a base thing and foul before her very face, who is hidden from their eyes. Yet she is present everywhere, being dowered with immortality; and those who are perfect in goodness[26] she honours, but the wicked she thrusts aside from honour. If only men could know that she regards them, how eagerly would they rush to the embrace of toilful training and tribulation,[27] by which alone she is hardly taken; and so should they gain the mastery over her, and she should be laid captive at their feet.
[23] Or, 'that they made their first essay in hunting when mere boys,
and from hunting upwards were taught many noble arts.'
[24] Lit. 'is beheld by his beloved.' Cf. 'Symp.' iv. 4; viii. 31.
[25] Lit. 'in order not to be seen of him.'
[26] Lit. 'good with respect to her.'
[27] Or, 'to those toils and that training.'
XIII
Now what astonishes me in the 'sophists,' as they are called,[1] is, that though they profess, the greater part of them, to lead the young to virtue, they really lead them in the opposite direction. Never have we set eyes on the man anywhere who owed his goodness to the sophists of to-day.[2] Nor do their writings contain anything[3] calculated to make men good, but they have written volumes on vain and frivolous subjects, in which the young may find pleasures that pall, but the essence of virtue is not in them. The result of this literature is to inflict unncessary waste of time on those who look to learn something from it all and look in vain, cutting them off from wholesome occupations and even teaching what is bad. I cannot then but blame them for certain large offences[4] more than lightly; but as regards the subject matter of their writings my charge is, that while full of far-fetched phraseology, [5] of solid wholesome sentiments, by which the young might be trained to virtue, I see not a vestige. Speaking as a plain man, I know that to be taught what is good by one's own nature is best of all,[6] and next best to learn of those who really do know some good thing rather than of those who have an art to deceive. It may well be that I fail to express myself in subtle language,[7] nor do I pretend to aim at subtlety; what I do aim at is to express rightly-conceived thoughts such as may serve the need of those who have been nobly disciplined in virtue; for it is not words and names that give instruction, but thoughts and sentiments worthy the name.
[1] Cf. Isocr. 'Against the Sophists'; 'Antidosis'; 'Hel. Encom.';
Plat. 'Sophist.'
[2] Who are these {oi nun sophistai}?
[3] Lit. 'do they present writings to the world.'
[4] Or, 'as to certain weightier matters gravely.'
[5] {remata} = 'words and phrases'; {ynomai} = 'moral maxims, just
thoughts.'
[6] 'Being myself but a private individual and a plain man.' According
to Hartman, 'A. X. N.' p. 350, 'ridicule detorquet Hesiodeum':
{outos men panaristos os auto panta noese esthlos d' au kakeinos os eu eiponti pithetai}.
[7] Al. 'in true sophistic style.' The writer seems to say: 'I lack
subtlety of expression (nor is that at all my object); what I do
aim at is to trace with some exactness, to present with the
lucidity appropriate to them, certain thoughts demanded by persons
well educated in the school of virtue.'
Nor am I singular in thus reproaching the modern type of sophist (not the true philosopher, be it understood); it is a general reproach that the wisdom he professes consists in word-subtleties, not in ideas.[8] Certainly it does not
