cyropaedia-第43节
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met。 But Cyrus answered; 〃Bid me not to the feast; good uncle。 Do you
not see that all these soldiers of ours have been raised by us to the
pitch of expectation? And it were ill on my part if I seemed to
neglect them for the sake of my private pleasure。 If soldiers feel
themselves neglected even the good become faint…hearted; and the bad
grow insolent。 '42' With yourself it is different; you have come a
long journey and you must fall to without delay; and if your subjects
do you honour; welcome them and give them good cheer; that there may
be confidence between you and them; but I must go and attend to the
matters of which I speak。 '43' Early to…morrow morning;〃 he added;
〃our chief officers will present themselves at your gate to hear from
you what you think our next step ought to be。 You will tell us whether
we ought to pursue the campaign further or whether the time has now
come to disband our army。〃
'44' Thereupon Cyaxares betook himself to the banquet and Cyrus called
a council of his friends; the shrewdest and the best fitted to act
with him; and spoke to them as follows:
〃My friends; thanks to the gods; our first prayers are granted。
Wherever we set foot now we are the masters of the country: we see our
enemies brought low and ourselves increasing day by day in numbers and
in strength。 '45' And if only our present allies would consent to stay
with us a little longer; our achievements could be greater still;
whether force were needed or persuasion。 Now it must be your work as
much as mine to make as many of them as possible willing and anxious
to remain。 '46' Remember that; just as the soldier who overthrows the
greatest number in the day of battle is held to be the bravest; so the
speaker; when the time has come for persuasion; who brings most men to
his side will be thought the most eloquent; the best orator and the
ablest man of action。 '47' Do not; however; prepare your speeches as
though we asked you to give a rhetorical display: remember that those
whom you convince will show it well enough by what they do。 '48' I
leave you then;〃 he added; 〃to the careful study of your parts: mine
is to see; so far as in me lies; that our troops are provided with all
they need; before we hold the council of war。〃
NOTES
C。1。 Cyrus' generosity: he is not cold; not incapable of soft
pleasure; but too pre…occupied with greater things。 On the whole; if a
hedonist; this type of man; a hedonist that = a stoic (cf。 Socrates;
H。 Sidgwick; also J。 P。)。
C1。4; init。 Well told: we feel the character of Araspas at once; as
soon as he opens his lips。
C1。4; med。 An Eastern picture。 She is one of the Bible women; as
Gadatas and Gobryas are brothers of Barzillai; she is sister of Ruth
or Susanna or Judith or Bathsheba。 Perhaps she is nobler than any of
them。 She is also the sister of the Greek tragedy women; Antigone;
Alcestis; especially Euripidean is she: no doubt she is sister to the
great women of all lands。
C1。10 ff。 Xenophon; Moralist。 Cf。 /Memorabilia/ for a similar
philosophical difficulty about the will and knowledge。 And for this
raising of ethical problems in an artistic setting of narrative; cf。
Lyly。 I see a certain resemblance between the times and the writers'
minds。 /Vide/ J。 A。 Symonds on the predecessors of Shakespeare。
Araspas' point is that these scamps have only themselves to blame;
being {akrateis}; and then they turn round and accuse love。 (We are
thrown back on the origin of {akrasia}: /vide Memorabilia/ 'e。g。 I。
ii。 v。; IV。 v。' for such answer as we can get to that question。)
Whereas the {kaloi kagathoi} desire strongly but can curb their
desires。
C1。13。 Shows a confidence in the healthy action of the will。 When
Araspas himself is caught later on he develops the theory of a double
self; a higher and a lower (so hgd。; and so; I think; Xenophon and
Socrates。 /Vide Memorabilia/)。
C1。16; fin。 Cyrus || Socrates; his prototype here。
C1。18。 Very natural and beautiful。 Xenophon sympathetic with such a
beautiful humanity。 The woman's nature brought out by these touches。
Xenophon; Dramatist: the moral problem is subordinate; that is to say;
is made to grow out of the dramatic action and characterisation。
C1。20。 Notice the absolutely fair and warrantable diplomatic advantage
given to the archic man: each step he takes opens up new avenues of
progress。 Herein is fulfilled 〃to him who hath shall be given;〃 but
Cyrus plays his part also; he has the wisdom of serpents with the
gentleness of doves。
C1。21。 This is the true rhetoric; the right road to persuasiveness; to
be absolutely frank。
C1。24。 The desire to be ruled by the archic man; which the archomenoi
i。e。 all menfeel; is thus manifest。 Notice again how the Mede's
own character is maintained: he speaks as he felt then。
C2。8。 The bridegroom will be found to be Hystaspas; but we have no
suspicion as yet; without looking on。
C2。9。 In this interview Cyrus' character still further developed。 /Ex
ore Cyri。/; Xenophon propounds his theory of the latent virtue in man;
which only needs an opportunity to burst forth; but; this lacking;
remains unrevealed。 Now it is a great godsend to get such a chance。 It
is thoroughly Hellenic; or Xenophon…Socratic; this feeling; 〃Give me a
chance to show my virtue。〃 (But has Cyrus a touch of superhuman
conscious rectitude?)
C2。12。 The same thought again: it is full of delicacy and spiritual
discernment: the more one ponders it the more one feels that。
C2。12; fin。 For Hellenic or Xenophontine or old…world theory of the
misfortunes which befall the virtuous; /vide/ Homer; /vide/ Book of
Job (Satan); /vide/ Tragedians。
C2。15。 Cf。 the /Economist/ for praise of rural simplicity。 It is
Xenophon /ipsissimus/。
C2。17。 Whose bad manners is Xenophon thinking of? Thebans'?
C2。20; fin。 A very noble sentence。 The man who utters it and the
people whose heart and mind it emanates from must be of a high order;
and in the /Memorabilia/ Socrates has this highest praise; that he
studied to make himself and /all others also/ as good as possible。
C2。21。 Notice the practical answer of Cyrus to this panegyric (cf。 J。
P。)。
C2。32。 Prolix; Xenophontic。
C3。6 ff。 Here also I feel the mind of Xenophon shimmering under
various lights。 The /Cyropaedia/ is shot with Orientalism。 Homeric
Epicismantique Hellenism and modern Hellenism are both there。
Spartan simplicity and Eastern quaintness both say their say。 In this
passage the biblical element seems almost audible。
C3。7。 This is in the grand style; Oriental; dilatory; ponderous;
savouring of times when battles were affairs of private arrangement
between monarchs and hedged about by all the punctilios of an affair
of honour。
C3。12。 N。B。The archic man shows a very ready wit and inventiveness
in the great art of 〃grab〃 in war; though as he said to his father he
was 〃a late learner〃 in such matters。 Cf。 in modern times the duties
of a detective or some such disagreeable office。 G。 O。 Trevelyan as
Irish secretary。 Interesting for /war ethics/ in the abstract; and for
Xenophon's view; which is probably Hellenic。 Cyrus now has the
opportunity of carrying out the selfish decalogue; the topsy…turvy
morality set forth in I。 C。6; C。26 ff。
C3。13。 Cf。 Old Testament for the sort of subterfuges and preparations;
e。g。 the Gibeonites。
C3。15。 The archic man has no time。 Cyrus {ou skholazei}。 Cf。 J。 P。 It
comes from energy combined with high gifts of organisation; economic;
architectonic。
C3。19。 Nice; I think; this contrasting of spiritual and natural
productiveness。
C3。32。 Here is the rule of conduct clearly expressed; nor do I see how
a military age could frame for itself any other。 Christianity only
emerged /sub pace Romana/; which for fraternal brotherhood was the
fullness of time; and even in the commercial age the nations tumble
back practically into the old system。
C3。36 ff。 An army on forced march: are there any novelties here?
C3。53。 These minute details probably not boring at the time; but
interesting rather; perhaps useful。
C4。13。 Cyrus resembles Fawcett in his unselfish self…estimate。 Gadatas
is like the British public; or hgd。
C4。16。 Here we feel that the Assyrian is not a mere weakling: he can
play his part well enough if he gets a good chance。 It needs an Archic
and Strategic Man to overpower him。
C4。17。 ANCIENT and MODERN parallelism in treatment of wounded。
C4。24。 Hellenic war ethics: non…combatant tillers of the soil to be
let alone。 Is this a novelty? If not; what is the prototype? Did the
modern rights of non…combatants so originate?
C4。27; fin。 A touch which gives the impression of real history: that
is the art of it。
C4。34。 Almost autobiographical: the advantage of having a country seat
in the neighbourhood of a big town。 Here we feel the MODERNISM of
XENOPHON。 The passage which Stevenson chose for the motto to his
/Silverado Squatters/ would suit Xenophon very well (Cicero; De Off。
I。 xx。)。 Xenophon || Alfred Tennyson。 'Mr。 Dakyns used the geometric
sign || to indicate parallelism of any sort。 The passage from Cicero
might be translated thus: 〃Some have lived in the country; content
with the h