laches-第3节

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your　father；　for　I　and　he　were　always　companions　and　friends；　and　to　the



hour　of　his　death　there　never　was　a　difference　between　us；　and　now　it　comes



back　to　me；　at　the　mention　of　your　name；　that　I　have　heard　these　lads



talking　to　one　another　at　home；　and　often　speaking　of　Socrates　in　terms　of



the　highest　praise；　but　I　have　never　thought　to　ask　them　whether　the　son　of



Sophroniscus　was　the　person　whom　they　meant。　　Tell　me；　my　boys；　whether



this　is　the　Socrates　of　whom　you　have　often　spoken？







SON：　　Certainly；　father；　this　is　he。







LYSIMACHUS：　　I　am　delighted　to　hear；　Socrates；　that　you　maintain　the　name



of　your　father；　who　was　a　most　excellent　man；　and　I　further　rejoice　at　the



prospect　of　our　family　ties　being　renewed。







LACHES：　　Indeed；　Lysimachus；　you　ought　not　to　give　him　up；　for　I　can　assure



you　that　I　have　seen　him　maintaining；　not　only　his　father's；　but　also　his



country's　name。　　He　was　my　companion　in　the　retreat　from　Delium；　and　I　can



tell　you　that　if　others　had　only　been　like　him；　the　honour　of　our　country



would　have　been　upheld；　and　the　great　defeat　would　never　have　occurred。







LYSIMACHUS：　　That　is　very　high　praise　which　is　accorded　to　you；　Socrates；



by　faithful　witnesses　and　for　actions　like　those　which　they　praise。　　Let　me



tell　you　the　pleasure　which　I　feel　in　hearing　of　your　fame；　and　I　hope　that



you　will　regard　me　as　one　of　your　warmest　friends。　　You　ought　to　have



visited　us　long　ago；　and　made　yourself　at　home　with　us；　but　now；　from　this



day　forward；　as　we　have　at　last　found　one　another　out；　do　as　I　saycome



and　make　acquaintance　with　me；　and　with　these　young　men；　that　I　may



continue　your　friend；　as　I　was　your　father's。　　I　shall　expect　you　to　do　so；



and　shall　venture　at　some　future　time　to　remind　you　of　your　duty。　　But　what



say　you　of　the　matter　of　which　we　were　beginning　to　speakthe　art　of



fighting　in　armour？　　Is　that　a　practice　in　which　the　lads　may　be



advantageously　instructed？







SOCRATES：　　I　will　endeavour　to　advise　you；　Lysimachus；　as　far　as　I　can　in



this　matter；　and　also　in　every　way　will　comply　with　your　wishes；　but　as　I



am　younger　and　not　so　experienced；　I　think　that　I　ought　certainly　to　hear



first　what　my　elders　have　to　say；　and　to　learn　of　them；　and　if　I　have



anything　to　add；　then　I　may　venture　to　give　my　opinion　to　them　as　well　as



to　you。　　Suppose；　Nicias；　that　one　or　other　of　you　begin。







NICIAS：　　I　have　no　objection；　Socrates；　and　my　opinion　is　that　the



acquirement　of　this　art　is　in　many　ways　useful　to　young　men。　　It　is　an



advantage　to　them　that　among　the　favourite　amusements　of　their　leisure



hours　they　should　have　one　which　tends　to　improve　and　not　to　injure　their



bodily　health。　　No　gymnastics　could　be　better　or　harder　exercise；　and　this；



and　the　art　of　riding；　are　of　all　arts　most　befitting　to　a　freeman；　for



they　only　who　are　thus　trained　in　the　use　of　arms　are　the　athletes　of　our



military　profession；　trained　in　that　on　which　the　conflict　turns。　　Moreover



in　actual　battle；　when　you　have　to　fight　in　a　line　with　a　number　of　others；



such　an　acquirement　will　be　of　some　use；　and　will　be　of　the　greatest



whenever　the　ranks　are　broken　and　you　have　to　fight　singly；　either　in



pursuit；　when　you　are　attacking　some　one　who　is　defending　himself；　or　in



flight；　when　you　have　to　defend　yourself　against　an　assailant。　　Certainly



he　who　possessed　the　art　could　not　meet　with　any　harm　at　the　hands　of　a



single　person；　or　perhaps　of　several；　and　in　any　case　he　would　have　a　great



advantage。　　Further；　this　sort　of　skill　inclines　a　man　to　the　love　of　other



noble　lessons；　for　every　man　who　has　learned　how　to　fight　in　armour　will



desire　to　learn　the　proper　arrangement　of　an　army；　which　is　the　sequel　of



the　lesson：　　and　when　he　has　learned　this；　and　his　ambition　is　once　fired；



he　will　go　on　to　learn　the　complete　art　of　the　general。　　There　is　no



difficulty　in　seeing　that　the　knowledge　and　practice　of　other　military　arts



will　be　honourable　and　valuable　to　a　man；　and　this　lesson　may　be　the



beginning　of　them。　　Let　me　add　a　further　advantage；　which　is　by　no　means　a



slight　one；that　this　science　will　make　any　man　a　great　deal　more　valiant



and　self…possessed　in　the　field。　　And　I　will　not　disdain　to　mention；　what



by　some　may　be　thought　to　be　a　small　matter；he　will　make　a　better



appearance　at　the　right　time；　that　is　to　say；　at　the　time　when　his



appearance　will　strike　terror　into　his　enemies。　　My　opinion　then；



Lysimachus；　is；　as　I　say；　that　the　youths　should　be　instructed　in　this　art；



and　for　the　reasons　which　I　have　given。　　But　Laches　may　take　a　different



view；　and　I　shall　be　very　glad　to　hear　what　he　has　to　say。







LACHES：　　I　should　not　like　to　maintain；　Nicias；　that　any　kind　of　knowledge



is　not　to　be　learned；　for　all　knowledge　appears　to　be　a　good：　　and　if；　as



Nicias　and　as　the　teachers　of　the　art　affirm；　this　use　of　arms　is　really　a



species　of　knowledge；　then　it　ought　to　be　learned；　but　if　not；　and　if　those



who　profess　to　teach　it　are　deceivers　only；　or　if　it　be　knowledge；　but　not



of　a　valuable　sort；　then　what　is　the　use　of　learning　it？　　I　say　this；



because　I　think　that　if　it　had　been　really　valuable；　the　Lacedaemonians；



whose　whole　life　is　passed　in　finding　out　and　practising　the　arts　which



give　them　an　advantage　over　other　nations　in　war；　would　have　discovered



this　one。　　And　even　if　they　had　not；　still　these　professors　of　the　art



would　certainly　not　have　failed　to　discover　that　of　all　the　Hellenes　the



Lacedaemonians　have　the　greatest　interest　in　such　matters；　and　that　a



master　of　the　art　who　was　honoured　among　them　would　be　sure　to　make　his



fortune　among　other　nations；　just　as　a　tragic　poet　would　who　is　honoured



among　ourselves；　which　is　the　reason　why　he　who　fancies　that　he　can　write　a



tragedy　does　not　go　about　itinerating　in　the　neighbouring　states；　but



rushes　hither　straight；　and　exhibits　at　Athens；　and　this　is　natural。　



Whereas　I　perceive　that　these　fighters　in　armour　regard　Lacedaemon　as　a



sacred　inviolable　territory；　which　they　do　not　touch　with　the　point　of



their　foot；　but　they　make　a　circuit　of　the　neighbouring　states；　and　would



rather　exhibit　to　any　others　than　to　the　Spartans；　and　particularly　to



those　who　would　themselves　acknowledge　that　they　are　by　no　means　firstrate



in　the　arts　of　war。　　Further；　Lysimachus；　I　have　encountered　a　good　many　of



these　gentlemen　in　actual　service；　and　have　taken　their　measure；　which　I



can　give　you　at　once；　for　none　of　these　masters　of　fence　have　ever　been



distinguished　in　war；there　has　been　a　sort　of　fatality　about　them；　while



in　all　other　arts　the　men　of　note　have　been　always　those　who　have　practised



the　art；　they　appear　to　be　a　most　unfortunate　exception。　　For　example；　this



very　Stesilaus；　whom　you　and　I　have　just　witnessed　exhibiting　in　all　that



crowd　and　making　such　great　professions　of　his　powers；　I　have　seen　at



another　time　making；　in　sober　truth；　an　involuntary　exhibition　of　himself；



which　was　a　far　better　spectacle。　　He　was　a　marine　on　board　a　ship　which



struck　a　transport　vessel；　and　was　armed　with　a　weapon；　half　spear；　half



scythe；　the　singularity　of　this　weapon　was　worthy　of　the　singularity　of　the



man。　　To　make　a　long　story　short；　I　will　only　tell　you　what　happened　to



this　notable　invention　of　the　scythe　spear。　　He　was　fighting；　and　the



scythe　was　caught　in　the　rigging　of　the　other　ship；　and　stuck　fast；　and　he



tugged；　but　was　unable　to　get　his　weapon　free。　　The　two　ships　were　passing



one　another。　　He　first　ran　along　his　own　ship　holding　on　to　the　spear；　but



as　the　other　ship　passed　by　and　drew　him　after　as　he　was　holding　on；　he　let



the　spear　slip　through　his　hand　until　he　retained　only　the　end　of　the



handle。　　The　people　in　the　transport　clapped　their　hands；　and　laughed　at



his　ridiculous　figure；　and　when　some　one　threw　a　stone；　which　fell　on　the



deck　at　his　feet；　and　he　quitted　his　hold　of　the　scythe…spear；　the　crew　of



his　own　trireme　also　burst　out　laughing；　they　could　not　refrain　when　they



beheld　the　weapon　waving　in　the　air；　suspended　from　the　transport。　　Now　I



do　not　deny　that　there　may　be　something　in　such　an　art；　as　Nicias　asserts；



but　I　tell　you　my　experience；　and；　as　I　said　at　first；　whether　this　be　an



art　of　which　the　advantage　is　so　slight；　or　not　an　art　at　all；　but　only　an



imposition；　in　either　case　such　an　acquirement　is　not　worth　having。　　For　my



opinion　is；　that　if　the　professor　of　this　art　be　a　coward；　he　will　be



likely　to　become　rash；　and　his　character　will　be　only　more　notorious；　or　if



he　be　brave；　and　fail　ever　so　little；　other　men