cratylus-第27节

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aetes　rheo）。　　Aither　（aether）　I　should　interpret　as　aeitheer；　this　may　be

correctly　said；　because　this　element　is　always　running　in　a　flux　about　the

air　（aei　thei　peri　tou　aera　reon）。　　The　meaning　of　the　word　ge　（earth）

comes　out　better　when　in　the　form　of　gaia；　for　the　earth　may　be　truly

called　'mother'　（gaia；　genneteira）；　as　in　the　language　of　Homer　（Od。）

gegaasi　means　gegennesthai。



HERMOGENES：　　Good。



SOCRATES：　　What　shall　we　take　next？



HERMOGENES：　　There　are　orai　（the　seasons）；　and　the　two　names　of　the　year；

eniautos　and　etos。



SOCRATES：　　The　orai　should　be　spelt　in　the　old　Attic　way；　if　you　desire　to

know　the　probable　truth　about　them；　they　are　rightly　called　the　orai

because　they　divide　（orizousin）　the　summers　and　winters　and　winds　and　the

fruits　of　the　earth。　　The　words　eniautos　and　etos　appear　to　be　the　same；

'that　which　brings　to　light　the　plants　and　growths　of　the　earth　in　their

turn；　and　passes　them　in　review　within　itself　（en　eauto　exetazei）'：　　this

is　broken　up　into　two　words；　eniautos　from　en　eauto；　and　etos　from　etazei；

just　as　the　original　name　of　Zeus　was　divided　into　Zena　and　Dia；　and　the

whole　proposition　means　that　his　power　of　reviewing　from　within　is　one；　but

has　two　names；　two　words　etos　and　eniautos　being　thus　formed　out　of　a

single　proposition。



HERMOGENES：　　Indeed；　Socrates；　you　make　surprising　progress。



SOCRATES：　　I　am　run　away　with。



HERMOGENES：　　Very　true。



SOCRATES：　　But　am　not　yet　at　my　utmost　speed。



HERMOGENES：　　I　should　like　very　much　to　know；　in　the　next　place；　how　you

would　explain　the　virtues。　　What　principle　of　correctness　is　there　in　those

charming　wordswisdom；　understanding；　justice；　and　the　rest　of　them？



SOCRATES：　　That　is　a　tremendous　class　of　names　which　you　are　disinterring；

still；　as　I　have　put　on　the　lion's　skin；　I　must　not　be　faint　of　heart；　and

I　suppose　that　I　must　consider　the　meaning　of　wisdom　（phronesis）　and

understanding　（sunesis）；　and　judgment　（gnome）；　and　knowledge　（episteme）；

and　all　those　other　charming　words；　as　you　call　them？



HERMOGENES：　　Surely；　we　must　not　leave　off　until　we　find　out　their　meaning。



SOCRATES：　　By　the　dog　of　Egypt　I　have　a　not　bad　notion　which　came　into　my

head　only　this　moment：　　I　believe　that　the　primeval　givers　of　names　were

undoubtedly　like　too　many　of　our　modern　philosophers；　who；　in　their　search

after　the　nature　of　things；　are　always　getting　dizzy　from　constantly　going

round　and　round；　and　then　they　imagine　that　the　world　is　going　round　and

round　and　moving　in　all　directions；　and　this　appearance；　which　arises　out

of　their　own　internal　condition；　they　suppose　to　be　a　reality　of　nature；

they　think　that　there　is　nothing　stable　or　permanent；　but　only　flux　and

motion；　and　that　the　world　is　always　full　of　every　sort　of　motion　and

change。　　The　consideration　of　the　names　which　I　mentioned　has　led　me　into

making　this　reflection。



HERMOGENES：　　How　is　that；　Socrates？



SOCRATES：　　Perhaps　you　did　not　observe　that　in　the　names　which　have　been

just　cited；　the　motion　or　flux　or　generation　of　things　is　most　surely

indicated。



HERMOGENES：　　No；　indeed；　I　never　thought　of　it。



SOCRATES：　　Take　the　first　of　those　which　you　mentioned；　clearly　that　is　a

name　indicative　of　motion。



HERMOGENES：　　What　was　the　name？



SOCRATES：　　Phronesis　（wisdom）；　which　may　signify　phoras　kai　rhou　noesis

（perception　of　motion　and　flux）；　or　perhaps　phoras　onesis　（the　blessing　of

motion）；　but　is　at　any　rate　connected　with　pheresthai　（motion）；　gnome

（judgment）；　again；　certainly　implies　the　ponderation　or　consideration

（nomesis）　of　generation；　for　to　ponder　is　the　same　as　to　consider；　or；　if

you　would　rather；　here　is　noesis；　the　very　word　just　now　mentioned；　which

is　neou　esis　（the　desire　of　the　new）；　the　word　neos　implies　that　the　world

is　always　in　process　of　creation。　　The　giver　of　the　name　wanted　to　express

this　longing　of　the　soul；　for　the　original　name　was　neoesis；　and　not

noesis；　but　eta　took　the　place　of　a　double　epsilon。　　The　word　sophrosune　is

the　salvation　（soteria）　of　that　wisdom　（phronesis）　which　we　were　just　now

considering。　　Epioteme　（knowledge）　is　akin　to　this；　and　indicates　that　the

soul　which　is　good　for　anything　follows　（epetai）　the　motion　of　things；

neither　anticipating　them　nor　falling　behind　them；　wherefore　the　word

should　rather　be　read　as　epistemene；　inserting　epsilon　nu。　　Sunesis

（understanding）　may　be　regarded　in　like　manner　as　a　kind　of　conclusion；　the

word　is　derived　from　sunienai　（to　go　along　with）；　and；　like　epistasthai　（to

know）；　implies　the　progression　of　the　soul　in　company　with　the　nature　of

things。　　Sophia　（wisdom）　is　very　dark；　and　appears　not　to　be　of　native

growth；　the　meaning　is；　touching　the　motion　or　stream　of　things。　　You　must

remember　that　the　poets；　when　they　speak　of　the　commencement　of　any　rapid

motion；　often　use　the　word　esuthe　（he　rushed）；　and　there　was　a　famous

Lacedaemonian　who　was　named　Sous　（Rush）；　for　by　this　word　the

Lacedaemonians　signify　rapid　motion；　and　the　touching　（epaphe）　of　motion　is

expressed　by　sophia；　for　all　things　are　supposed　to　be　in　motion。　　Good

（agathon）　is　the　name　which　is　given　to　the　admirable　（agasto）　in　nature；

for；　although　all　things　move；　still　there　are　degrees　of　motion；　some　are

swifter；　some　slower；　but　there　are　some　things　which　are　admirable　for

their　swiftness；　and　this　admirable　part　of　nature　is　called　agathon。　

Dikaiosune　（justice）　is　clearly　dikaiou　sunesis　（understanding　of　the

just）；　but　the　actual　word　dikaion　is　more　difficult：　　men　are　only　agreed

to　a　certain　extent　about　justice；　and　then　they　begin　to　disagree。　　For

those　who　suppose　all　things　to　be　in　motion　conceive　the　greater　part　of

nature　to　be　a　mere　receptacle；　and　they　say　that　there　is　a　penetrating

power　which　passes　through　all　this；　and　is　the　instrument　of　creation　in

all；　and　is　the　subtlest　and　swiftest　element；　for　if　it　were　not　the

subtlest；　and　a　power　which　none　can　keep　out；　and　also　the　swiftest；

passing　by　other　things　as　if　they　were　standing　still；　it　could　not

penetrate　through　the　moving　universe。　　And　this　element；　which

superintends　all　things　and　pierces　（diaion）　all；　is　rightly　called

dikaion；　the　letter　k　is　only　added　for　the　sake　of　euphony。　　Thus　far；　as

I　was　saying；　there　is　a　general　agreement　about　the　nature　of　justice；　but

I；　Hermogenes；　being　an　enthusiastic　disciple；　have　been　told　in　a　mystery

that　the　justice　of　which　I　am　speaking　is　also　the　cause　of　the　world：　

now　a　cause　is　that　because　of　which　anything　is　created；　and　some　one

comes　and　whispers　in　my　ear　that　justice　is　rightly　so　called　because

partaking　of　the　nature　of　the　cause；　and　I　begin；　after　hearing　what　he

has　said；　to　interrogate　him　gently：　　'Well；　my　excellent　friend；'　say　I；

'but　if　all　this　be　true；　I　still　want　to　know　what　is　justice。'　　Thereupon

they　think　that　I　ask　tiresome　questions；　and　am　leaping　over　the　barriers；

and　have　been　already　sufficiently　answered；　and　they　try　to　satisfy　me

with　one　derivation　after　another；　and　at　length　they　quarrel。　　For　one　of

them　says　that　justice　is　the　sun；　and　that　he　only　is　the　piercing

（diaionta）　and　burning　（kaonta）　element　which　is　the　guardian　of　nature。　

And　when　I　joyfully　repeat　this　beautiful　notion；　I　am　answered　by　the

satirical　remark；　'What；　is　there　no　justice　in　the　world　when　the　sun　is

down？'　　And　when　I　earnestly　beg　my　questioner　to　tell　me　his　own　honest

opinion；　he　says；　'Fire　in　the　abstract'；　but　this　is　not　very

intelligible。　　Another　says；　'No；　not　fire　in　the　abstract；　but　the

abstraction　of　heat　in　the　fire。'　　Another　man　professes　to　laugh　at　all

this；　and　says；　as　Anaxagoras　says；　that　justice　is　mind；　for　mind；　as　they

say；　has　absolute　power；　and　mixes　with　nothing；　and　orders　all　things；　and

passes　through　all　things。　　At　last；　my　friend；　I　find　myself　in　far

greater　perplexity　about　the　nature　of　justice　than　I　was　before　I　began　to

learn。　　But　still　I　am　of　opinion　that　the　name；　which　has　led　me　into　this

digression；　was　given　to　justice　for　the　reasons　which　I　have　mentioned。



HERMOGENES：　　I　think；　Socrates；　that　you　are　not　improvising　now；　you　must

have　heard　this　from　some　one　else。



SOCRATES：　　And　not　the　rest？



HERMOGENES：　　Hardly。



SOCRATES：　　Well；　then；　let　me　go　on　in　the　hope　of　making　you　believe　in

the　originality　of　the　rest。　　What　remains　after　justice？　　I　do　not　think

that　we　have　as　yet　discussed　courage　（andreia）；injustice　（adikia）；　which

is　obviously　nothing　more　than　a　hindrance　to　the　penetrating　principle

（diaiontos）；　need　not　be　considered。　　Well；　then；　the　name　of　andreia　seems

to　imply　a　battle；this　battle　is　in　the　world　of　existence；　and　according

to　the　doctrine　of　flux　is　only　the　counterflux　（enantia　rhon）：　　if　you

extract　the　delta　from　andreia；　the　name　at　once　signifies　the　thing；　and

you　may　clearly　understand　that　andreia　is　not　the　stream　opposed　to　every

stream