cratylus-第28节

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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；　but　only　to　that　which　is　contrary　to　justice；　for　otherwise

courage　would　not　have　been　praised。　　The　words　arren　（male）　and　aner　（man）

also　contain　a　similar　allusion　to　the　same　principle　of　the　upward　flux

（te　ano　rhon）。　　Gune　（woman）　I　suspect　to　be　the　same　word　as　goun　（birth）：　

thelu　（female）　appears　to　be　partly　derived　from　thele　（the　teat）；　because

the　teat　is　like　rain；　and　makes　things　flourish　（tethelenai）。



HERMOGENES：　　That　is　surely　probable。



SOCRATES：　　Yes；　and　the　very　word　thallein　（to　flourish）　seems　to　figure

the　growth　of　youth；　which　is　swift　and　sudden　ever。　　And　this　is　expressed

by　the　legislator　in　the　name；　which　is　a　compound　of　thein　（running）；　and

allesthai　（leaping）。　　Pray　observe　how　I　gallop　away　when　I　get　on　smooth

ground。　　There　are　a　good　many　names　generally　thought　to　be　of　importance；

which　have　still　to　be　explained。



HERMOGENES：　　True。



SOCRATES：　　There　is　the　meaning　of　the　word　techne　（art）；　for　example。



HERMOGENES：　　Very　true。



SOCRATES：　　That　may　be　identified　with　echonoe；　and　expresses　the

possession　of　mind：　　you　have　only　to　take　away　the　tau　and　insert　two

omichrons；　one　between　the　chi　and　nu；　and　another　between　the　nu　and　eta。



HERMOGENES：　　That　is　a　very　shabby　etymology。



SOCRATES：　　Yes；　my　dear　friend；　but　then　you　know　that　the　original　names

have　been　long　ago　buried　and　disguised　by　people　sticking　on　and　stripping

off　letters　for　the　sake　of　euphony；　and　twisting　and　bedizening　them　in

all　sorts　of　ways：　　and　time　too　may　have　had　a　share　in　the　change。　　Take；

for　example；　the　word　katoptron；　why　is　the　letter　rho　inserted？　　This　must

surely　be　the　addition　of　some　one　who　cares　nothing　about　the　truth；　but

thinks　only　of　putting　the　mouth　into　shape。　　And　the　additions　are　often

such　that　at　last　no　human　being　can　possibly　make　out　the　original　meaning

of　the　word。　　Another　example　is　the　word　sphigx；　sphiggos；　which　ought

properly　to　be　phigx；　phiggos；　and　there　are　other　examples。



HERMOGENES：　　That　is　quite　true；　Socrates。



SOCRATES：　　And　yet；　if　you　are　permitted　to　put　in　and　pull　out　any　letters

which　you　please；　names　will　be　too　easily　made；　and　any　name　may　be

adapted　to　any　object。



HERMOGENES：　　True。



SOCRATES：　　Yes；　that　is　true。　　And　therefore　a　wise　dictator；　like

yourself；　should　observe　the　laws　of　moderation　and　probability。



HERMOGENES：　　Such　is　my　desire。



SOCRATES：　　And　mine；　too；　Hermogenes。　　But　do　not　be　too　much　of　a

precisian；　or　'you　will　unnerve　me　of　my　strength　（Iliad。）。'　　When　you　have

allowed　me　to　add　mechane　（contrivance）　to　techne　（art）　I　shall　be　at　the

top　of　my　bent；　for　I　conceive　mechane　to　be　a　sign　of　great　accomplishment

anein；　for　mekos　has　the　meaning　of　greatness；　and　these　two；　mekos　and

anein；　make　up　the　word　mechane。　　But；　as　I　was　saying；　being　now　at　the

top　of　my　bent；　I　should　like　to　consider　the　meaning　of　the　two　words

arete　（virtue）　and　kakia　（vice）；　arete　I　do　not　as　yet　understand；　but

kakia　is　transparent；　and　agrees　with　the　principles　which　preceded；　for

all　things　being　in　a　flux　（ionton）；　kakia　is　kakos　ion　（going　badly）；　and

this　evil　motion　when　existing　in　the　soul　has　the　general　name　of　kakia；

or　vice；　specially　appropriated　to　it。　　The　meaning　of　kakos　ienai　may　be

further　illustrated　by　the　use　of　deilia　（cowardice）；　which　ought　to　have

come　after　andreia；　but　was　forgotten；　and；　as　I　fear；　is　not　the　only　word

which　has　been　passed　over。　　Deilia　signifies　that　the　soul　is　bound　with　a

strong　chain　（desmos）；　for　lian　means　strength；　and　therefore　deilia

expresses　the　greatest　and　strongest　bond　of　the　soul；　and　aporia

（difficulty）　is　an　evil　of　the　same　nature　（from　a　（alpha）　not；　and

poreuesthai　to　go）；　like　anything　else　which　is　an　impediment　to　motion　and

movement。　　Then　the　word　kakia　appears　to　mean　kakos　ienai；　or　going　badly；

or　limping　and　halting；　of　which　the　consequence　is；　that　the　soul　becomes

filled　with　vice。　　And　if　kakia　is　the　name　of　this　sort　of　thing；　arete

will　be　the　opposite　of　it；　signifying　in　the　first　place　ease　of　motion；


then　that　the　stream　of　the　good　soul　is　unimpeded；　and　has　therefore　the

attribute　of　ever　flowing　without　let　or　hindrance；　and　is　therefore　called

arete；　or；　more　correctly；　aeireite　（ever…flowing）；　and　may　perhaps　have

had　another　form；　airete　（eligible）；　indicating　that　nothing　is　more

eligible　than　virtue；　and　this　has　been　hammered　into　arete。　　I　daresay

that　you　will　deem　this　to　be　another　invention　of　mine；　but　I　think　that

if　the　previous　word　kakia　was　right；　then　arete　is　also　right。



HERMOGENES：　　But　what　is　the　meaning　of　kakon；　which　has　played　so　great　a

part　in　your　previous　discourse？



SOCRATES：　　That　is　a　very　singular　word　about　which　I　can　hardly　form　an

opinion；　and　therefore　I　must　have　recourse　to　my　ingenious　device。



HERMOGENES：　　What　device？



SOCRATES：　　The　device　of　a　foreign　origin；　which　I　shall　give　to　this　word

also。



HERMOGENES：　　Very　likely　you　are　right；　but　suppose　that　we　leave　these

words　and　endeavour　to　see　the　rationale　of　kalon　and　aischron。



SOCRATES：　　The　meaning　of　aischron　is　evident；　being　only　aei　ischon　roes

（always　preventing　from　flowing）；　and　this　is　in　accordance　with　our　former

derivations。　　For　the　name…giver　was　a　great　enemy　to　stagnation　of　all

sorts；　and　hence　he　gave　the　name　aeischoroun　to　that　which　hindered　the

flux　（aei　ischon　roun）；　and　that　is　now　beaten　together　into　aischron。



HERMOGENES：　　But　what　do　you　say　of　kalon？



SOCRATES：　　That　is　more　obscure；　yet　the　form　is　only　due　to　the　quantity；

and　has　been　changed　by　altering　omicron　upsilon　into　omicron。



HERMOGENES：　　What　do　you　mean？



SOCRATES：　　This　name　appears　to　denote　mind。



HERMOGENES：　　How　so？



SOCRATES：　　Let　me　ask　you　what　is　the　cause　why　anything　has　a　name；　is　not

the　principle　which　imposes　the　name　the　cause？



HERMOGENES：　　Certainly。



SOCRATES：　　And　must　not　this　be　the　mind　of　Gods；　or　of　men；　or　of　both？



HERMOGENES：　　Yes。



SOCRATES：　　Is　not　mind　that　which　called　（kalesan）　things　by　their　names；

and　is　not　mind　the　beautiful　（kalon）？



HERMOGENES：　　That　is　evident。



SOCRATES：　　And　are　not　the　works　of　intelligence　and　mind　worthy　of　praise；

and　are　not　other　works　worthy　of　blame？



HERMOGENES：　　Certainly。



SOCRATES：　　Physic　does　the　work　of　a　physician；　and　carpentering　does　the

works　of　a　carpenter？



HERMOGENES：　　Exactly。



SOCRATES：　　And　the　principle　of　beauty　does　the　works　of　beauty？



HERMOGENES：　　Of　course。



SOCRATES：　　And　that　principle　we　affirm　to　be　mind？



HERMOGENES：　　Very　true。



SOCRATES：　　Then　mind　is　rightly　called　beauty　because　she　does　the　works

which　we　recognize　and　speak　of　as　the　beautiful？



HERMOGENES：　　That　is　evident。



SOCRATES：　　What　more　names　remain　to　us？



HERMOGENES：　　There　are　the　words　which　are　connected　with　agathon　and

kalon；　such　as　sumpheron　and　lusiteloun；　ophelimon；　kerdaleon；　and　their

opposites。



SOCRATES：　　The　meaning　of　sumpheron　（expedient）　I　think　that　you　may

discover　for　yourself　by　the　light　of　the　previous　examples；for　it　is　a

sister　word　to　episteme；　meaning　just　the　motion　（pora）　of　the　soul

accompanying　the　world；　and　things　which　are　done　upon　this　principle　are

called　sumphora　or　sumpheronta；　because　they　are　carried　round　with　the

world。



HERMOGENES：　　That　is　probable。



SOCRATES：　　Again；　cherdaleon　（gainful）　is　called　from　cherdos　（gain）；　but

you　must　alter　the　delta　into　nu　if　you　want　to　get　at　the　meaning；　for

this　word　also　signifies　good；　but　in　another　way；　he　who　gave　the　name

intended　to　express　the　power　of　admixture　（kerannumenon）　and　universal

penetration　in　the　good；　in　forming　the　word；　however；　he　inserted　a　delta

instead　of　a　nu；　and　so　made　kerdos。



HERMOGENES：　　Well；　but　what　is　lusiteloun　（profitable）？



SOCRATES：　　I　suppose；　Hermogenes；　that　people　do　not　mean　by　the　profitable

the　gainful　or　that　which　pays　（luei）　the　retailer；　but　they　use　the　word

in　the　sense　of　swift。　　You　regard　the　profitable　（lusiteloun）；　as　that

which　being　the　swiftest　thing　in　existence；　allows　of　no　stay　in　things

and　no　pause　or　end　of　motion；　but　always；　if　there　begins　to　be　any　end；

lets　things　go　again　（luei）；　and　makes　motion　immortal　and　unceasing：　　and

in　this　point　of　view；　as　appears　to　me；　the　good　is　happily　denominated

lusitelounbeing　that　which　looses　（luon）　the　end　（telos）　of　motion。　

Ophelimon　（the　advantageous）　is　derived　from　ophellein；　meaning　that　which

creates　and　increases；　this　latter　is　a　common　Homeric　word；　and　has　a

foreign　character。



HERMOGENES：　　And　what　do　you　say　of　their　opposites？



SOCRATES：　　Of　such　as　are　mere　negati