protagoras-第4节

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excellent　instruction　in　all　that　could　be　learned　from　masters；　in



his　own　department　of　politics　neither　taught　them；　nor　gave　them



teachers；　but　they　were　allowed　to　wander　at　their　own　free　will　in



a　sort　of　hope　that　they　would　light　upon　virtue　of　their　own



accord。　Or　take　another　example：　there　was　Cleinias　the　younger



brother　of　our　friend　Alcibiades；　of　whom　this　very　same　Pericles



was　the　guardian；　and　he　being　in　fact　under　the　apprehension　that



Cleinias　would　be　corrupted　by　Alcibiades；　took　him　away；　and　placed



him　in　the　house　of　Ariphron　to　be　educated；　but　before　six　months　had



elapsed；　Ariphron　sent　him　back；　not　knowing　what　to　do　with　him。



And　I　could　mention　numberless　other　instances　of　persons　who　were



good　themselves；　and　never　yet　made　any　one　else　good；　whether



friend　or　stranger。　Now　I；　Protagoras；　having　these　examples　before



me；　am　inclined　to　think　that　virtue　cannot　be　taught。　But　then　again；



when　I　listen　to　your　words；　I　waver；　and　am　disposed　to　think　that



there　must　be　something　in　what　you　say；　because　I　know　that　you



have　great　experience；　and　learning；　and　invention。　And　I　wish　that



you　would；　if　possible；　show　me　a　little　more　clearly　that　virtue



can　be　taught。　Will　you　be　so　good？



　　That　I　will；　Socrates；　and　gladly。　But　what　would　you　like？　Shall　I；



as　an　elder；　speak　to　you　as　younger　men　in　an　apologue　or　myth；　or



shall　I　argue　out　the　question？



　　To　this　several　of　the　company　answered　that　he　should　choose　for



himself。



　　Well；　then；　he　said；　I　think　that　the　myth　will　be　more　interesting。



　　Once　upon　a　time　there　were　gods　only；　and　no　mortal　creatures。



But　when　the　time　came　that　these　also　should　be　created；　the　gods



fashioned　them　out　of　earth　and　fire　and　various　mixtures　of　both



elements　in　the　interior　of　the　earth；　and　when　they　were　about　to



bring　them　into　the　light　of　day；　they　ordered　Prometheus　and



Epimetheus　to　equip　them；　and　to　distribute　to　them　severally　their



proper　qualities。　Epimetheus　said　to　Prometheus：　〃Let　me　distribute；



and　do　you　inspect。〃　This　was　agreed；　and　Epimetheus　made　the



distribution。　There　were　some　to　whom　he　gave　strength　without



swiftness；　while　he　equipped　the　weaker　with　swiftness；　some　he　armed；



and　others　he　left　unarmed；　and　devised　for　the　latter　some　other



means　of　preservation；　making　some　large；　and　having　their　size　as　a



protection；　and　others　small；　whose　nature　was　to　fly　in　the　air　or



burrow　in　the　ground；　this　was　to　be　their　way　of　escape。　Thus　did



he　compensate　them　with　the　view　of　preventing　any　race　from



becoming　extinct。　And　when　he　had　provided　against　their　destruction



by　one　another；　he　contrived　also　a　means　of　protecting　them　against



the　seasons　of　heaven；　clothing　them　with　close　hair　and　thick　skins



sufficient　to　defend　them　against　the　winter　cold　and　able　to　resist



the　summer　heat；　so　that　they　might　have　a　natural　bed　of　their　own



when　they　wanted　to　rest；　also　he　furnished　them　with　hoofs　and　hair



and　hard　and　callous　skins　under　their　feet。　Then　he　gave　them



varieties　of　food…herb　of　the　soil　to　some；　to　others　fruits　of　trees；



and　to　others　roots；　and　to　some　again　he　gave　other　animals　as



food。　And　some　he　made　to　have　few　young　ones；　while　those　who　were



their　prey　were　very　prolific；　and　in　this　manner　the　race　was



preserved。　Thus　did　Epimetheus；　who；　not　being　very　wise；　forgot



that　he　had　distributed　among　the　brute　animals　all　the　qualities



which　he　had　to　give…and　when　he　came　to　man；　who　was　still



unprovided；　he　was　terribly　perplexed。　Now　while　he　was　in　this



perplexity；　Prometheus　came　to　inspect　the　distribution；　and　he



found　that　the　other　animals　were　suitably　furnished；　but　that　man



alone　was　naked　and　shoeless；　and　had　neither　bed　nor　arms　of　defence。



The　appointed　hour　was　approaching　when　man　in　his　turn　was　to　go



forth　into　the　light　of　day；　and　Prometheus；　not　knowing　how　he



could　devise　his　salvation；　stole　the　mechanical　arts　of　Hephaestus



and　Athene；　and　fire　with　them　（they　could　neither　have　been



acquired　nor　used　without　fire）；　and　gave　them　to　man。　Thus　man　had



the　wisdom　necessary　to　the　support　of　life；　but　political　wisdom　he



had　not；　for　that　was　in　the　keeping　of　Zeus；　and　the　power　of



Prometheus　did　not　extend　to　entering　into　the　citadel　of　heaven；



where　Zeus　dwelt；　who　moreover　had　terrible　sentinels；　but　he　did



enter　by　stealth　into　the　common　workshop　of　Athene　and　Hephaestus；　in



which　they　used　to　practise　their　favourite　arts；　and　carried　off



Hephaestus'　art　of　working　by　fire；　and　also　the　art　of　Athene；　and



gave　them　to　man。　And　in　this　way　man　was　supplied　with　the　means　of



life。　But　Prometheus　is　said　to　have　been　afterwards　prosecuted　for



theft；　owing　to　the　blunder　of　Epimetheus。



　　Now　man；　having　a　share　of　the　divine　attributes；　was　at　first　the



only　one　of　the　animals　who　had　any　gods；　because　he　alone　was　of



their　kindred；　and　he　would　raise　altars　and　images　of　them。　He　was



not　long　in　inventing　articulate　speech　and　names；　and　he　also



constructed　houses　and　clothes　and　shoes　and　beds；　and　drew　sustenance



from　the　earth。　Thus　provided；　mankind　at　first　lived　dispersed；　and



there　were　no　cities。　But　the　consequence　was　that　they　were　destroyed



by　the　wild　beasts；　for　they　were　utterly　weak　in　comparison　of



them；　and　their　art　was　only　sufficient　to　provide　them　with　the　means



of　life；　and　did　not　enable　them　to　carry　on　war　against　the



animals：　food　they　had；　but　not　as　yet　the　art　of　government；　of　which



the　art　of　war　is　a　part。　After　a　while　the　desire　of



self…preservation　gathered　them　into　cities；　but　when　they　were



gathered　together；　having　no　art　of　government；　they　evil　intreated



one　another；　and　were　again　in　process　of　dispersion　and



destruction。　Zeus　feared　that　the　entire　race　would　be　exterminated；



and　so　he　sent　Hermes　to　them；　bearing　reverence　and　justice　to　be　the



ordering　principles　of　cities　and　the　bonds　of　friendship　and



conciliation。　Hermes　asked　Zeus　how　he　should　impart　justice　and



reverence　among　men：…Should　he　distribute　them　as　the　arts　are



distributed；　that　is　to　say；　to　a　favoured　few　only；　one　skilled



individual　having　enough　of　medicine　or　of　any　other　art　for　many



unskilled　ones？　〃Shall　this　be　the　manner　in　which　I　am　to



distribute　justice　and　reverence　among　men；　or　shall　I　give　them　to



all？〃　〃To　all；〃　said　Zeus；　〃I　should　like　them　all　to　have　a　share；



for　cities　cannot　exist；　if　a　few　only　share　in　the　virtues；　as　in　the



arts。　And　further；　make　a　law　by　my　order；　that　he　who　has　no　part



in　reverence　and　justice　shall　be　put　to　death；　for　he　is　a　plague



of　the　state。〃



　　And　this　is　the　reason；　Socrates；　why　the　Athenians　and　mankind　in



general；　when　the　question　relates　to　carpentering　or　any　other



mechanical　art；　allow　but　a　few　to　share　in　their　deliberations；　and



when　any　one　else　interferes；　then；　as　you　say；　they　object；　if　he



be　not　of　the　favoured　few；　which；　as　I　reply；　is　very　natural。　But



when　they　meet　to　deliberate　about　political　virtue；　which　proceeds



only　by　way　of　justice　and　wisdom；　they　are　patient　enough　of　any



man　who　speaks　of　them；　as　is　also　natural；　because　they　think　that



every　man　ought　to　share　in　this　sort　of　virtue；　and　that　states　could



not　exist　if　this　were　otherwise。　I　have　explained　to　you；　Socrates；



the　reason　of　this　phenomenon。



　　And　that　you　may　not　suppose　yourself　to　be　deceived　in　thinking



that　all　men　regard　every　man　as　having　a　share　of　justice　or



honesty　and　of　every　other　political　virtue；　let　me　give　you　a　further



proof；　which　is　this。　In　other　cases；　as　you　are　aware；　if　a　man



says　that　he　is　a　good　flute…player；　or　skilful　in　any　other　art　in



which　he　has　no　skill；　people　either　laugh　at　him　or　are　angry　with



him；　and　his　relations　think　that　he　is　mad　and　go　and　admonish　him；



but　when　honesty　is　in　question；　or　some　other　political　virtue；



even　if　they　know　that　he　is　dishonest；　yet；　if　the　man　comes　publicly



forward　and　tells　the　truth　about　his　dishonesty；　then；　what　in　the



other　case　was　held　by　them　to　be　good　sense；　they　now　deem　to　be



madness。　They　say　that　all　men　ought　to　profess　honesty　whether　they



are　honest　or　not；　and　that　a　man　is　out　of　his　mind　who　says　anything



else。　Their　notion　is；　that　a　man　must　have　some　degree　of　honesty；



and　that　if　he　has　none　at　all　he　ought　not　to　be　in　the　world。



　　I　have　been　showing　that　they　are　right　in　admitting　every　man　as



a　counsellor　about　this　sort　of　virtue；　as　they　are　of　opinion　that



every　man　is　a　partaker　of　it。　And　I　will　now　endeavour　to　show



further　that　they　do　not　conceive　this　virtue　to　be　given　by　nature；



or　to　grow　spontaneously；　but　to　be　a　thing　which　may　be　taught；　and