太子爷小说网 > 英语电子书 > the memorabilia >

第11节

the memorabilia-第11节

小说: the memorabilia 字数: 每页4000字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!



    Dindorf ad loc。

Ar。 Yes; but I must tell you I have a simple remedy against all such
misadventures。 I do not confine myself to any single civil community。
I roam the wide world a foreigner。

Soc。 Well; now; that is a masterly stroke; upon my word!'18' Of
course; ever since the decease of Sinis; and Sciron; and
Procrustes;'19' foreign travellers have had an easy time of it。 But
still; if I bethink me; even in these modern days the members of free
communities do pass laws in their respective countries for self…
protection against wrong…doing。 Over and above their personal
connections; they provide themselves with a host of friends; they gird
their cities about with walls and battlements; they collect armaments
to ward off evil…doers; and to make security doubly sure; they furnish
themselves with allies from foreign states。 In spite of all which
defensive machinery these same free citizens do occasionally fall
victims to injustice。 But you; who are without any of these aids; you;
who pass half your days on the high roads where iniquity is rife;'20'
you; who; into whatever city you enter; are less than the least of its
free members; and moreover are just the sort of person whom any one
bent on mischief would single out for attackyet you; with your
foreigner's passport; are to be exempt from injury? So you flatter
yourself。 And why? Will the state authorities cause proclamation to be
made on your behalf: 〃The person of this man Aristippus is secure; let
his going out and his coming in be free from danger〃? Is that the
ground of your confidence? or do you rather rest secure in the
consciousness that you would prove such a slave as no master would
care to keep? For who would care to have in his house a fellow with so
slight a disposition to work and so strong a propensity to
extravagance? Suppose we stop and consider that very point: how do
masters deal with that sort of domestic? If I am not mistaken; they
chastise his wantonness by starvation; they balk his thieving
tendencies by bars and bolts where there is anything to steal; they
hinder him from running away by bonds and imprisonment; they drive the
sluggishness out of him with the lash。 Is it not so? Or how do you
proceed when you discover the like tendency in one of your domestics?

'18' Or; 〃Well foiled!〃 〃A masterly fall! my prince of wrestlers。〃

'19' For these mythical highway robbers; see Diod。 iv。 59; and for
    Sciron in particular; Plut。 〃Theseus;〃 10。

'20' Or; 〃where so many suffer wrong。〃

Ar。 I correct them with all the plagues; till I force them to serve me
properly。 But; Socrates; to return to your pupil educated in the royal
art;'21' which; if I mistake not; you hold to be happiness: how; may I
ask; will he be better off than others who lie in evil case; in spite
of themselves; simply because they suffer perforce; but in his case
the hunger and the thirst; the cold shivers and the lying awake at
nights; with all the changes he will ring on pain; are of his own
choosing? For my part I cannot see what difference it makes; provided
it is one and the same bare back which receives the stripes; whether
the whipping be self…appointed or unasked for; nor indeed does it
concern my body in general; provided it be my body; whether I am
beleaguered by a whole armament of such evils'22' of my own will or
against my willexcept only for the folly which attaches to self…
appointed suffering。

'21' Cf。 below; IV。 ii。 11; Plat。 〃Statesm。〃 259 B; 〃Euthyd。〃 291 C;
    K。 Joel; op。 cit。 p。 387 foll。 〃Aristippus anticipates Adeimantus〃
    (〃Rep。〃 419); W。 L。 Newman; op。 cit。 i。 395。

'22' Cf。 〃suffers the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune。〃

Soc。 What; Aristippus; does it not seem to you that; as regards such
matters; there is all the difference between voluntary and involuntary
suffering; in that he who starves of his own accord can eat when he
chooses; and he who thirsts of his own free will can drink; and so for
the rest; but he who suffers in these ways perforce cannot desist from
the suffering when the humour takes him? Again; he who suffers
hardship voluntarily; gaily confronts his troubles; being buoyed on
hope'23'just as a hunter in pursuit of wild beasts; through hope of
capturing his quarry; finds toil a pleasureand these are but prizes
of little worth in return for their labours; but what shall we say of
their reward who toil to obtain to themselves good friends; or to
subdue their enemies; or that through strength of body and soul they
may administer their households well; befriend their friends; and
benefit the land which gave them birth? Must we not suppose that these
too will take their sorrows lightly; looking to these high ends? Must
we not suppose that they too will gaily confront existence; who have
to support them not only their conscious virtue; but the praise and
admiration of the world?'24' And once more; habits of indolence; along
with the fleeting pleasures of the moment; are incapable; as gymnastic
trainers say; of setting up'25' a good habit of body; or of implanting
in the soul any knowledge worthy of account; whereas by painstaking
endeavour in the pursuit of high and noble deeds; as good men tell us;
through endurance we shall in the end attain the goal。 So Hesiod
somewhere says:'26'

    Wickedness may a man take wholesale with ease; smooth is the way
    and her dwelling…place is very nigh; but in front of virtue the
    immortal gods have placed toil and sweat; long is the path and
    steep that leads to her; and rugged at the first; but when the
    summit of the pass is reached; then for all its roughness the path
    grows easy。

'23' Cf。 above; I。 vi。 8。

'24' Or; 〃in admiration of themselves; the praise and envy of the
    world at large。〃

'25' See Hippocrates; 〃V。 Med。〃 18。

'26' Hesiod; 〃Works and Days;〃 285。 See Plat。 〃Prot。〃 340 C; 〃Rep。〃
    ii。 364 D; 〃Laws;〃 iv。 718 E。

And Ephicharmus'27' bears his testimony when he says:

    The gods sell us all good things in return for our labours。

'27' Epicharmus of Cos; the chief comic poet among the Dorians; fl。
    500 B。C。 Cf。 Plat。 〃Theaet。〃 152 E; 〃the prince of comedy〃;
    〃Gorg。〃 505 D。

And again in another passage he exclaims:

    Set not thine heart on soft things; thou knave; lest thou light
    upon the hard。

And that wise man Prodicus'28' delivers himself in a like strain
concerning virtue in that composition of his about Heracles; which
crowds have listened to。'29' This; as far as I can recollect it; is
the substance at least of what he says:

'28' Prodicus of Ceos。 See Plat。 〃Men。〃 24; 〃Cratyl。〃 1; Philostr。
    〃Vit。 Soph。〃 i。 12。

'29' Or; 〃which he is fond of reciting as a specimen of style。〃 The
    title of the {epideixis} was {'Orai} according to Suidas;
    {Prodikos}。

〃When Heracles was emerging from boyhood into the bloom of youth;
having reached that season in which the young man; now standing upon
the verge of independence; shows plainly whether he will enter upon
the path of virtue or of vice; he went forth into a quiet place; and
sat debating with himself which of those two paths he should pursue;
and as he there sat musing; there appeared to him two women of great
stature which drew nigh to him。 The one was fair to look upon; frank
and free by gift of nature;'30' her limbs adorned with purity and her
eyes with bashfulness; sobriety set the rhythm of her gait; and she
was clad in white apparel。 The other was of a different type; the
fleshy softness of her limbs betrayed her nurture; while the
complexion of her skin was embellished that she might appear whiter
and rosier than she really was; and her figure that she might seem
taller than nature made her; she stared with wide…open eyes; and the
raiment wherewith she was clad served but to reveal the ripeness of
her bloom。 With frequent glances she surveyed her person; or looked to
see if others noticed her; while ever and anon she fixed her gaze upon
the shadow of herself intently。

'30' Reading {eleutherion phusei; 。 。 。} or if {eleutherion;
    phusei 。 。 。} translate 〃nature had adorned her limbs 。 。 。〃

〃Now when these two had drawn near to Heracles; she who was first
named advanced at an even pace'31' towards him; but the other; in her
eagerness to outstrip her; ran forward to the youth; exclaiming; 'I
see you; Heracles; in doubt and difficulty what path of life to
choose; make me your friend; and I will lead you to the pleasantest
road and easiest。 This I promise you: you shall taste all of life's
sweets and escape all bitters。 In the first place; you shall not
trouble your brain with war or business; other topics shall engage
your mind;'32' your only speculation; what meat or drink you shall
find agreeable to your palate; what delight'33' of ear or eye; what
pleasure of smell or touch; what darling lover's intercourse shall
most enrapture you; how you shall pillow your limbs in softest
slumber; how cull each individual pleasure without alloy of pain; and
if ever the suspicion steal upon you that the stream of joys will one
day dwindle; trust me I will not lead you where you shall replenish
the store by toil of body and trouble of soul。 No! ot

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的