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the memorabilia-第31节

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But we have not quite hit the definition yet; I think。 Are we to be
called dainty eaters because we like our bread buttered?〃'8'

'4' For the distinction between {sitos} and {opson} see Plat。 〃Rep。〃
    372 C。

'5' Or; 〃The conversation had fallen upon names: what is the precise
    thing denoted under such and such a term? Define the meaning of so
    and so。〃

'6' {opsophagos} = {opson} (or relish) eater; and so a 〃gourmand〃 or
    〃epicure〃; but how to define a gourmand?

'7' Lit。 〃takes some {opson} (relish) to his {sitos} (food)。〃

'8' Lit。 〃simply for that〃 (sc。 the taking of some sort of {opson}。
    For {epi touto} cf。 Plat。 〃Soph。〃 218 C; 〃Parmen。〃 147 D。

No! hardly! (some member of the company replied)。

Soc。 Well; but now suppose a man confine himself to eating venison or
other dainty without any plain food at all; not as a matter of
training;'9' but for the pleasure of it: has such a man earned the
title? 〃The rest of the world would have a poor chance against
him;〃'10' some one answered。 〃Or;〃 interposed another; 〃what if the
dainty dishes he devours are out of all proportion to the rest of his
mealwhat of him?〃'11'

'9' Lit。 〃{opson} (relish) by itself; not for the sake of training;〃
    etc。 The English reader wil bear in mind that a raw beefsteak or
    other meat prescribed by the gymnastic trainer in preference to
    farinaceous food ({sitos}) would be {opson}。

'10' Or; more lit。 〃Hardly any one could deserve the appellation
    better。〃

'11' Lit。 〃and what of the man who eats much {opson} on the top of a
    little ({sitos})?〃 {epesthion} = follows up one course by another;
    like the man in a fragment of Euripides; 〃Incert。〃 98: {kreasi
    boeiois khlora suk' epesthien}; who 〃followed up his beefsteak
    with a garnish of green figs。〃

Soc。 He has established a very fair title at any rate to the
appellation; and when the rest of the world pray to heaven for a fine
harvest: 〃May our corn and oil increase!〃 he may reasonably ejaculate;
〃May my fleshpots multiply!〃

At this last sally the young man; feeling that the conversation set
somewhat in his direction; did not desist indeed from his savoury
viands; but helped himself generously to a piece of bread。 Socrates
was all…observant; and added: Keep an eye on our friend yonder; you
others next him; and see fair play between the sop and the sauce。'12'

'12' Lit。 〃see whether he will make a relish of the staple or a staple
    of the relish〃 (〃butter his bread or bread his butter〃)。

Another time; seeing one of the company using but one sop of bread'13'
to test several savoury dishes; he remarked: Could there be a more
extravagant style of cookery; or more murderous to the dainty dishes
themselves; than this wholesale method of taking so many dishes
together?why; bless me; twenty different sorts of seasoning at one
swoop!'14' First of all he mixes up actually more ingredients than the
cook himself prescribes; which is extravagant; and secondly; he has
the audacity to commingle what the chef holds incongruous; whereby if
the cooks are right in their method he is wrong in his; and
consequently the destroyer of their art。 Now is it not ridiculous
first to procure the greatest virtuosi to cook for us; and then
without any claim to their skill to take and alter their procedure?
But there is a worse thing in store for the bold man who habituates
himself to eat a dozen dishes at once: when there are but few dishes
served; out of pure habit he will feel himself half starved; whilst
his neighbour; accustomed to send his sop down by help of a single
relish; will feast merrily; be the dishes never so few。

'13' {psomos}; a sop or morsel of bread (cf。 {psomion}; N。 T。; in mod。
    Greek = 〃bread〃)。

'14' Huckleberry Finn (p。 2 of that young person's 〃Adventures〃)
    propounds the rationale of the system: 〃In a barrel of odds and
    ends it is different; things get mixed up; and the juice kind of
    swaps around; and the things go better。〃

He had a saying that {euokheisthai}; to 〃make good cheer;〃'15' was in
Attic parlance a synonym for 〃eating;〃 and the affix {eu} (the
attributive 〃good〃) connoted the eating of such things as would not
trouble soul or body; and were not far to seek or hard to find。 So
that to 〃make good cheer〃 in his vocabulary applied to a modest and
well…ordered style of living。'16'

'15' {euokheisthai}; cf。 〃Cyrop。〃 IV。 v。 7; 〃Pol。 Ath。〃 ii。 9; Kuhner
    cf。 Eustah。 〃ad Il。〃 ii。 p。 212; 37; {'Akhaioi ten trophen okhen
    legousin oxutonos}。 Athen。 viii。 363 B。 See 〃Hipparch;〃 viii。 4;
    of horses。 Cf。 Arist。 〃H。 A。〃 viii。 6。

'16' See 〃Symp。〃 vi。 7; and for similar far…fetched etymologies; Plat。
    〃Crat。〃 passim。



BOOK IV


I

Such was Socrates; so helpful under all circumstances and in every way
that no observer; gifted with ordinary sensibility; could fail to
appreciate the fact; that to be with Socrates; and to spend long time
in his society (no matter where or what the circumstances); was indeed
a priceless gain。 Even the recollection of him; when he was no longer
present; was felt as no small benefit by those who had grown
accustomed to be with him; and who accepted him。 Nor indeed was he
less helpful to his acquaintance in his lighter than in his graver
moods。

Let us take as an example that saying of his; so often on his lips: 〃I
am in love with so and so〃; and all the while it was obvious the
going…forth of his soul was not towards excellence of body in the
bloom of beauty; but rather towards faculties of the soul unfolding in
virtue。'1' And these 〃good natures〃 he detected by certain tokens: a
readiness to learn that to which the attention was directed; a power
of retaining in the memory the lessons learnt; and a passionate
predilection for those studies in particular which serve to good
administration of a house or of a state;'2' and in general to the
proper handling of man and human affairs。 Such beings; he maintained;
needed only to be educated'3' to become not only happy themselves and
happy administrators of their private households; but to be capable of
rendering other human beings as states or individuals happy also。

'1' Or; 〃not excellence of body in respect of beauty; but of the soul
    as regards virtue; and this good natural disposition might be
    detected by the readiness of its possessor to learn;〃 etc。 Cf。
    Plat。 〃Rep。〃 535 B。

'2' Cf。 above; I。 i。 7。

'3' Or; 〃A person of this type would; if educated; not only prove a
    fortune…favoured invididual himself and;〃 etc。 Al。 Kuhner; 〃Eos;
    qui ita instituti sunt; ut tales sint。〃

He had indeed a different way of dealing with different kinds of
people。'4' Those who thought they had good natural ability and
despised learning he instructed that the most highly…gifted nature
stands most in need of training and education;'5' and he would point
out how in the case of horses it is just the spirited and fiery
thoroughbred which; if properly broken in as a colt; will develop into
a serviceable and superb animal; but if left unbroken will turn out
utterly intractable and good for nothing。 Or take the case of dogs: a
puppy exhibiting that zest for toil and eagerness to attack wild
creatures which are the marks of high breeding;'6' will; if well
brought up; prove excellent for the chase or for any other useful
purpose; but neglect his education and he will turn out a stupid;
crazy brute; incapable of obeying the simplest command。 It is just the
same with human beings; here also the youth of best natural endowments
that is to say; possessing the most robust qualities of spirit and a
fixed determination to carry out whatever he has laid his hand to
will; if trained and taught what it is right to do; prove a
superlatively good and useful man。 He achieves; in fact; what is best
upon the grandest scale。 But leave him in boorish ignorance untrained;
and he will prove not only very bad but very mischievous;'7' and for
this reason; that lacking the knowledge to discern what is right to
do; he will frequently lay his hand to villainous practices; whilst
the very magnificence and vehemence of his character render it
impossible either to rein him in or to turn him aside from his evil
courses。 Hence in his case also his achievements are on the grandest
scale but of the worst。'8'

'4' Or; 〃His method of attack was not indeed uniformly the same。 It
    varied with the individual。〃

'5' Or; 〃If any one was disposed to look down upon learning and study
    in reliance upon his own natural ability; he tried to lesson him
    that it is just the highly…gifted nature which stands;〃 etc。 See
    Newman; op。 cit。 i。 397。

'6' Cf。 Aristot。 〃H。 A。〃 ix。 1; and 〃Hunting;〃 iii。 11。

'7' Or; 〃and the same man may easily become a master villain of the
    most dangerous sort。〃

'8' Kuhner ad loc。 after Fr。 Hermann cf。 Plato。 〃Crito;〃 44 E; 〃Hipp。
    min。〃 375 E; 〃Rep。〃 vi。 491 E; 〃Gorg。〃 526 A; 〃Polit。〃 303 A。

Or to take the type of person so eaten up with the pride of riches
that he conceives himself dispensed from any further need of education
since it is 〃money makes the man;〃 and his wealth will amply suffice
him to ca

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