laches-第6部分

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small　as　well　as　great？　　For　example；　if　a　man　shows　the　quality　of



endurance　in　spending　his　money　wisely；　knowing　that　by　spending　he　will



acquire　more　in　the　end；　do　you　call　him　courageous？







LACHES：　　Assuredly　not。







SOCRATES：　　Or；　for　example；　if　a　man　is　a　physician；　and　his　son；　or　some



patient　of　his；　has　inflammation　of　the　lungs；　and　begs　that　he　may　be



allowed　to　eat　or　drink　something；　and　the　other　is　firm　and　refuses；　is



that　courage？







LACHES：　　No；　that　is　not　courage　at　all；　any　more　than　the　last。







SOCRATES：　　Again；　take　the　case　of　one　who　endures　in　war；　and　is　willing



to　fight；　and　wisely　calculates　and　knows　that　others　will　help　him；　and



that　there　will　be　fewer　and　inferior　men　against　him　than　there　are　with



him；　and　suppose　that　he　has　also　advantages　of　position；　would　you　say　of



such　a　one　who　endures　with　all　this　wisdom　and　preparation；　that　he；　or



some　man　in　the　opposing　army　who　is　in　the　opposite　circumstances　to　these



and　yet　endures　and　remains　at　his　post；　is　the　braver？







LACHES：　　I　should　say　that　the　latter；　Socrates；　was　the　braver。







SOCRATES：　　But；　surely；　this　is　a　foolish　endurance　in　comparison　with　the



other？







LACHES：　　That　is　true。







SOCRATES：　　Then　you　would　say　that　he　who　in　an　engagement　of　cavalry



endures；　having　the　knowledge　of　horsemanship；　is　not　so　courageous　as　he



who　endures；　having　no　such　knowledge？







LACHES：　　So　I　should　say。







SOCRATES：　　And　he　who　endures；　having　a　knowledge　of　the　use　of　the　sling；



or　the　bow；　or　of　any　other　art；　is　not　so　courageous　as　he　who　endures；



not　having　such　a　knowledge？







LACHES：　　True。







SOCRATES：　　And　he　who　descends　into　a　well；　and　dives；　and　holds　out　in



this　or　any　similar　action；　having　no　knowledge　of　diving；　or　the　like；　is；



as　you　would　say；　more　courageous　than　those　who　have　this　knowledge？







LACHES：　　Why；　Socrates；　what　else　can　a　man　say？







SOCRATES：　　Nothing；　if　that　be　what　he　thinks。







LACHES：　　But　that　is　what　I　do　think。







SOCRATES：　　And　yet　men　who　thus　run　risks　and　endure　are　foolish；　Laches；



in　comparison　of　those　who　do　the　same　things；　having　the　skill　to　do　them。







LACHES：　　That　is　true。







SOCRATES：　　But　foolish　boldness　and　endurance　appeared　before　to　be　base



and　hurtful　to　us。







LACHES：　　Quite　true。







SOCRATES：　　Whereas　courage　was　acknowledged　to　be　a　noble　quality。







LACHES：　　True。







SOCRATES：　　And　now　on　the　contrary　we　are　saying　that　the　foolish



endurance；　which　was　before　held　in　dishonour；　is　courage。







LACHES：　　Very　true。







SOCRATES：　　And　are　we　right　in　saying　so？







LACHES：　　Indeed；　Socrates；　I　am　sure　that　we　are　not　right。







SOCRATES：　　Then　according　to　your　statement；　you　and　I；　Laches；　are　not



attuned　to　the　Dorian　mode；　which　is　a　harmony　of　words　and　deeds；　for　our



deeds　are　not　in　accordance　with　our　words。　　Any　one　would　say　that　we　had



courage　who　saw　us　in　action；　but　not；　I　imagine；　he　who　heard　us　talking



about　courage　just　now。







LACHES：　　That　is　most　true。







SOCRATES：　　And　is　this　condition　of　ours　satisfactory？







LACHES：　　Quite　the　reverse。







SOCRATES：　　Suppose；　however；　that　we　admit　the　principle　of　which　we　are



speaking　to　a　certain　extent。







LACHES：　　To　what　extent　and　what　principle　do　you　mean？







SOCRATES：　　The　principle　of　endurance。　　We　too　must　endure　and　persevere　in



the　enquiry；　and　then　courage　will　not　laugh　at　our　faint…heartedness　in



searching　for　courage；　which　after　all　may；　very　likely；　be　endurance。







LACHES：　　I　am　ready　to　go　on；　Socrates；　and　yet　I　am　unused　to



investigations　of　this　sort。　　But　the　spirit　of　controversy　has　been



aroused　in　me　by　what　has　been　said；　and　I　am　really　grieved　at　being　thus



unable　to　express　my　meaning。　　For　I　fancy　that　I　do　know　the　nature　of



courage；　but；　somehow　or　other；　she　has　slipped　away　from　me；　and　I　cannot



get　hold　of　her　and　tell　her　nature。







SOCRATES：　　But；　my　dear　friend；　should　not　the　good　sportsman　follow　the



track；　and　not　be　lazy？







LACHES：　　Certainly；　he　should。







SOCRATES：　　And　shall　we　invite　Nicias　to　join　us？　he　may　be　better　at　the



sport　than　we　are。　　What　do　you　say？







LACHES：　　I　should　like　that。







SOCRATES：　　Come　then；　Nicias；　and　do　what　you　can　to　help　your　friends；　who



are　tossing　on　the　waves　of　argument；　and　at　the　last　gasp：　　you　see　our



extremity；　and　may　save　us　and　also　settle　your　own　opinion；　if　you　will



tell　us　what　you　think　about　courage。







NICIAS：　　I　have　been　thinking；　Socrates；　that　you　and　Laches　are　not



defining　courage　in　the　right　way；　for　you　have　forgotten　an　excellent



saying　which　I　have　heard　from　your　own　lips。







SOCRATES：　　What　is　it；　Nicias？







NICIAS：　　I　have　often　heard　you　say　that　'Every　man　is　good　in　that　in



which　he　is　wise；　and　bad　in　that　in　which　he　is　unwise。'







SOCRATES：　　That　is　certainly　true；　Nicias。







NICIAS：　　And　therefore　if　the　brave　man　is　good；　he　is　also　wise。







SOCRATES：　　Do　you　hear　him；　Laches？







LACHES：　　Yes；　I　hear　him；　but　I　do　not　very　well　understand　him。







SOCRATES：　　I　think　that　I　understand　him；　and　he　appears　to　me　to　mean　that



courage　is　a　sort　of　wisdom。







LACHES：　　What　can　he　possibly　mean；　Socrates？







SOCRATES：　　That　is　a　question　which　you　must　ask　of　himself。







LACHES：　　Yes。







SOCRATES：　　Tell　him　then；　Nicias；　what　you　mean　by　this　wisdom；　for　you



surely　do　not　mean　the　wisdom　which　plays　the　flute？







NICIAS：　　Certainly　not。







SOCRATES：　　Nor　the　wisdom　which　plays　the　lyre？







NICIAS：　　No。







SOCRATES：　　But　what　is　this　knowledge　then；　and　of　what？







LACHES：　　I　think　that　you　put　the　question　to　him　very　well；　Socrates；　and



I　would　like　him　to　say　what　is　the　nature　of　this　knowledge　or　wisdom。







NICIAS：　　I　mean　to　say；　Laches；　that　courage　is　the　knowledge　of　that　which



inspires　fear　or　confidence　in　war；　or　in　anything。







LACHES：　　How　strangely　he　is　talking；　Socrates。







SOCRATES：　　Why　do　you　say　so；　Laches？







LACHES：　　Why；　surely　courage　is　one　thing；　and　wisdom　another。







SOCRATES：　　That　is　just　what　Nicias　denies。







LACHES：　　Yes；　that　is　what　he　denies；　but　he　is　so　silly。







SOCRATES：　　Suppose　that　we　instruct　instead　of　abusing　him？







NICIAS：　　Laches　does　not　want　to　instruct　me；　Socrates；　but　having　been



proved　to　be　talking　nonsense　himself；　he　wants　to　prove　that　I　have　been



doing　the　same。







LACHES：　　Very　true；　Nicias；　and　you　are　talking　nonsense；　as　I　shall



endeavour　to　show。　　Let　me　ask　you　a　question：　　Do　not　physicians　know　the



dangers　of　disease？　or　do　the　courageous　know　them？　or　are　the　physicians



the　same　as　the　courageous？







NICIAS：　　Not　at　all。







LACHES：　　No　more　than　the　husbandmen　who　know　the　dangers　of　husbandry；　or



than　other　craftsmen；　who　have　a　knowledge　of　that　which　inspires　them　with



fear　or　confidence　in　their　own　arts；　and　yet　they　are　not　courageous　a



whit　the　more　for　that。







SOCRATES：　　What　is　Laches　saying；　Nicias？　　He　appears　to　be　saying



something　of　importance。







NICIAS：　　Yes；　he　is　saying　something；　but　it　is　not　true。







SOCRATES：　　How　so？







NICIAS：　　Why；　because　he　does　not　see　that　the　physician's　knowledge　only



extends　to　the　nature　of　health　and　disease：　　he　can　tell　the　sick　man　no



more　than　this。　　Do　you　imagine；　Laches；　that　the　physician　knows　whether



health　or　disease　is　the　more　terrible　to　a　man？　　Had　not　many　a　man　better



never　get　up　from　a　sick　bed？　　I　should　like　to　know　whether　you　think　that



life　is　always　better　than　death。　　May　not　death　often　be　the　better　of　the



two？







LACHES：　　Yes　certainly　so　in　my　opinion。







NICIAS：　　And　do　you　think　that　the　same　things　are　terrible　to　those　who



had　better　die；　and　to　those　who　had　better　live？







LACHES：　　Certainly　not。







NICIAS：　　And　do　you　suppose　that　the　physician　or　any　other　artist　knows



this；　or　any　one　indeed；　except　he　who　is　skilled　in　the　grounds　of　fear



and　hope？　　And　him　I　call　the　courageous。







SOCRATES：　　Do　you　understand　his　meaning；　Laches？







LACHES：　　Yes；　I　suppose　that；　in　his　way　of　speaking；　the　soothsayers　are



courageous。　　For　who　but　one　of　them　can　know　to　whom　to　die　or　to　live　is



better？　　And　yet　Nicias；　would　you　allow　that　you　are　yourself　a



soothsayer；　or　are　you　neither　a　soothsayer　nor　courageous？







NICIAS：　　What！　do　you　mean　to　say　that　the　soothsayer　ought　to　know　the



grounds　of　hope　or　fear？







LACHES：　　Indeed　I　do：　　who　but　he？







NICIAS：　　Much　rather　I　should　say　he　of　whom　I　speak；　for　the　soothsayer



ought　to　know　only　the　signs　of　things　that　are　about　to　come　to　pass；



whether　death　or　disease；　or　loss　of　property；　or　victory；　or　defeat　in



war；　or　in　any　sort　of　contest；　but　to　whom　the　suffering　or　not　suffering



of　these　things　will　be　for　the　best；　can　no　more　be　decided　by　the



soothsayer　than　by　one　who　is　no　soothsayer。







LACHES：　　I　cannot　understand　what　Nicias　would　be　at；　Socrates；　for　he



represents　the　courageous　man　as　neither　a　soothsayer；　nor　a　physician；　nor



in　any　other　ch