hiero-第8章

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！



And　Hiero　answered：　Yes；　I　can　well　believe　you；　for　the　laws　are　the



true　outposts；＇10＇　who　guard　the　sentinels；　keeping　their　fears　alive



both　for　themselves　and　in　behalf　of　you。　Whereas　the　tyrant　hires　his



guards　for　pay　like　harvest　labourers。＇11＇　Now　of　all　functions；　all



abilities；　none；　I　presume；　is　more　required　of　a　guard　than　that　of



faithfulness；　and　yet　one　faithful　man　is　a　commodity　more　hard　to



find　than　scores　of　workmen　for　any　sort　of　work　you　like　to　name；＇12＇



and　the　more　so；　when　the　guards　in　question　are　not　forthcoming



except　for　money's　sake；＇13＇　and　when　they　have　it　in　their　power　to



get　far　more　in　far　less　time　by　murdering　the　despot　than　they　can



hope　to　earn　by　lengthened　service　in　protecting　him。







＇10＇　Or；　〃beyond　the　sentinels　themselves　is　set　the　outpost　of　the



　　　　laws；　who　watch　the　watch。〃







＇11＇　Or；　〃ten…day　labourers　in　harvest…time。〃







＇12＇　Or；　〃but　to　discover　one　single　faithful　man　is　far　more



　　　　difficult　than　scores　of　labourers　in　any　field　of　work　you



　　　　please。〃







＇13＇　Or；　〃are　merely　hirelings　for　filthy　lucre's　sake。〃







And　as　to　that　which　roused　your　envyour　ability；　as　you　call　it；　to



benefit　our　friends　most　largely；　and　beyond　all　else；　to　triumph　over



our　foeshere；　again；　matters　are　not　as　you　suppose。







How；　for　instance；　can　you　hope　to　benefit　your　friends；　when　you　may



rest　assured　the　very　friend　whom　you　have　made　most　your　debtor　will



be　the　happiest　to　quit　your　sight　as　fast　as　may　be？　since　nobody



believes　that　anything　a　tyrant　gives　him　is　indeed　his　own；　until　he



is　well　beyond　the　donor's　jurisdiction。







So　much　for　friends；　and　as　to　enemies　conversely。　How　can　you　say



〃most　power　of　triumphing　over　our　enemies；〃　when　every　tyrant　knows



full　well　they　are　all　his　enemies；　every　man　of　them；　who　are



despotically　ruled　by　him？　And　to　put　the　whole　of　them　to　death　or　to



imprison　them　is　hardly　possible；　or　who　will　be　his　subjects



presently？　Not　so；　but　knowing　they　are　his　enemies；　he　must　perform



this　dexterous　feat：＇14＇　he　must　keep　them　at　arm's　length；　and　yet　be



compelled　to　lean　upon　them。







＇14＇　Lit。　〃he　must　at　one　and　the　same　moment　guard　against　them；　and



　　　　yet　be　driven　also　to　depend　upon　them。〃







But　be　assured；　Simonides；　that　when　a　tyrant　fears　any　of　his



citizens；　he　is　in　a　strait；　it　is　ill　work　to　see　them　living　and　ill



work　to　put　them　to　the　death。　Just　as　might　happen　with　a　horse；　a



noble　beast；　but　there　is　that　in　him　makes　one　fear　he　will　do　some



mischief　presently　past　curing。＇15＇　His　very　virtue　makes　it　hard　to



kill　the　creature；　and　yet　to　turn　him　to　account　alive　is　also　hard；



so　careful　must　one　be；　he　does　not　choose　the　thick　of　danger　to　work



irreparable　harm。　And　this；　further；　doubtless　holds　of　all　goods　and



chattels；　which　are　at　once　a　trouble　and　a　benefit。　If　painful　to



their　owners　to　possess；　they　are　none　the　less　a　source　of　pain　to



part　with。







＇15＇　Lit。　〃good　but　fearful　（i。e。　he　makes　one　fear）；　he　will　some　day



　　　　do　some　desperate　mischief。〃















VII







Now　when　he　had　heard　these　reasonings；　Simonides　replied：　O　Hiero；



there　is　a　potent　force；　it　would　appear；　the　name　of　which　is　honour；



so　attractive　that　human　beings　strain　to　grasp　it；＇1＇　and　in　the



effort　they　will　undergo　all　pains；　endure　all　perils。　It　would



further　seem　that　even　you；　you　tyrants；　in　spite　of　all　that　sea　of



trouble　which　a　tyranny　involves；　rush　headlong　in　pursuit　of　it。　You



must　be　honoured。　All　the　world　shall　be　your　ministers；　they　shall



carry　out　your　every　injunction　with　unhestitating　zeal。＇2＇　You　shall



be　the　cynosure　of　neighbouring　eyes；　men　shall　rise　from　their　seats



at　your　approach；　they　shall　step　aside　to　yield　you　passage　in　the



streets。＇3＇　All　present　shall　at　all　times　magnify　you；＇4＇　and　shall



pay　homage　to　you　both　with　words　and　deeds。　Those；　I　take　it；　are



ever　the　kind　of　things　which　subjects　do　to　please　the　monarch；＇5＇



and　thus　they　treat　each　hero　of　the　moment；　whom　they　strive　to



honour。＇6＇







＇1＇　Lit。　〃that　human　beings　will　abide　all　risks　and　undergo　all　pains



　　　　to　clutch　the　bait。〃







＇2＇　Cf。　〃Cyrop。〃　II。　iii。　8；　VIII。　i。　29。







＇3＇　Cf。　〃Mem。〃　II。　iii。　16；　〃Cyrop。〃　VII。　v。　20。







＇4＇　｛gerairosi｝；　poetic。　Cf。　〃Cyrop。〃　VIII。　i。　39；　〃Hell。〃　I。　vii。　33；



　　　　〃Econ。〃　iv。　8；　〃Herod。〃　v。　67；　Pind。　〃O。〃　iii。　3；　v。　11；　〃N。〃　v。



　　　　15；　〃Od。〃　xiv。　437；　441；　〃Il。〃　vii。　321；　Plat。　〃Rep。〃　468　D；



　　　　quoting　〃Il。〃　vii。　321。







＇5＇　Reading　｛tois　turannois｝；　or　if　｛tous　turannous｝；　after　Cobet；



　　　　〃That　is　how　they　treat　crowned　heads。〃







＇6＇　Cf。　Tennyson；　〃Ode　on　the　Death　of　the　Duke　of　Wellington〃：







　　　　　　　　With　honour；　honour；　honour　to　him；



　　　　　　　　Eternal　honour　to　his　name。







Yes；　Hiero；　and　herein　precisely　lies　the　difference　between　a　man　and



other　animals；　in　this　outstretching　after　honour。＇7＇　Since；　it　would



seem；　all　living　creatures　alike　take　pleasure　in　meats　and　drinks；　in



sleep　and　sexual　joys。　Only　the　love　of　honour　is　implanted　neither　in



unreasoning　brutes＇8＇　nor　universally　in　man。　But　they　in　whose　hearts



the　passion　for　honour　and　fair　fame　has　fallen　like　a　seed；　these



unmistakably＇9＇　are　separated　most　widely　from　the　brutes。　These　may



claim　to　be　called　men；＇10＇　not　human　beings　merely。　So　that；　in　my



poor　judgment；　it　is　but　reasonable　you　should　submit　to　bear　the



pains　and　penalties　of　royalty；　since　you　are　honoured　far　beyond　all



other　mortal　men。　And　indeed　no　pleasure　known　to　man　would　seem　to　be



nearer　that　of　gods　than　the　delight＇11＇　which　centres　in　proud



attributes。







＇7＇　Or；　〃in　this　strong　aspiration　after　honour。〃　Holden　aptly　cf。



　　　　〃Spectator；〃　No。　467：　〃The　love　of　praise　is　a　passion　deeply



　　　　fixed　in　the　mind　of　every　extraordinary　person；　and　those　who　are



　　　　most　affected　with　it　seem　most　to　partake　of　that　particle　of　the



　　　　divinity　which　distinguishes　mankind　from　the　inferior　creation。〃







＇8＇　｛alogous｝；　i。e。　〃without　speach　and　reason〃；　cf。　modern　Greek　｛o



　　　　alogos｝　=　the　horse　（sc。　the　animal　par　excellence）。　See



　　　　〃Horsemanship；〃　viii。　14。







＇9＇　｛ede｝；　〃ipso　facto。〃







＇10＇　See　〃Anab。〃　I。　vii。　4；　Frotscher　ap。　Breit。　cf。　Cic。　〃ad　Fam。〃　v。



　　　　17。　5；　〃ut　et　hominem　te　et　virum　esse　meminisses。〃







＇11＇　Or；　〃joyance。〃







To　these　arguments　Hiero　replied：　Nay；　but；　Simonides；　the　honours　and



proud　attributes　bestowed　on　tyrants　have　much　in　common　with　their



love…makings；　as　I　described　them。　Like　honours　like　loves；　the　pair



are　of　a　piece。







For　just　as　the　ministrations　won　from　loveless　hearts＇12＇　are　felt　to



be　devoid　of　grace；　and　embraces　forcibly　procured　are　sweet　no



longer；　so　the　obsequious　cringings　of　alarm　are　hardly　honours。　Since



how　shall　we　assert　that　people　who　are　forced　to　rise　from　their



seats　do　really　rise　to　honour　those　whom　they　regard　as　malefactors？



or　that　these　others　who　step　aside　to　let　their　betters　pass　them　in



the　street；　desire　thus　to　show　respect　to　miscreants？＇13＇　And　as　to



gifts；　it　is　notorious；　people　commonly　bestow　them　largely　upon　those



they　hate；　and　that　too　when　their　fears　are　gravest；　hoping　to　avert



impending　evil。　Nay；　these　are　nothing　more　nor　less　than　acts　of



slavery；　and　they　may　fairly　be　set　down　as　such。







＇12＇　Or；　〃the　compliance　of　cold　lips　where　love　is　not　reciprocated



　　　　is　。　。　。