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第14章

phaedrus-第14章

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with him。



  Phaedr。 Yes。



  Soc。 And there is also Polus; who has treasuries of diplasiology;



and gnomology; and eikonology; and who teaches in them the names of



which Licymnius made him a present; they were to give a polish。



  Phaedr。 Had not Protagoras something of the same sort?



  Soc。 Yes; rules of correct diction and many other fine precepts; for



the 〃sorrows of a poor old man;〃 or any other pathetic case; no one is



better than the Chalcedonian giant; he can put a whole company of



people into a passion and out of one again by his mighty magic; and is



first…rate at inventing or disposing of any sort of calumny on any



grounds or none。 All of them agree in asserting that a speech should



end in a recapitulation; though they do not all agree to use the



same word。



  Phaedr。 You mean that there should be a summing up of the



arguments in order to remind the hearers of them。



  Soc。 I have now said all that I have to say of the art of



rhetoric: have you anything to add?



  Phaedr。 Not much; nothing very important。



  Soc。 Leave the unimportant and let us bring the really important



question into the light of day; which is: What power has this art of



rhetoric; and when?



  Phaedr。 A very great power in public meetings。



  Soc。 It has。 But I should like to know whether you have the same



feeling as I have about the rhetoricians? To me there seem to be a



great many holes in their web。



  Phaedr。 Give an example。



  Soc。 I will。 Suppose a person to come to your friend Eryximachus; or



to his father Acumenus; and to say to him: 〃I know how to apply



drugs which shall have either a heating or a cooling effect; and I can



give a vomit and also a purge; and all that sort of thing; and knowing



all this; as I do; I claim to be a physician and to make physicians by



imparting this knowledge to others;〃…what do you suppose that they



would say?



  Phaedr。 They would be sure to ask him whether he knew 〃to whom〃 he



would give his medicines; and 〃when;〃 and 〃how much。〃



  Soc。 And suppose that he were to reply: 〃No; I know nothing of all



that; I expect the patient who consults me to be able to do these



things for himself〃?



  Phaedr。 They would say in reply that he is a madman or pedant who



fancies that he is a physician because he has read something in a



book; or has stumbled on a prescription or two; although he has no



real understanding of the art of medicine。



  Soc。 And suppose a person were to come to Sophocles or Euripides and



say that he knows how to make a very long speech about a small matter;



and a short speech about a great matter; and also a sorrowful



speech; or a terrible; or threatening speech; or any other kind of



speech; and in teaching this fancies that he is teaching the art of



tragedy…?



  Phaedr。 They too would surely laugh at him if he fancies that



tragedy is anything but the arranging of these elements in a manner



which will be suitable to one another and to the whole。



  Soc。 But I do not suppose that they would be rude or abusive to him:



Would they not treat him as a musician would a man who thinks that



he is a harmonist because he knows how to pitch the highest and lowest



notes; happening to meet such an one he would not say to him savagely;



〃Fool; you are mad!〃 But like a musician; in a gentle and harmonious



tone of voice; he would answer: 〃My good friend; he who would be a



harmonist must certainly know this; and yet he may understand



nothing of harmony if he has not got beyond your stage of knowledge;



for you only know the preliminaries of harmony and not harmony



itself。〃



  Phaedr。 Very true。



  Soc。 And will not Sophocles say to the display of the would…be



tragedian; that this is not tragedy but the preliminaries of



tragedy? and will not Acumenus say the same of medicine to the



would…be physician?



  Phaedr。 Quite true。



  Soc。 And if Adrastus the mellifluous or Pericles heard of these



wonderful arts; brachylogies and eikonologies and all the hard names



which we have been endeavouring to draw into the light of day; what



would they say? Instead of losing temper and applying



uncomplimentary epithets; as you and I have been doing; to the authors



of such an imaginary art; their superior wisdom would rather censure



us; as well as them。 〃Have a little patience; Phaedrus and Socrates;



they would say; you should not be in such a passion with those who



from some want of dialectical skill are unable to define the nature of



rhetoric; and consequently suppose that they have found the art in the



preliminary conditions of it; and when these have been taught by



them to others; fancy that the whole art of rhetoric has been taught



by them; but as to using the several instruments of the art



effectively; or making the composition a whole;…an application of it



such as this is they regard as an easy thing which their disciples may



make for themselves。〃



  Phaedr。 I quite admit; Socrates; that the art of rhetoric which



these men teach and of which they write is such as you



describe…there I agree with you。 But I still want to know where and



how the true art of rhetoric and persuasion is to be acquired。



  Soc。 The perfection which is required of the finished orator is;



or rather must be; like the perfection of anything else; partly



given by nature; but may also be assisted by art。 If you have the



natural power and add to it knowledge and practice; you will be a



distinguished speaker; if you fall short in either of these; you



will be to that extent defective。 But the art; as far as there is an



art; of rhetoric does not lie in the direction of Lysias or



Thrasymachus。



  Phaedr。 In what direction then?



  Soc。 I conceive Pericles to have been the most accomplished of



rhetoricians。



  Phaedr。 What of that?



  Soc。 All the great arts require discussion and high speculation



about the truths of nature; hence come loftiness of thought and



completeness of execution。 And this; as I conceive; was the quality



which; in addition to his natural gifts; Pericles acquired from his



intercourse with Anaxagoras whom he happened to know。 He was thus



imbued with the higher philosophy; and attained the knowledge of



Mind and the negative of Mind; which were favourite themes of



Anaxagoras; and applied what suited his purpose to the art of



speaking。



  Phaedr。 Explain。



  Soc。 Rhetoric is like medicine。



  Phaedr。 How so?



  Soc。 Why; because medicine has to define the nature of the body



and rhetoric of the soul…if we would proceed; not empirically but



scientifically; in the one case to impart health and strength by



giving medicine and food in the other to implant the conviction or



virtue which you desire; by the right application of words and



training。



  Phaedr。 There; Socrates; I suspect that you are right。



  Soc。 And do you think that you can know the nature of the soul



intelligently without knowing the nature of the whole?



  Phaedr。 Hippocrates the Asclepiad says that the nature even of the



body can only be understood as a whole。



  Soc。 Yes; friend; and he was right:…still; we ought not to be



content with the name of Hippocrates; but to examine and see whether



his argument agrees with his conception of nature。



  Phaedr。 I agree。



  Soc。 Then consider what truth as well as Hippocrates says about this



or about any other nature。 Ought we not to consider first whether that



which we wish to learn and to teach is a simple or multiform thing;



and if simple; then to enquire what power it has of acting or being


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