gorgias-第11章

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re　saying　in　the　assembly；　you　go　over　to　his　opinion；　and　you　do　the　same　with　Demus；　the　fair　young　son　of　Pyrilampes。　For　you　have　not　the　power　to　resist　the　words　and　ideas　of　your　loves；　and　is　a　person　were　to　express　surprise　at　the　strangeness　of　what　you　say　from　time　to　time　when　under　their　influence；　you　would　probably　reply　to　him；　if　you　were　honest；　that　you　cannot　help　saying　what　your　loves　say　unless　they　are　prevented；　and　that　you　can　only　be　silent　when　they　are。　Now　you　must　understand　that　my　words　are　an　echo　too；　and　therefore　you　need　not　wonder　at　me；　but　if　you　want　to　silence　me；　silence　philosophy；　who　is　my　love；　for　she　is　always　telling　me　what　I　am　telling　you；　my　friend；　neither　is　she　capricious　like　my　other　love；　for　the　son　of　Cleinias　says　one　thing　to…day　and　another　thing　to…morrow；　but　philosophy　is　always　true。　She　is　the

teacher　at　whose　words　you　are。　now　wondering；　and　you　have　heard　her　yourself。　Her　you　must　refute；　and　either　show；　as　I　was　saying；　that　to　do　injustice　and　to　escape　punishment　is　not　the　worst　of　all　evils；　or；　if　you　leave　her　word　unrefuted；　by　the　dog　the　god　of　Egypt；　I　declare；　O　Callicles；　that　Callicles　will　never　be　at　one　with　himself；　but　that　his　whole　life；　will　be　a　discord。　And　yet；　my　friend；　I　would　rather　that　my　lyre　should　be　inharmonious；　and　that　there　should　be　no　music　in　the　chorus　which　I　provided；　aye；　or　that　the　whole　world　should　be　at　odds　with　me；　and　oppose　me；　rather　than　that　I　myself　should　be　at　odds　with　myself；　and　contradict　myself。　　　Cal。　O　Socrates；　you　are　a　regular　declaimer；　and　seem　to　be　running　riot　in　the　argument。　And　now　you　are　declaiming　in　this　way　because　Polus　has　fallen　into　the　same　error　himself　of　which　he　accused　Gorgias：…for　he　said　that　when　Gorgias　was　asked　by　you；　whether；　if　some　one　came　to　him　who　wanted　to　learn　rhetoric；　and　did　not　know　justice；　he　would　teach　him　justice；　Gorgias　in　his　modesty　replied　that　he　would；　because　he　thought　that　mankind　in　general　would　be　displeased　if　he　answered　〃No〃；　and　then　in　consequence　of　this　admission；　Gorgias　was　compelled　to　contradict　himself；　that　being　just　the　sort　of　thing　in　which　you　delight。　Whereupon　Polus　laughed　at　you　deservedly；　as　I　think；　but　now　he　has　himself　fallen　into　the　same　trap。　I　cannot　say　very　much　for　his　wit　when　he　conceded　to　you　that　to　do　is　more　dishonourable　than　to　suffer　injustice；　for　this　was　the　admission　which　led　to　his　being　entangled　by　you；　and　because　he　was　too　modest　to　say　what　he　thought；　he　had　his　mouth　stopped。　For　the　truth　is；　Socrates；　that　you；　who　pretend　to　be　engaged　in　the　pursuit　of　truth；　are　appealing　now　to　the　popular　and　vulgar　notions　of　right；　which　are　not　natural；　but　only　conventional。　Convention　and　nature　are　generally　at　variance　with　one　another：　and　hence；　if　a　person　is　too　modest　to　say　what　he　thinks；　he　is　compelled　to　contradict　himself；　and　you；　in　your　ingenuity　perceiving　the　advantage　to　be　thereby　gained；　slyly　ask　of　him　who　is　arguing　conventionally　a　question　which　is　to　be　determined　by　the　rule　of　nature；　and　if　he　is　talking　of　the　rule　of　nature；　you　slip　away　to　custom：　as；　for　instance；　you　did　in　this　very　discussion　about　doing　and　suffering　injustice。　When　Polus　was　speaking　of　the　conventionally　dishonourable；　you　assailed　him　from　the　point　of　view　of　nature；　for　by　the　rule　of　nature；　to　suffer　injustice　is　the　greater　disgrace　because　the　greater　evil；　but　conventionally；　to　do　evil　is　the　more　disgraceful。　For　the　suffering　of　injustice　is　hot　the　part　of　a　man；　but　of　a　slave；　who　indeed　had　better　die　than　live；　since　when　he　is　wronged　and　trampled　upon；　he　is　unable　to　help　himself；　or　any　other　about　whom　he　cares。　The　reason；　as　I　conceive；　is　that　the　makers　of　laws　are　the　majority　who　are　weak；　and　they；　make　laws　and　distribute　praises　and　censures　with　a　view　to　themselves　and　to　their　own　interests；　and　they：　terrify　the　stronger　sort　of　men；　and　those　who　are　able　to　get　the　better　of　them　in　order　that　they　may　not　get　the　better　of　them；　and　they　say；　that　dishonesty　is　shameful　and　unjust；　meaning；　by　the　word　injustice；　the　desire　of　a　man　to　have　more　than　his　neighbours；　for　knowing　their　own　inferiority；　I　suspect　that　they　are　too　glad　of　equality。　And　therefore　the　endeavour　to　have　more　than　the　many；　is　conventionally　said　to　be　shameful　and　unjust；　and　is　called　injustice；　whereas　nature　herself　intimates　that　it　is　just　for　the　better　to　have　more　than　the　worse；　the　more　powerful　than　the　weaker；　and　in　many　ways　she　shows；　among　men　as　well　as　among　animals；　and　indeed　among　whole　cities　and　races；　that　justice　consists　in　the　superior　ruling　over　and　having　more　than　the　inferior。　For　on　what　principle　of　justice　did　Xerxes　invade　Hellas；　or　his　father　the　Scythians？　（not　to　speak　of　numberless　other　examples）。　Nay；　but　these　are　the　men　who　act　according　to　nature；　yes；　by　Heaven；　and　according　to　the　law　of　nature：　not；　perhaps；　according　to　that　artificial　law；　which　we　invent　and　impose　upon　our　fellows；　of　whom　we　take　the　best　and　strongest　from　their　youth　upwards；　and　tame　them　like　young　lions；　…charming　them　with　the　sound　of　the　voice；　and　saying　to　them；　that　with　equality　they　must　be　content；　and　that　the　equal　is　the　honourable　and　the　just。　But　if　there　were　a　man　who　had　sufficient　force；　he　would　shake　off　and　break　through；　and　escape　from　all　this；　he　would　trample　under　foot　all　our　formulas　and　spells　and　charms；　and　all　our　laws　which　are　against　nature：　the　slave　would　rise　in　rebellion　and　be　lord　over　us；　and　the　light　of　natural　justice　would　shine　forth。　And　this　I　take　to　be　the　sentiment　of　Pindar；　when　he　says　in　his　poem；　that

　　　Law　is　the　king　of　all；　of　mortals　as　well　as　of　immortals；

this；　as　he　says；

　　　Makes　might　to　be　right；　doing　violence　with　highest　hand；　as　I　infer　from　the　deeds　of　Heracles；　for　without　buying　them…

…I　do　not　remember　the　exact　words；　but　the　meaning　is；　that　without　buying　them；　and　without　their　being　given　to　him；　he　carried　off　the　oxen　of　Geryon；　according　to　the　law　of　natural　right；　and　that　the　oxen　and　other　possessions　of　the　weaker　and　inferior　properly　belong　to　the　stronger　and　superior。　And　this　is　true；　as　you　may　ascertain；　if　you　will　leave　philosophy　and　go　on　to　higher　things：　for　philosophy；　Socrates；　if　pursued　in　moderation　and　at　the　proper　age；　is　an　elegant　accomplishment；　but　too　much　philosophy　is　the　ruin　of　human　life。　Even　if　a　man　has　good　parts；　still；　if　he　carries　philosophy　into　later　life；　he　is　necessarily　ignorant　of　all　those　things　which　a　gentleman　and　a　person　of　honour　ought　to　know；　he　is　inexperienced　in　the　laws　of　the　State；　and　in　the　language　which　ought　to　be　used　in　the　dealings　of　man　with　man；　whether　private　or　public；　and　utterly　ignorant　of　the　pleasures　and　desires　of　mankind　and　of　human　character　in　general。　And　people　of　this　sort；　when　they　betake　themselves　to　politics　or　business；　are　as　ridiculous　as　I　imagine　the　politicians　to　be；　when　they　make　their　appearance　in　the　arena　of　philosophy。　For；　as　Euripides　says；

　　　Every　man　shines　in　that　and　pursues　that；　and　devotes　the　greatest　portion　of　the　day　to　that　in　which　he　most　excels；

but　anything　in　which　he　is　inferior；　he　avoids　and　depreciates；　and　praises　the　opposite　partiality　to　himself；　and　because　he　from　that　he　will　thus　praise　himself。　The　true　principle　is　to　unite　them。　Philosophy；　as　a　part　of　education；　is　an　excellent　thing；　and　there　is　no　disgrace　to　a　man　while　he　is　young　in　pursuing　such　a　study；　but　when　he　is　more　advanced　in　years；　the　thing　becomes　ridiculous；　and　I　feel　towards　philosophers　as　I　do　towards　those　who　lisp　and　imitate　children。　For　I　love　to　see　a　little　child；　who　is　not　of　an　age　to　speak　plainly；　lisping　at　his　play；　there　is　an　appearance　of　grace　and　freedom　in　his　utterance；　which　is　natural　to　his　childish　years。　But　when　I　hear　some　small　creature　carefully　articulating　its　words；　I　am　offended；　the　sound　is　disagreeable；　and　has　to　my　ears　the　twang　of　slavery。　So　when　I　hear　a　man　lisping；　or　see　him　playing　like　a　child；　his　behaviour　appears　to　me　ridiculous　and　unmanly　and　w