protagoras-第5部分

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taught　lesser　matters；　ignorance　of　which　does　not　involve　the



punishment　of　death：　but　greater　things；　of　which　the　ignorance　may



cause　death　and　exile　to　those　who　have　no　training　or　knowledge　of



them…aye；　and　confiscation　as　well　as　death；　and；　in　a　word；　may　be



the　ruin　of　families…those　things；　I　say；　they　are　supposed　not　to



teach　them…not　to　take　the　utmost　care　that　they　should　learn。　How



improbable　is　this；　Socrates！



　　Education　and　admonition　commence　in　the　first　years　of　childhood；



and　last　to　the　very　end　of　life。　Mother　and　nurse　and　father　and



tutor　are　vying　with　one　another　about　the　improvement　of　the　child　as



soon　as　ever　he　is　able　to　understand　what　is　being　said　to　him：　he



cannot　say　or　do　anything　without　their　setting　forth　to　him　that　this



is　just　and　that　is　unjust；　this　is　honourable；　that　is　dishonourable；



this　is　holy；　that　is　unholy；　do　this　and　abstain　from　that。　And　if　he



obeys；　well　and　good；　if　not；　he　is　straightened　by　threats　and　blows；



like　a　piece　of　bent　or　warped　wood。　At　a　later　stage　they　send　him　to



teachers；　and　enjoin　them　to　see　to　his　manners　even　more　than　to



his　reading　and　music；　and　the　teachers　do　as　they　are　desired。　And



when　the　boy　has　learned　his　letters　and　is　beginning　to　understand



what　is　written；　as　before　he　understood　only　what　was　spoken；　they



put　into　his　hands　the　works　of　great　poets；　which　he　reads　sitting　on



a　bench　at　school；　in　these　are　contained　many　admonitions；　and　many



tales；　and　praises；　and　encomia　of　ancient　famous　men；　which　he　is



required　to　learn　by　heart；　in　order　that　he　may　imitate　or　emulate



them　and　desire　to　become　like　them。　Then；　again；　the　teachers　of



the　lyre　take　similar　care　that　their　young　disciple　is　temperate



and　gets　into　no　mischief；　and　when　they　have　taught　him　the　use　of



the　lyre；　they　introduce　him　to　the　poems　of　other　excellent　poets；



who　are　the　lyric　poets；　and　these　they　set　to　music；　and　make　their



harmonies　ana　rhythms　quite　familiar　to　the　children's　souls；　in　order



that　they　may　learn　to　be　more　gentle；　and　harmonious；　and　rhythmical；



and　so　more　fitted　for　speech　and　action；　for　the　life　of　man　in　every



part　has　need　of　harmony　and　rhythm。　Then　they　send　them　to　the　master



of　gymnastic；　in　order　that　their　bodies　may　better　minister　to　the



virtuous　mind；　and　that　they　may　not　be　compelled　through　bodily



weakness　to　play　the　coward　in　war　or　on　any　other　occasion。　This　is



what　is　done　by　those　who　have　the　means；　and　those　who　have　the　means



are　the　rich；　their　children　begin　to　go　to　school　soonest　and　leave



off　latest。　When　they　have　done　with　masters；　the　state　again



compels　them　to　learn　the　laws；　and　live　after　the　pattern　which



they　furnish；　and　not　after　their　own　fancies；　and　just　as　in　learning



to　write；　the　writing…master　first　draws　lines　with　a　style　for　the



use　of　the　young　beginner；　and　gives　him　the　tablet　and　makes　him



follow　the　lines；　so　the　city　draws　the　laws；　which　were　the　invention



of　good　lawgivers　living　in　the　olden　time；　these　are　given　to　the



young　man；　in　order　to　guide　him　in　his　conduct　whether　he　is



commanding　or　obeying；　and　he　who　transgresses　them　is　to　be



corrected；　or；　in　other　words；　called　to　account；　which　is　a　term　used



not　only　in　your　country；　but　also　in　many　others；　seeing　that　justice



calls　men　to　account。　Now　when　there　is　all　this　care　about　virtue



private　and　public；　why；　Socrates；　do　you　still　wonder　and　doubt



whether　virtue　can　be　taught？　Cease　to　wonder；　for　the　opposite



would　be　far　more　surprising。



　　But　why　then　do　the　sons　of　good　fathers　often　turn　out　ill？　There



is　nothing　very　wonderful　in　this；　for；　as　I　have　been　saying；　the



existence　of　a　state　implies　that　virtue　is　not　any　man's　private



possession。　If　so…and　nothing　can　be　truer…then　I　will　further　ask　you



to　imagine；　as　an　illustration；　some　other　pursuit　or　branch　of



knowledge　which　may　be　assumed　equally　to　be　the　condition　of　the



existence　of　a　state。　Suppose　that　there　could　be　no　state　unless　we



were　all　flute…players；　as　far　as　each　had　the　capacity；　and　everybody



was　freely　teaching　everybody　the　art；　both　in　private　and　public；　and



reproving　the　bad　player　as　freely　and　openly　as　every　man　now　teaches



justice　and　the　laws；　not　concealing　them　as　he　would　conceal　the



other　arts；　but　imparting　them…for　all　of　us　have　a　mutual　interest　in



the　justice　and　virtue　of　one　another；　and　this　is　the　reason　why



every　one　is　so　ready　to　teach　justice　and　the　laws；…suppose；　I　say；



that　there　were　the　same　readiness　and　liberality　among　us　in　teaching



one　another　flute…playing；　do　you　imagine；　Socrates；　that　the　sons



of　good　flute　players　would　be　more　likely　to　be　good　than　the　sons　of



bad　ones？　I　think　not。　Would　not　their　sons　grow　up　to　be



distinguished　or　undistinguished　according　to　their　own　natural



capacities　as　flute…players；　and　the　son　of　a　good　player　would



often　turn　out　to　be　a　bad　one；　and　the　son　of　a　bad　player　to　be　a



good　one；　all　flute…players　would　be　good　enough　in　comparison　of



those　who　were　ignorant　and　unacquainted　with　the　art　of



flute…playing？　In　like　manner　I　would　have　you　consider　that　he　who



appears　to　you　to　be　the　worst　of　those　who　have　been　brought　up　in



laws　and　humanities；　would　appear　to　be　a　just　man　and　a　master　of



justice　if　he　were　to　be　compared　with　men　who　had　no　education；　or



courts　of　justice；　or　laws；　or　any　restraints　upon　them　which



compelled　them　to　practise　virtue…with　the　savages；　for　example；



whom　the　poet　Pherecrates　exhibited　on　the　stage　at　the　last　year's



Lenaean　festival。　If　you　were　living　among　men　such　as　the



man…haters　in　his　Chorus；　you　would　be　only　too　glad　to　meet　with



Eurybates　and　Phrynondas；　and　you　would　sorrowfully　long　to　revisit



the　rascality　of　this　part　of　the　world。　you；　Socrates；　are



discontented；　and　why？　Because　all　men　are　teachers　of　virtue；　each



one　according　to　his　ability；　and　you　say；　Where　are　the　teachers？　You



might　as　well　ask；　Who　teaches　Greek？　For　of　that　too　there　will　not



be　any　teachers　found。　Or　you　might　ask；　Who　is　to　teach　the　sons　of



our　artisans　this　same　art　which　they　have　learned　of　their　fathers？



He　and　his　fellow…workmen　have　taught　them　to　the　best　of　their



ability；…but　who　will　carry　them　further　in　their　arts？　And　you



would　certainly　have　a　difficulty；　Socrates；　in　finding　a　teacher　of



them；　but　there　would　be　no　difficulty　in　finding　a　teacher　of　those



who　are　wholly　ignorant。　And　this　is　true　of　virtue　or　of　anything



else；　if　a　man　is　better　able　than　we　are　to　promote　virtue　ever　so



little；　we　must　be　content　with　the　result。　A　teacher　of　this　sort　I



believe　myself　to　be；　and　above　all　other　men　to　have　the　knowledge



which　makes　a　man　noble　and　good；　and　I　give　my　pupils　their



money's…worth；　and　even　more；　as　they　themselves　confess。　And



therefore　I　have　introduced　the　following　mode　of　payment：…When　a



man　has　been　my　pupil；　if　he　likes　he　pays　my　price；　but　there　is　no



compulsion；　and　if　he　does　not　like；　he　has　only　to　go　into　a　temple



and　take　an　oath　of　the　value　of　the　instructions；　and　he　pays　no　more



than　he　declares　to　be　their　value。



　　Such　is　my　Apologue；　Socrates；　and　such　is　the　argument　by　which　I



endeavour　to　show　that　virtue　may　be　taught；　and　that　this　is　the



opinion　of　the　Athenians。　And　I　have　also　attempted　to　show　that　you



are　not　to　wonder　at　good　fathers　having　bad　sons；　or　at　good　sons



having　bad　fathers；　of　which　the　sons　of　Polycleitus　afford　an



example；　who　are　the　companions　of　our　friends　here；　Paralus　and



Xanthippus；　but　are　nothing　in　comparison　with　their　father；　and



this　is　true　of　the　sons　of　many　other　artists。　As　yet　I　ought　not



to　say　the　same　of　Paralus　and　Xanthippus　themselves；　for　they　are



young　and　there　is　still　hope　of　them。



　　Protagoras　ended；　and　in　my　ear







　　　　So　charming　left　his　voice；　that　I　the　while



　　　　Thought　him　still　speaking；　still　stood　fixed　to　hear。







At　length；　when　the　truth　dawned　upon　me；　that　he　had　really　finished；



not　without　difficulty　I　began　to　collect　myself；　and　looking　at



Hippocrates；　I　said　to　him：　O　son　of　Apollodorus；　how　deeply



grateful　I　am　to　you　for　having　brought　me　hither；　I　would　not　have



missed　the　speech　of　Protagoras　for　a　great　deal。　For　I　used　to



imagine　that　no　human　care　could　make　men　good；　but　I　know　better　now。



Yet　I　have　still　one　very　small　difficulty　which　I　am　sure　that



Protagoras　will　easily　explain；　as　he　has　already　explained　so　much。



If　a　man　were　to　go　and　consult　Pericles　or　any　of　our　great



speakers　about　these　matters；　he　might　perhaps　hear　as　fine　a



discourse；　but　then　when　one　has　a　question　to　ask　of　any　of　them；



like　books；　they　can　neither　answer　nor　ask；　and　if　any　one　challenges



the　least　particular　of　their　speech；　they　go　ringing　on　in　a　long



harangue；　like　brazen　pots；　which　when　they　are　struck　continue　to



sound　unless　some　one　puts　his　hand　upon　them；　whereas　our　friend



Protagoras　can　not　only　make　a　good　speech；　as　he　has　already　shown；



but　when　he　is　asked　a　question　he　can　answer　briefly；　and　when　he



asks　he　will　wait　and　hear　the　answer；　and　this　is　a　very　rare　gift。



Now　I；　Protagoras；　want　to　ask　of　you　a　little　question；　which　if



you　will　only　answer；　I　shall　be　quite　satisfied。　You　were　saying　that



virtue　can　be　taught；…that　I　will　take　upon　your　authority；　and



there　is　no　one　to　whom　I　am　more　ready　to　trust。　But　I　marvel　at



one　thing　about　which　I　should　like　to　have　my　mind　set　at　rest。　You



were　speaking　of　Zeus　sending　justice　and　reverence　to　men；　and



several　times　while　you　were　speaking；　justice；　and　temperance；　and



holiness；　and　all　these　qualities；　were　descr