charmides-第10部分

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no　one；　however　rich；　or　noble；　or　fair；　persuade　you　to　give　him　the　cure；



without　the　charm。'　　Now　I　have　sworn；　and　I　must　keep　my　oath；　and



therefore　if　you　will　allow　me　to　apply　the　Thracian　charm　first　to　your



soul；　as　the　stranger　directed；　I　will　afterwards　proceed　to　apply　the　cure



to　your　head。　　But　if　not；　I　do　not　know　what　I　am　to　do　with　you；　my　dear



Charmides。







Critias；　when　he　heard　this；　said：　　The　headache　will　be　an　unexpected　gain



to　my　young　relation；　if　the　pain　in　his　head　compels　him　to　improve　his



mind：　　and　I　can　tell　you；　Socrates；　that　Charmides　is　not　only　pre…eminent



in　beauty　among　his　equals；　but　also　in　that　quality　which　is　given　by　the



charm；　and　this；　as　you　say；　is　temperance？







Yes；　I　said。







Then　let　me　tell　you　that　he　is　the　most　temperate　of　human　beings；　and　for



his　age　inferior　to　none　in　any　quality。







Yes；　I　said；　Charmides；　and　indeed　I　think　that　you　ought　to　excel　others



in　all　good　qualities；　for　if　I　am　not　mistaken　there　is　no　one　present　who



could　easily　point　out　two　Athenian　houses；　whose　union　would　be　likely　to



produce　a　better　or　nobler　scion　than　the　two　from　which　you　are　sprung。　



There　is　your　father's　house；　which　is　descended　from　Critias　the　son　of



Dropidas；　whose　family　has　been　commemorated　in　the　panegyrical　verses　of



Anacreon；　Solon；　and　many　other　poets；　as　famous　for　beauty　and　virtue　and



all　other　high　fortune：　　and　your　mother's　house　is　equally　distinguished；



for　your　maternal　uncle；　Pyrilampes；　is　reputed　never　to　have　found　his



equal；　in　Persia　at　the　court　of　the　great　king；　or　on　the　continent　of



Asia；　in　all　the　places　to　which　he　went　as　ambassador；　for　stature　and



beauty；　that　whole　family　is　not　a　whit　inferior　to　the　other。　　Having　such



ancestors　you　ought　to　be　first　in　all　things；　and；　sweet　son　of　Glaucon；



your　outward　form　is　no　dishonour　to　any　of　them。　　If　to　beauty　you　add



temperance；　and　if　in　other　respects　you　are　what　Critias　declares　you　to



be；　then；　dear　Charmides；　blessed　art　thou；　in　being　the　son　of　thy　mother。　



And　here　lies　the　point；　for　if；　as　he　declares；　you　have　this　gift　of



temperance　already；　and　are　temperate　enough；　in　that　case　you　have　no　need



of　any　charms；　whether　of　Zamolxis　or　of　Abaris　the　Hyperborean；　and　I　may



as　well　let　you　have　the　cure　of　the　head　at　once；　but　if　you　have　not　yet



acquired　this　quality；　I　must　use　the　charm　before　I　give　you　the　medicine。



Please；　therefore；　to　inform　me　whether　you　admit　the　truth　of　what　Critias



has　been　saying；have　you　or　have　you　not　this　quality　of　temperance？







Charmides　blushed；　and　the　blush　heightened　his　beauty；　for　modesty　is



becoming　in　youth；　he　then　said　very　ingenuously；　that　he　really　could　not



at　once　answer；　either　yes；　or　no；　to　the　question　which　I　had　asked：　　For；



said　he；　if　I　affirm　that　I　am　not　temperate；　that　would　be　a　strange　thing



for　me　to　say　of　myself；　and　also　I　should　give　the　lie　to　Critias；　and



many　others　who　think　as　he　tells　you；　that　I　am　temperate：　　but；　on　the



other　hand；　if　I　say　that　I　am；　I　shall　have　to　praise　myself；　which　would



be　ill　manners；　and　therefore　I　do　not　know　how　to　answer　you。







I　said　to　him：　　That　is　a　natural　reply；　Charmides；　and　I　think　that　you



and　I　ought　together　to　enquire　whether　you　have　this　quality　about　which　I



am　asking　or　not；　and　then　you　will　not　be　compelled　to　say　what　you　do　not



like；　neither　shall　I　be　a　rash　practitioner　of　medicine：　　therefore；　if



you　please；　I　will　share　the　enquiry　with　you；　but　I　will　not　press　you　if



you　would　rather　not。







There　is　nothing　which　I　should　like　better；　he　said；　and　as　far　as　I　am



concerned　you　may　proceed　in　the　way　which　you　think　best。







I　think；　I　said；　that　I　had　better　begin　by　asking　you　a　question；　for　if



temperance　abides　in　you；　you　must　have　an　opinion　about　her；　she　must　give



some　intimation　of　her　nature　and　qualities；　which　may　enable　you　to　form　a



notion　of　her。　　Is　not　that　true？







Yes；　he　said；　that　I　think　is　true。







You　know　your　native　language；　I　said；　and　therefore　you　must　be　able　to



tell　what　you　feel　about　this。







Certainly；　he　said。







In　order；　then；　that　I　may　form　a　conjecture　whether　you　have　temperance



abiding　in　you　or　not；　tell　me；　I　said；　what；　in　your　opinion；　is



Temperance？







At　first　he　hesitated；　and　was　very　unwilling　to　answer：　　then　he　said　that



he　thought　temperance　was　doing　things　orderly　and　quietly；　such　things　for



example　as　walking　in　the　streets；　and　talking；　or　anything　else　of　that



nature。　　In　a　word；　he　said；　I　should　answer　that；　in　my　opinion；



temperance　is　quietness。







Are　you　right；　Charmides？　I　said。　　No　doubt　some　would　affirm　that　the



quiet　are　the　temperate；　but　let　us　see　whether　these　words　have　any



meaning；　and　first　tell　me　whether　you　would　not　acknowledge　temperance　to



be　of　the　class　of　the　noble　and　good？







Yes。







But　which　is　best　when　you　are　at　the　writing…master's；　to　write　the　same



letters　quickly　or　quietly？







Quickly。







And　to　read　quickly　or　slowly？







Quickly　again。







And　in　playing　the　lyre；　or　wrestling；　quickness　or　sharpness　are　far



better　than　quietness　and　slowness？







Yes。







And　the　same　holds　in　boxing　and　in　the　pancratium？







Certainly。







And　in　leaping　and　running　and　in　bodily　exercises　generally；　quickness　and



agility　are　good；　slowness；　and　inactivity；　and　quietness；　are　bad？







That　is　evident。







Then；　I　said；　in　all　bodily　actions；　not　quietness；　but　the　greatest



agility　and　quickness；　is　noblest　and　best？







Yes；　certainly。







And　is　temperance　a　good？







Yes。







Then；　in　reference　to　the　body；　not　quietness；　but　quickness　will　be　the



higher　degree　of　temperance；　if　temperance　is　a　good？







True；　he　said。







And　which；　I　said；　is　betterfacility　in　learning；　or　difficulty　in



learning？







Facility。







Yes；　I　said；　and　facility　in　learning　is　learning　quickly；　and　difficulty



in　learning　is　learning　quietly　and　slowly？







True。







And　is　it　not　better　to　teach　another　quickly　and　energetically；　rather



than　quietly　and　slowly？







Yes。







And　which　is　better；　to　call　to　mind；　and　to　remember；　quickly　and　readily；



or　quietly　and　slowly？







The　former。







And　is　not　shrewdness　a　quickness　or　cleverness　of　the　soul；　and　not　a



quietness？







True。







And　is　it　not　best　to　understand　what　is　said；　whether　at　the　writing…



master's　or　the　music…master's；　or　anywhere　else；　not　as　quietly　as



possible；　but　as　quickly　as　possible？







Yes。







And　in　the　searchings　or　deliberations　of　the　soul；　not　the　quietest；　as　I



imagine；　and　he　who　with　difficulty　deliberates　and　discovers；　is　thought



worthy　of　praise；　but　he　who　does　so　most　easily　and　quickly？







Quite　true；　he　said。







And　in　all　that　concerns　either　body　or　soul；　swiftness　and　activity　are



clearly　better　than　slowness　and　quietness？







Clearly　they　are。







Then　temperance　is　not　quietness；　nor　is　the　temperate　life　quiet；



certainly　not　upon　this　view；　for　the　life　which　is　temperate　is　supposed



to　be　the　good。　　And　of　two　things；　one　is　true；either　never；　or　very



seldom；　do　the　quiet　actions　in　life　appear　to　be　better　than　the　quick　and



energetic　ones；　or　supposing　that　of　the　nobler　actions；　there　are　as　many



quiet；　as　quick　and　vehement：　　still；　even　if　we　grant　this；　temperance



will　not　be　acting　quietly　any　more　than　acting　quickly　and　energetically；



either　in　walking　or　talking　or　in　anything　else；　nor　will　the　quiet　life



be　more　temperate　than　the　unquiet；　seeing　that　temperance　is　admitted　by



us　to　be　a　good　and　noble　thing；　and　the　quick　have　been　shown　to　be　as



good　as　the　quiet。







I　think；　he　said；　Socrates；　that　you　are　right。







Then　once　more；　Charmides；　I　said；　fix　your　attention；　and　look　within；



consider　the　effect　which　temperance　has　upon　yourself；　and　the　nature　of



that　which　has　the　effect。　　Think　over　all　this；　and；　like　a　brave　youth；



tell　meWhat　is　temperance？







After　a　moment's　pause；　in　which　he　made　a　real　manly　effort　to　think；　he



said：　　My　opinion　is；　Socrates；　that　temperance　makes　a　man　ashamed　or



modest；　and　that　temperance　is　the　same　as　modesty。







Very　good