laches- 第6部分

remains　at　his　post；　and　fights　with　the　enemy？







LACHES：　　Certainly　I　should。







SOCRATES：　　And　so　should　I；　but　what　would　you　say　of　another　man；　who



fights　flying；　instead　of　remaining？







LACHES：　　How　flying？







SOCRATES：　　Why；　as　the　Scythians　are　said　to　fight；　flying　as　well　as



pursuing；　and　as　Homer　says　in　praise　of　the　horses　of　Aeneas；　that　they



knew　'how　to　pursue；　and　fly　quickly　hither　and　thither'；　and　he　passes　an



encomium　on　Aeneas　himself；　as　having　a　knowledge　of　fear　or　flight；　and



calls　him　'an　author　of　fear　or　flight。'







LACHES：　　Yes；　Socrates；　and　there　Homer　is　right：　　for　he　was　speaking　of



chariots；　as　you　were　speaking　of　the　Scythian　cavalry；　who　have　that　way



of　fighting；　but　the　heavy…armed　Greek　fights；　as　I　say；　remaining　in　his



rank。







SOCRATES：　　And　yet；　Laches；　you　must　except　the　Lacedaemonians　at　Plataea；



who；　when　they　came　upon　the　light　shields　of　the　Persians；　are　said　not　to



have　been　willing　to　stand　and　fight；　and　to　have　fled；　but　when　the　ranks



of　the　Persians　were　broken；　they　turned　upon　them　like　cavalry；　and　won



the　battle　of　Plataea。







LACHES：　　That　is　true。







SOCRATES：　　That　was　my　meaning　when　I　said　that　I　was　to　blame　in　having



put　my　question　badly；　and　that　this　was　the　reason　of　your　answering



badly。　　For　I　meant　to　ask　you　not　only　about　the　courage　of　heavy…armed



soldiers；　but　about　the　courage　of　cavalry　and　every　other　style　of



soldier；　and　not　only　who　are　courageous　in　war；　but　who　are　courageous　in



perils　by　sea；　and　who　in　disease；　or　in　poverty；　or　again　in　politics；　are



courageous；　and　not　only　who　are　courageous　against　pain　or　fear；　but



mighty　to　contend　against　desires　and　pleasures；　either　fixed　in　their　rank



or　turning　upon　their　enemy。　　There　is　this　sort　of　courageis　there　not；



Laches？







LACHES：　　Certainly；　Socrates。







SOCRATES：　　And　all　these　are　courageous；　but　some　have　courage　in



pleasures；　and　some　in　pains：　　some　in　desires；　and　some　in　fears；　and　some



are　cowards　under　the　same　conditions；　as　I　should　imagine。







LACHES：　　Very　true。







SOCRATES：　　Now　I　was　asking　about　courage　and　cowardice　in　general。　　And　I



will　begin　with　courage；　and　once　more　ask；　What　is　that　common　quality；



which　is　the　same　in　all　these　cases；　and　which　is　called　courage？　　Do　you



now　understand　what　I　mean？







LACHES：　　Not　over　well。







SOCRATES：　　I　mean　this：　　As　I　might　ask　what　is　that　quality　which　is



called　quickness；　and　which　is　found　in　running；　in　playing　the　lyre；　in



speaking；　in　learning；　and　in　many　other　similar　actions；　or　rather　which



we　possess　in　nearly　every　action　that　is　worth　mentioning　of　arms；　legs；



mouth；　voice；　mind；would　you　not　apply　the　term　quickness　to　all　of　them？







LACHES：　　Quite　true。







SOCRATES：　　And　suppose　I　were　to　be　asked　by　some　one：　　What　is　that　common



quality；　Socrates；　which；　in　all　these　uses　of　the　word；　you　call



quickness？　　I　should　say　the　quality　which　accomplishes　much　in　a　little



timewhether　in　running；　speaking；　or　in　any　other　sort　of　action。







LACHES：　　You　would　be　quite　correct。







SOCRATES：　　And　now；　Laches；　do　you　try　and　tell　me　in　like　manner；　What　is



that　common　quality　which　is　called　courage；　and　which　includes　all　the



various　uses　of　the　term　when　applied　both　to　pleasure　and　pain；　and　in　all



the　cases　to　which　I　was　just　now　referring？







LACHES：　　I　should　say　that　courage　is　a　sort　of　endurance　of　the　soul；　if　I



am　to　speak　of　the　universal　nature　which　pervades　them　all。







SOCRATES：　　But　that　is　what　we　must　do　if　we　are　to　answer　the　question。



And　yet　I　cannot　say　that　every　kind　of　endurance　is；　in　my　opinion；　to　be



deemed　courage。　　Hear　my　reason：　　I　am　sure；　Laches；　that　you　would



consider　courage　to　be　a　very　noble　quality。







LACHES：　　Most　noble；　certainly。







SOCRATES：　　And　you　would　say　that　a　wise　endurance　is　also　good　and　noble？







LACHES：　　Very　noble。







SOCRATES：　　But　what　would　you　say　of　a　foolish　endurance？　　Is　not　that；　on



the　other　hand；　to　be　regarded　as　evil　and　hurtful？







LACHES：　　True。







SOCRATES：　　And　is　anything　noble　which　is　evil　and　hurtful？







LACHES：　　I　ought　not　to　say　that；　Socrates。







SOCRATES：　　Then　you　would　not　admit　that　sort　of　endurance　to　be　courage



for　it　is　not　noble；　but　courage　is　noble？







LACHES：　　You　are　right。







SOCRATES：　　Then；　according　to　you；　only　the　wise　endurance　is　courage？







LACHES：　　True。







SOCRATES：　　But　as　to　the　epithet　'wise；'wise　in　what？　　In　all　things



small　as　well　as　great？　　For　example；　if　a　man　shows　the　quality　of



endurance　in　spending　his　money　wisely；　knowing　that　by　spending　he　will



acquire　more　in　the　end；　do　you　call　him　courageous？







LACHES：　　Assuredly　not。







SOCRATES：　　Or；　for　example；　if　a　man　is　a　physician；　and　his　son；　or　some



patient　of　his；　has　inflammation　of　the　lungs；　and　begs　that　he　may　be



allowed　to　eat　or　drink　something；　and　the　other　is　firm　and　refuses；　is



that　courage？







LACHES：　　No；　that　is　not　courage　at　all；　any　more　than　the　last。







SOCRATES：　　Again；　take　the　case　of　one　who　endures　in　war；　and　is　willing



to　fight；　and　wisely　calculates　and　knows　that　others　will　help　him；　and



that　there　will　be　fewer　and　inferior　men　against　him　than　there　are　with



him；　and　suppose　that　he　has　also　advantages　of　position；　would　you　say　of



such　a　one　who　endures　with　all　this　wisdom　and　preparation；　that　he；　or



some　man　in　the　opposing　army　who　is　in　the　opposite　circumstances　to　these



and　yet　endures　and　remains　at　his　post；　is　the　braver？







LACHES：　　I　should　say　that　the　latter；　Socrates；　was　the　braver。







SOCRATES：　　But；　surely；　this　is　a　foolish　endurance　in　comparison　with　the



other？







LACHES：　　That　is　true。







SOCRATES：　　Then　you　would　say　that　he　who　in　an　engagement　of　cavalry



endures；　having　the　knowledge　of　horsemanship；　is　not　so　courageous　as　he



who　endures；　having　no　such　knowledge？







LACHES：　　So　I　should　say。







SOCRATES：　　And　he　who　endures；　having　a　knowledge　of　the　use　of　the　sling；



or　the　bow；　or　of　any　other　art；　is　not　so　courageous　as　he　who　endures；



not　having　such　a　knowledge？







LACHES：　　True。







SOCRATES：　　And　he　who　descends　into　a　well；　and　dives；　and　holds　out　in



this　or　any　similar　action；　having　no　knowledge　of　diving；　or　the　like；　is；



as　you　would　say；　more　courageous　than　those　who　have　this　knowledge？







LACHES：　　Why；　Socrates；　what　else　can　a　man　say？







SOCRATES：　　Nothing；　if　that　be　what　he　thinks。







LACHES：　　But　that　is　what　I　do　think。







SOCRATES：　　And　yet　men　who　thus　run　risks　and　endure　are　foolish；　Laches；



in　comparison　of　those　who　do　the　same　things；　having　the　skill　to　do　them。







LACHES：　　That　is　true。







SOCRATES：　　But　foolish　boldness　and　endurance　appeared　before　to　be　base



and　hurtful　to　us。







LACHES：　　Quite　true。







SOCRATES：　　Whereas　courage　was　acknowledged　to　be　a　noble　quality。







LACHES：　　True。







SOCRATES：　　And　now　on　the　contrary　we　are　saying　that　the　foolish



endurance；　which　was　before　held　in　dishonour；　is　courage。







LACHES：　　Very　true。







SOCRATES：　　And　are　we　right　in　saying　so？







LACHES：　　Indeed；　Socrates；　I　am　sure　that　we　are　not　right。







SOCRATES：　　Then　according　to　your　statement；　you　and　I；　Laches；　are　not



attuned　to　the　Dorian　mode；　which　is　a　harmony　of　words　and　deeds；　for　our



deeds　are　not　in　accordance　with　our　words。　　Any　one　would　say　that　we　had



courage　who　saw　us　in　action；　but　not；　I　imagine；　he　who　heard　us　talking



about　courage　just　now。







LACHES：　　That　is　most　true。







SOCRATES：　　And　is　this　condition　of　ours　satisfactory？







LACHES：　　Quite　the　reverse。







SOCRATES：　　Suppose；　however；　that　we　admit　the　principle　of　which　we　are



speaking　to　a　certain　extent。







LACHES：　　To　what　extent　and　what　principle　do　you　mean？







SOCRATES：　　The　principle　of　endurance。　　We　too　must　endure　and　persevere　in



the　enquiry；　and　then　courage　will　not　laugh　at　our　faint…heartedness　in



searching　for　courage；　which　after　all　may；　very　likely；　be　endurance。







LACHES：　　I　am　ready　to　go　on；　Socrates；　and　yet　I　am　unused　to



investigations　of　this　sort。　　But　the　spirit　of　controversy　has　b