§7ἐπειδὰν τοίνυν ἡλικίαν λάβωσιν ὑπὸ παιδαγωγοῖς τετάχθαι, ἐνταῦθα δὴ πολλὴν ἐπιμέλειαν ἑκτέον ἐστὶ τῆς τούτων καταστάσεως, ὡς μὴ λάθωσιν ἀνδραπόδοις ἢ βαρβάροις ἢ παλιμβόλοις τὰ τέκνα παραδόντες.
Therefore, when they reach the age to be placed under pedagogues, then indeed one must take great care in their appointment, so that they may not unawares hand over their children to slaves or foreigners or fickle persons.
ἐπεὶ νῦν γε τὸ γιγνόμενον πολλοῖς ὑπερκαταγέλαστόν ἐστι.
Since what happens now is utterly ridiculous for many.
τῶν γὰρ δούλων τῶν σπουδαίων τοὺς μὲν γεωργοὺς ἀποδεικνύουσι, τοὺς δὲ ναυκλήρους τοὺς δʼ ἐμπόρους τοὺς δʼ οἰκονόμους τοὺς δὲ δανειστάς· ὅ τι δʼ ἂν εὕρωσιν ἀνδράποδον οἰνόληπτον καὶ λίχνον, πρὸς πᾶσαν πραγματείαν ἄχρηστον, τούτῳ φέροντες ὑποβάλλουσι τοὺς υἱούς.
For from their excellent slaves they appoint some as farmers, some as shipmasters, some as merchants, some as stewards, and some as moneylenders; but whatever slave they find to be wine-sotted and gluttonous, and useless for any business, to this one they bring and commit their sons.
δεῖ δὲ τὸν σπουδαῖον παιδαγωγὸν τοιοῦτον εἶναι τὴν φύσιν οἷόσπερ ἦν ὁ Φοῖνιξ ὁ τοῦ Ἀχιλλέως παιδαγωγός.
But the excellent pedagogue must be such in his nature as Phoenix was, the pedagogue of Achilles.
τὸ δὲ πάντων μέγιστον καὶ κυριώτατον τῶν εἰρημένων ἔρχομαι φράσων.
And I am going to speak of the greatest and most crucial of all the things mentioned.
διδασκάλους γὰρ ζητητέον τοῖς τέκνοις, οἳ καὶ τοῖς βίοις εἰσὶν ἀδιάβλητοι καὶ τοῖς τρόποις ἀνεπίληπτοι καὶ ταῖς ἐμπειρίαις ἄριστοι· πηγὴ γὰρ καὶ ῥίζα καλοκαγαθίας τὸ νομίμου τυχεῖν παιδείας.
For one must seek teachers for their children who are blameless in their lives, irreproachable in their manners, and best in their experiences; for the source and root of nobility is to obtain a proper education.
καὶ καθάπερ τὰς χάρακας οἱ γεωργοὶ τοῖς φυτοῖς παρατιθέασιν, οὕτως οἱ νόμιμοι τῶν διδασκάλων ἐμμελεῖς τὰς ὑποθήκας καὶ παραινέσεις παραπηγνύουσι τοῖς νέοις, ἵνʼ ὀρθὰ τούτων βλαστάνῃ τὰ ἤθη.
And just as farmers place stakes next to plants, in the same way proper and harmonious teachers fix their precepts and admonitions next to the young, so that their characters may sprout straight.
νῦν δέ τις κἂν καταπτύσειε τῶν πατέρων ἐνίων, οἵτινες πρὶν δοκιμάσαι τοὺς μέλλοντας διδάσκειν, διʼ ἄγνοιαν, ἔσθʼ ὅτε καὶ διʼ ἀπειρίαν, ἀνθρώποις ἀδοκίμοις καὶ παρασήμοις ἐγχειρίζουσι τοὺς παῖδας.
But now one might even spit upon some of the fathers who, before testing those who are going to teach, through ignorance, and sometimes through inexperience, commit their children to untested and disreputable men.
καὶ οὔπω τοῦτʼ ἐστὶ καταγέλαστον εἰ διʼ ἀπειρίαν αὐτὸ πράττουσιν, ἐκεῖνο δʼ ἐσχάτως ἄτοπον.
And this is not yet ridiculous if they do it through inexperience, but that other thing is extremely strange.
τὸ ποῖον;
What sort of thing?
ἐνίοτε γὰρ εἰδότες, αἰσθόμενοι δὲ καὶ ἄλλων αὐτοῖς τοῦτο λεγόντων, τὴν ἐνίων τῶν παιδευτῶν ἀπειρίαν ἅμα καὶ μοχθηρίαν, ὅμως τούτοις ἐπιτρέπουσι τοὺς παῖδας, οἱ μὲν ταῖς τῶν ἀρεσκευομένων ἡττώμενοι κολακείαις, εἰσὶ δʼ οἳ καὶ δεομένοις χαριζόμενοι φίλοις, παρόμοιον ποιοῦντες ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις τῷ σώματι κάμνων τὸν σὺν ἐπιστήμῃ δυνηθέντʼ ἂν σῶσαι παραλιπών, φίλῳ χαριζόμενος τὸν διʼ ἀπειρίαν ἀπολέσαντʼ ἂν αὐτὸν προέλοιτο, ἢ ναύκληρον τὸν ἄριστον ἀφεὶς τὸν χείριστον δοκιμάσειε φίλου δεηθέντος.
For sometimes, although they know, and are even aware from others telling them, the inexperience and at the same time the wickedness of some of the educators, they nevertheless entrust their children to them, some being overcome by the flattery of those who seek to please them, and others doing a favor to friends who entreat them, doing something very similar to what if someone who was sick in body, passing over the one who was able to save him with knowledge, doing a favor to a friend, should choose the one who would destroy him through inexperience, or if, dismissing the best shipmaster, he should approve the worst because a friend entreated him.
Ζεῦ καὶ θεοὶ πάντες, πατήρ τις καλούμενος πλείω λόγον τῆς τῶν δεομένων ποιεῖται χάριτος ἢ τῆς τῶν τέκνων παιδεύσεως;
By Zeus and all the gods, does anyone called a father make more account of the favor of those who entreat him than of the education of his children?
εἶτʼ οὐκ εἰκότα πολλάκις Σωκράτης ἐκεῖνος ὁ παλαιὸς ἔλεγεν, ὅτι εἴπερ ἄρα δυνατὸν ἦν, ἀναβάντα ἐπὶ τὸ μετεωρότατον τῆς πόλεως ἀνακραγεῖν μέρος
ὦ ἄνθρωποι, ποῖ φέρεσθε, οἵτινες χρημάτων μὲν κτήσεως πέρι πᾶσαν, ποιεῖσθε σπουδήν, τῶν δʼ υἱέων, οἷς ταῦτα καταλείψετε, μικρὰ φροντίζετε; τούτοις δʼ ἂν ἔγωγε προσθείην ὅτι οἱ τοιοῦτοι πατέρες παραπλήσιον ποιοῦσιν, οἷον εἴ τις τοῦ μὲν ὑποδήματος φροντίζοι, τοῦ δὲ ποδὸς ὀλιγώρως ἔχοι.
Then did not that ancient Socrates often speak with good reason, saying that if indeed it were possible, he would ascend to the highest part of the city and cry out: "O men, whither are you drifting, you who make every effort concerning the acquisition of wealth, but care little for your sons, to whom you will leave these things?" To these I for my part would add that such fathers do very much the same as if someone should care for the shoe, but hold the foot in low esteem.
πολλοὶ δʼ εἰς τοσοῦτο τῶν πατέρων προβαίνουσι φιλαργυρίας ἅμα καὶ μισοτεκνίας, ὥσθʼ ἵνα μὴ πλείονα μισθὸν τελέσειαν, ἀνθρώπους τοὺς μηδενὸς τιμίους αἱροῦνται τοῖς τέκνοις παιδευτάς, εὔωνον ἀμαθίαν διώκοντες.
And many of the fathers go to such a length of love of money and at the same time hatred of their children, that in order not to pay a greater fee, they choose for their children educators who are worth nothing, pursuing cheap ignorance.
ᾗ καὶ Ἀρίστιππος οὐκ ἀκόμψως ἀλλὰ καὶ πάνυ ἀστείως ἐπέσκωψε τῷ λόγῳ πατέρα νοῦ καὶ φρενῶν κενόν.
Wherefore Aristippus also, not inelegantly but indeed very wittily, mocked with his speech a father empty of mind and sense.
ἐρωτήσαντος γάρ τινος αὐτὸν πόσον αἰτοίη μισθὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ τέκνου παιδεύσεως,
χιλίας
ἔφησε
δραχμάς. τοῦ δʼ
Ἡράκλεις
εἰπόντος,
ὡς ὑπέρπολυ τὸ αἴτημα·
For when someone asked him how much fee he demanded for the education of his child, he said "A thousand drachmas." And when the other said "By Heracles, how excessive is the demand!
δύναμαι γὰρ ἀνδράποδον χιλίων πρίασθαι,
τοιγαροῦν
εἶπε δύο
ἕξεις ἀνδράποδα, καὶ τὸν υἱὸν καὶ ὃν ἂν πρίῃ. τὸ δʼ ὅλον πῶς οὐκ ἄτοπον τῇ μὲν δεξιᾷ συνεθίζειν τὰ παιδία δέχεσθαι τὰς τροφάς, κἂν εἰ προτείνειε τὴν ἀριστεράν, ἐπιτιμᾶν, μηδεμίαν δὲ ποιεῖσθαι πρόνοιαν τοῦ λόγων ἐπιδεξίων καὶ νομίμων ἀκούειν;
For I can buy a slave for a thousand drachmas," he replied: "Therefore you will have two slaves, both your son and the one you buy." And on the whole, how is it not strange to accustom children to receive their food with the right hand, and if they should stretch out the left, to rebuke them, but to make no provision for them to hear excellent and lawful discourses?
τί οὖν συμβαίνει τοῖς θαυμαστοῖς πατράσιν, ἐπειδὰν κακῶς μὲν θρέψωσι κακῶς δὲ παιδεύσωσι τοὺς υἱεῖς, ἐγὼ φράσω.
What then happens to these wonderful fathers when they have brought up their sons badly and educated them badly, I will tell.
ὅταν γὰρ εἰς ἄνδρας ἐγγραφέντες τοῦ μὲν ὑγιαίνοντος καὶ τεταγμένου βίου καταμελήσωσιν, ἐπὶ δὲ τὰς ἀτάκτους καὶ ἀνδραποδώδεις ἡδονὰς ἑαυτοὺς κρημνίσωσι, τότε δὴ μεταμέλονται τὴν τῶν τέκνων προδεδωκότες παιδείαν, ὅτʼ οὐδὲν ὄφελος, τοῖς ἐκείνων ἀδικήμασιν ἀδημονοῦντες.
For when, having been enrolled among men, they neglect a healthy and ordered life, and plunge themselves into disorderly and slavish pleasures, then indeed they repent having betrayed the education of their children, when there is no benefit, being in distress at their wrongdoings.
οἱ μὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν κόλακας καὶ παρασίτους ἀναλαμβάνουσιν, ἀνθρώπους ἀσήμους καὶ καταράτους καὶ τῆς νεότητος ἀνατροπέας καὶ λυμεῶνας, οἱ δέ τινες ἑταίρας καὶ χαμαιτύπας λυτροῦνται σοβαρὰς καὶ πολυτελεῖς, οἱ δὲ κατοψοφαγοῦσιν, οἱ δʼ εἰς κύβους καὶ κώμους ἐξοκέλλουσιν, ἤδη δέ τινες καὶ τῶν νεανικωτέρων ἅπτονται κακῶν, μοιχεύοντες καὶ οἰκοφθοροῦντες καὶ μίαν ἡδονὴν θανάτου τιμώμενοι.
For some of them take to themselves flatterers and parasites, disreputable and accursed men, subverters and ruinous corrupters of youth; and others ransom haughty and expensive courtesans and prostitutes; and others waste their money on gourmet food; and others drift into dice and revelries; and already some even touch upon more youthfully violent evils, committing adultery and destroying families, valuing a single pleasure at the price of death.
φιλοσοφίᾳ δʼ ὁμιλήσαντες οὗτοι οὐ τοιούτοις ἴσως πράγμασιν ἑαυτοὺς καταπειθεῖς παρέσχοντο, καὶ τό γε παράγγελμα τοῦ Διογένους ἔμαθον ἄν, ὃς φορτικῶς μὲν τοῖς ῥήμασιν ἀληθῶς δὲ τοῖς πράγμασι παραινεῖ καί φησιν
εἴσελθε εἰς πορνεῖόν παῖ, ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι τῶν ἀναξίων τὰ τίμια οὐδὲν διαφέρει
But if they had associated with philosophy, these would perhaps not have rendered themselves submissive to such matters, and they would have learned the precept of Diogenes, who advises, vulgarly in words but truly in facts, and says: "Enter a brothel, boy, so that you may learn that the precious things differ in nothing from the worthless."