§8συνελὼν τοίνυν ἐγώ φημι καὶ χρησμολογεῖν μᾶλλον ἢ παραινεῖν δόξαιμʼ ἂν εἰκότως ὅτι ἓν πρῶτον καὶ μέσον καὶ τελευταῖον ἐν τούτοις κεφάλαιον ἀγωγὴ σπουδαία καὶ παιδεία νόμιμός ἐστι, καὶ ταῦτα φορὰ καὶ συνεργὰ πρὸς ἀρετὴν καὶ πρὸς εὐδαιμονίαν φημί.
In short, then, I declare—and I might reasonably seem to be uttering an oracle rather than giving advice—that the one first, middle, and last chief point in these matters is a serious upbringing and proper education; and these, I say, are conducive and cooperative toward virtue and toward happiness.
καὶ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀνθρώπινα καὶ μικρὰ καὶ οὐκ ἀξιοσπούδαστα καθέστηκεν.
And other kinds of goods have been established as human, small, and not worth serious pursuit.
εὐγένεια καλὸν μέν, ἀλλὰ προγόνων ἀγαθόν.
Noble birth is indeed fine, but it is a good belonging to ancestors.
πλοῦτος δὲ τίμιον μέν, ἀλλὰ τύχης κτῆμα, ἐπειδὴ τῶν μὲν ἐχόντων πολλάκις ἀφείλετο, τοῖς δʼ οὐκ ἐλπίσασι φέρουσα προσήνεγκε, καὶ ὁ πολὺς πλοῦτος σκοπὸς ἔκκειται τοῖς βουλομένοις βαλλάντια τοξεύειν, κακούργοις οἰκέταις καὶ συκοφάνταις, καὶ τὸ μέγιστον, ὅτι καὶ τοῖς πονηροτάτοις μέτεστι.
Wealth is valuable, but it is a possession of fortune, since it has often taken away from those who have it, and bringing it, has presented it to those who did not hope for it; and great wealth lies exposed as a target for those who wish to shoot at purses—maleficent servants and sycophants; and the greatest thing is that it is shared even by the most wicked.
δόξα γε μὴν σεμνὸν μέν, ἀλλʼ ἀβέβαιον.
Fame, indeed, is majestic, but unstable.
κάλλος δὲ περιμάχητον μέν, ἀλλʼ ὀλιγοχρόνιον.
Beauty is highly contested, but short-lived.
ὑγίεια δὲ τίμιον μέν, ἀλλʼ εὐμετάστατον.
Health is valuable, but easily changeable.
ἰσχὺς δὲ ζηλωτὸν μέν, ἀλλὰ νόσῳ εὐάλωτον καὶ γήρᾳ.
Strength is enviable, but easily vulnerable to disease and old age.
τὸ δʼ ὅλον εἴ τις ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ σώματος ῥώμῃ φρονεῖ, μαθέτω γνώμης διαμαρτάνων.
On the whole, if anyone prides himself on the strength of his body, let him know that he is mistaken in his judgment.
πόστον γάρ ἐστιν ἰσχὺς ἀνθρωπίνη τῆς τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων δυνάμεως;
For how small is human strength compared to the power of other animals?
λέγω δʼ οἷον ἐλεφάντων καὶ ταύρων καὶ λεόντων.
I mean, for instance, of elephants, bulls, and lions.
παιδεία δὲ τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν μόνον ἐστὶν ἀθάνατον καὶ θεῖον.
But education is the only thing among what is in us that is immortal and divine.
καὶ δύο τὰ πάντων ἐστὶ κυριώτατα ἐν ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύσει, νοῦς καὶ λόγος.
And two are the most dominant of all things in human nature: intellect and reason.
καὶ ὁ μὲν νοῦς ἀρχικός ἐστι τοῦ λόγου, ὁ δὲ λόγος ὑπηρετικὸς τοῦ νοῦ, τύχῃ μὲν ἀνάλωτος, συκοφαντίᾳ δʼ ἀναφαίρετος, νόσῳ δʼ ἀδιάφθορος, γήρᾳ δʼ ἀλύμαντος.
And the intellect is the ruler of reason, while reason is the servant of the intellect, consumable by no fortune, unstrippable by sycophancy, incorruptible by disease, and uninjured by old age.
μόνος γὰρ ὁ νοῦς παλαιούμενος ἀνηβᾷ, καὶ ὁ χρόνος τἄλλα πάντʼ ἀφαιρῶν τῷ γήρᾳ προστίθησι τὴν ἐπιστήμην.
For the intellect alone grows young as it ages, and time, while taking away all other things, adds knowledge to old age.
ὅ γε μὴν πόλεμος χειμάρρου δίκην πάντα σύρων καὶ πάντα παραφέρων μόνην οὐ δύναται παιδείαν παρελέσθαι.
Moreover, war, like a torrent dragging everything and sweeping everything away, is unable to take away education alone.
καί μοι δοκεῖ Στίλπων ὁ Μεγαρεὺς φιλόσοφος ἀξιομνημόνευτον ποιῆσαι ἀπόκρισιν, ὅτε Δημήτριος ἐξανδραποδισάμενος τὴν πόλιν εἰς ἔδαφος κατέβαλε καὶ τὸν Στίλπωνα ἤρετο μή τι ἀπολωλεκὼς εἴη.
And Stilpo, the Megarian philosopher, seems to me to have made a memorable reply, when Demetrius, having enslaved the city, razed it to the ground and asked Stilpo whether he had lost anything.
καὶ ὃς
οὐ δῆτα
εἶπε,
πόλεμος γὰρ οὐ λαφυραγωγεῖ ἀρετήν
σύμφωνος δὲ καὶ συνῳδὸς καὶ ἡ Σωκράτους ἀπόκρισις ταύτῃ φαίνεται.
And he said, "No indeed," for "war does not plunder virtue." And the reply of Socrates also appears harmonious and in tune with this.
καὶ γὰρ οὗτος ἐρωτήσαντος αὐτόν μοι δοκεῖ Γοργίου ἣν ἔχει περὶ τοῦ μεγάλου βασιλέως ὑπόληψιν καὶ εἰ νομίζει τοῦτον εὐδαίμονα εἶναι,
οὐκ οἶδʼ
ἔφησε
πῶς ἀρετῆς καὶ παιδείας ἔχει,
ὡς τῆς εὐδαιμονίας ἐν τούτοις, οὐκ ἐν τοῖς τυχηροῖς ἀγαθοῖς κειμένης.
For he too, when Gorgias, as it seems to me, asked him what opinion he held concerning the Great King, and whether he considered him to be happy, said: "I do not know how he stands in respect of virtue and education," implying that happiness lies in these, and not in accidental goods.