§123ΣΩ. ὥστε εὖ χρὴ εἰδέναι ὅτι καὶ χρυσῷ καὶ ἀργύρῳ οἱ ἐκεῖ πλουσιώτατοί εἰσιν τῶν Ἑλλήνων, καὶ αὐτῶν ἐκείνων ὁ βασιλεύς· ἔκ τε γὰρ τῶν τοιούτων μέγισται λήψεις καὶ πλεῖσταί εἰσι τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ὁ βασιλικὸς φόρος οὐκ ὀλίγος γίγνεται, ὃν τελοῦσιν οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν.
SOCRATES: So one must know well that those there are the richest of the Greeks in both gold and silver, and of those themselves, the king; for from such sources there are the greatest and most numerous revenues for the kings, and furthermore, the royal tribute paid by the Lacedaemonians to the kings is not small.
καὶ τὰ μὲν Λακεδαιμονίων ὡς πρὸς Ἑλληνικοὺς μὲν πλούτους μεγάλα, ὡς δὲ πρὸς τοὺς Περσικοὺς καὶ τοῦ ἐκείνων βασιλέως οὐδέν.
And indeed, while the possessions of the Lacedaemonians are great in comparison with Greek wealth, they are nothing in comparison with those of the Persians and their king.
ἐπεί ποτʼ ἐγὼ ἤκουσα ἀνδρὸς ἀξιοπίστου τῶν ἀναβεβηκότων παρὰ βασιλέα, ὃς ἔφη παρελθεῖν χώραν πάνυ πολλὴν καὶ ἀγαθήν, ἐγγὺς ἡμερησίαν ὁδόν, ἣν καλεῖν τοὺς ἐπιχωρίους ζώνην τῆς βασιλέως γυναικός· εἶναι δὲ καὶ ἄλλην ἣν αὖ καλεῖσθαι καλύπτραν, καὶ ἄλλους πολλοὺς τόπους καλοὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἐξῃρημένους τὸν τῆς γυναικός, καὶ ὀνόματα ἔχειν ἑκάστους τῶν τόπων ἀπὸ ἑκάστου τῶν κόσμων.
For I once heard from a trustworthy man of those who had gone up to the king, who said that he passed through a very large and fertile territory, nearly a day's journey, which the locals call the girdle of the king's wife; and that there was another which again was called the veil, and many other beautiful and fertile places set apart for the adornment of his wife, and that each of these places had its name from each of the adornments.
ὥστʼ οἶμαι ἐγώ, εἴ τις εἴποι τῇ βασιλέως μητρί, Ξέρξου δὲ γυναικί, Ἀμήστριδι, ὅτι ἐν νῷ ἔχει σοῦ τῷ ὑεῖ ἀντιτάττεσθαι ὁ Δεινομάχης ὑός, ᾗ ἔστι κόσμος ἴσως ἄξιος μνῶν πεντήκοντα εἰ πάνυ πολλοῦ, τῷ δʼ ὑεῖ αὐτῆς γῆς πλέθρα Ἐρχίασιν οὐδὲ τριακόσια, θαυμάσαι ἂν ὅτῳ ποτὲ πιστεύων ἐν νῷ ἔχει οὗτος ὁ Ἀλκιβιάδης τῷ Ἀρτοξέρξῃ διαγωνίζεσθαι, καὶ οἶμαι ἂν αὐτὴν εἰπεῖν ὅτι οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅτῳ ἄλλῳ πιστεύων οὗτος ἀνὴρ ἐπιχειρεῖ πλὴν ἐπιμελείᾳ τε καὶ σοφίᾳ· ταῦτα γὰρ μόνα ἄξια λόγου ἐν Ἕλλησιν. ἐπεὶ εἴ γε πύθοιτο ὅτι Ἀλκιβιάδης οὗτος νῦν ἐπιχειρεῖ πρῶτον μὲν ἔτη οὐδέπω γεγονὼς σφόδρα εἴκοσιν, ἔπειτα παντάπασιν ἀπαίδευτος, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις, τοῦ ἐραστοῦ αὐτῷ λέγοντος ὅτι χρὴ πρῶτον μαθόντα καὶ ἐπιμεληθέντα αὑτοῦ καὶ ἀσκήσαντα οὕτως ἰέναι διαγωνιούμενον βασιλεῖ, οὐκ ἐθέλει, ἀλλά φησιν ἐξαρκεῖν καὶ ὡς ἔχει, οἶμαι ἂν αὐτὴν θαυμάσαι τε καὶ ἐρέσθαι· τί οὖν ποτʼ ἔστιν ὅτῳ πιστεύει τὸ μειράκιον; εἰ οὖν λέγοιμεν ὅτι κάλλει τε καὶ μεγέθει καὶ γένει καὶ πλούτῳ καὶ φύσει τῆς ψυχῆς, ἡγήσαιτʼ ἂν ἡμᾶς, ὦ Ἀλκιβιάδη, μαίνεσθαι πρὸς τὰ παρὰ σφίσιν ἀποβλέψασα πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα.
So I think, if someone should say to the king's mother, who was the wife of Xerxes, Amestris, that "the son of Dinomache intends to oppose your son"—she who has adornments perhaps worth fifty minae at the very most, while for her opponent's son there are not even three hundred plethra of land at Erchia—she would wonder on what on earth relying this Alcibiades intends to compete with Artaxerxes, and I think she would say: "This man attempts this relying on nothing else except care and wisdom; for these alone are worthy of mention among the Greeks." But if she should learn that this Alcibiades now attempts this, first of all, not yet being fully twenty years old, and secondly, being entirely uneducated, and besides these, when his lover tells him that he must first learn, care for himself, and practice, and only then go to compete with the king, he is unwilling, but says that he is sufficient just as he is, I think she would both wonder and ask: "What on earth, then, is it that the youth relies upon?" If we should then say: "On beauty, stature, birth, wealth, and the natural quality of his soul," she would think, Alcibiades, that we are mad, looking away at all such things that they have among themselves.
§124ΣΩ. οἶμαι δὲ κἂν Λαμπιδώ, τὴν Λεωτυχίδου μὲν θυγατέρα, Ἀρχιδάμου δὲ γυναῖκα, Ἄγιδος δὲ μητέρα, οἳ πάντες βασιλῆς γεγόνασιν, θαυμάσαι ἂν καὶ ταύτην εἰς τὰ παρὰ σφίσιν ὑπάρχοντα ἀποβλέψασαν, εἰ σὺ ἐν νῷ ἔχεις τῷ ὑεῖ αὐτῆς διαγωνίζεσθαι οὕτω κακῶς ἠγμένος.
SOCRATES: And I think that Lampido too, who was the daughter of Leotychides, the wife of Archidamus, and the mother of Agis, all of whom became kings, would also wonder, looking away at the things they possess, if you, having been so poorly brought up, intend to compete with her son.
καίτοι οὐκ αἰσχρὸν δοκεῖ εἶναι, εἰ αἱ τῶν πολεμίων γυναῖκες βέλτιον περὶ ἡμῶν διανοοῦνται, οἵους χρὴ ὄντας σφίσιν ἐπιχειρεῖν, ἢ ἡμεῖς περὶ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν;
And yet, does it not seem to be shameful if the wives of our enemies think better of us—regarding what kind of men we ought to be to attempt to oppose them—than we do of ourselves?
ἀλλʼ, ὦ μακάριε, πειθόμενος ἐμοί τε καὶ τῷ ἐν Δελφοῖς γράμματι, γνῶθι σαυτόν, ὅτι οὗτοι ἡμῖν εἰσιν ἀντίπαλοι, ἀλλʼ οὐχ οὓς σὺ οἴει· ὧν ἄλλῳ μὲν οὐδʼ ἂν ἑνὶ περιγενοίμεθα, εἰ μή περ ἐπιμελείᾳ γε ἂν καὶ τέχνῃ.
But, my good friend, obeying both me and the inscription at Delphi, know thyself, since these are our rivals, and not those whom you think; and we would not overcome them in even a single other thing, unless indeed by care and art.
ὧν σὺ εἰ ἀπολειφθήσῃ, καὶ τοῦ ὀνομαστὸς γενέσθαι ἀπολειφθήσῃ ἐν Ἕλλησί τε καὶ βαρβάροις, οὗ μοι δοκεῖς ἐρᾶν ὡς οὐδεὶς ἄλλος ἄλλου.
And if you fall short of these, you will also fall short of becoming famous among both Greeks and barbarians, which you seem to me to desire as no one else desires anything.
ΑΛ. τίνα οὖν χρὴ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν, ὦ Σώκρατες, ποιεῖσθαι;
ALCIBIADES: What kind of care, then, Socrates, must we exercise?
ἔχεις ἐξηγήσασθαι;
Can you explain?
παντὸς γὰρ μᾶλλον ἔοικας ἀληθῆ εἰρηκότι.
For you seem to have spoken the truth more than anyone.
ΣΩ. ναί· ἀλλὰ γὰρ κοινὴ βουλὴ ᾧτινι τρόπῳ ἂν ὅτι βέλτιστοι γενοίμεθα.
SOCRATES: Yes; but indeed we must consult in common by what means we might become as excellent as possible.
ἐγὼ γάρ τοι οὐ περὶ μὲν σοῦ λέγω ὡς χρὴ παιδευθῆναι, περὶ ἐμοῦ δὲ οὔ· οὐ γὰρ ἔσθʼ ὅτῳ σου διαφέρω πλήν γʼ ἑνί.
For I do not say that you ought to be educated, but that I ought not; for there is nothing in which I differ from you, except in just one thing.
ΑΛ. τίνι;
ALCIBIADES: In what?
ΣΩ. ὁ ἐπίτροπος ὁ ἐμὸς βελτίων ἐστὶ καὶ σοφώτερος ἢ Περικλῆς ὁ σός.
SOCRATES: My guardian is better and wiser than your Pericles.
ΑΛ. τίς οὗτος, ὦ Σώκρατες;
ALCIBIADES: Who is this, Socrates?
ΣΩ. θεός, ὦ Ἀλκιβιάδη, ὅσπερ σοί με οὐκ εἴα πρὸ τῆσδε τῆς ἡμέρας διαλεχθῆναι· ᾧ καὶ πιστεύων λέγω ὅτι ἡ ἐπιφάνεια διʼ οὐδενὸς ἄλλου σοι ἔσται ἢ διʼ ἐμοῦ.
SOCRATES: A god, Alcibiades, the very one who did not allow me to speak to you before this day; relying on whom I say that your distinction will come to you through no one else but through me.
ΑΛ. παίζεις, ὦ Σώκρατες.
ALCIBIADES: You are joking, Socrates.
ΣΩ. ἴσως· λέγω μέντοι ἀληθῆ, ὅτι ἐπιμελείας δεόμεθα, μᾶλλον μὲν πάντες ἄνθρωποι, ἀτὰρ νώ γε καὶ μάλα σφόδρα.
SOCRATES: Perhaps; however, I speak the truth, that we need care—all humans indeed, but the two of us very exceedingly so.
ΑΛ. ὅτι μὲν ἐγώ, οὐ ψεύδῃ.
ALCIBIADES: As for me, you do not lie.
ΣΩ. οὐδὲ μὴν ὅτι γε ἐγώ.
SOCRATES: Nor indeed as for me.
ΑΛ. τί οὖν ἂν ποιοῖμεν;
ALCIBIADES: What then should we do?
ΣΩ. οὐκ ἀπορρητέον οὐδὲ μαλθακιστέον, ὦ ἑταῖρε.
SOCRATES: We must not give up nor be soft, my friend.
ΑΛ. οὔτοι δὴ πρέπει γʼ, ὦ Σώκρατες.
ALCIBIADES: That indeed is not fitting, Socrates.
ΣΩ. οὐ γάρ, ἀλλὰ σκεπτέον κοινῇ. καί μοι λέγε·
SOCRATES: Quite so, but we must consider in common.
φαμὲν γὰρ δὴ ὡς ἄριστοι βούλεσθαι γενέσθαι.
Now tell me: for we say indeed that we want to become as excellent as possible.
ἦ γάρ;
Do we not?
ΑΛ. ναί.
ALCIBIADES: Yes.
ΣΩ. τίνα ἀρετήν;
SOCRATES: In what virtue?
ΑΛ. δῆλον ὅτι ἥνπερ οἱ ἄνδρες οἱ ἀγαθοί.
ALCIBIADES: Clearly, that very virtue which good men have.
ΣΩ. οἱ τί ἀγαθοί;
SOCRATES: Good in what?
ΑΛ. δῆλον ὅτι οἱ πράττειν τὰ πράγματα.
ALCIBIADES: Clearly, in managing affairs.
ΣΩ. ποῖα;
SOCRATES: What kind of affairs?
ἆρα τὰ ἱππικά;
Those of horsemanship?
ΑΛ. οὐ δῆτα.
ALCIBIADES: Certainly not.
ΣΩ. παρὰ τοὺς ἱππικοὺς γὰρ ἂν ᾖμεν;
SOCRATES: For in that case, we would have gone to the horsemen?
ΑΛ. ναί.
ALCIBIADES: Yes.
ΣΩ. ἀλλὰ τὰ ναυτικὰ λέγεις;
SOCRATES: But do you mean maritime affairs?
ΑΛ. οὔ.
ALCIBIADES: No.
ΣΩ. παρὰ τοὺς ναυτικοὺς γὰρ ἂν ᾖμεν;
SOCRATES: For in that case, we would have gone to the sailors?
ΑΛ. ναί.
ALCIBIADES: Yes.
ΣΩ. ἀλλὰ ποῖα;
SOCRATES: But what kind of affairs?
ἃ τίνες πράττουσιν;
Managed by whom?
ΑΛ. ἅπερ Ἀθηναίων οἱ καλοὶ κἀγαθοί.
ALCIBIADES: Those which the noble and good among the Athenians manage.