§155καὶ πάνυ γε, ἔφη ὁ Κριτίας, ἐπεί τοι καὶ ἔστιν φιλόσοφός τε καί, ὡς δοκεῖ ἄλλοις τε καὶ ἑαυτῷ, πάνυ ποιητικός. τοῦτο μέν, ἦν δʼ ἐγώ, ὦ φίλε Κριτία, πόρρωθεν ὑμῖν τὸ καλὸν ὑπάρχει ἀπὸ τῆς Σόλωνος συγγενείας.
"And indeed quite so," said Critias, "since in fact he is both a philosopher and, as he seems both to others and to himself, very poetic." "This good quality indeed, my dear Critias," I said, "has belonged to you from of old, from your kinship with Solon.
ἀλλὰ τί οὐκ ἐπέδειξάς μοι τὸν νεανίαν καλέσας δεῦρο;
But why did you not show me the youth by calling him here?
οὐδὲ γὰρ ἄν που εἰ ἔτι ἐτύγχανε νεώτερος ὤν, αἰσχρὸν ἂν ἦν αὐτῷ διαλέγεσθαι ἡμῖν ἐναντίον γε σοῦ, ἐπιτρόπου τε ἅμα καὶ ἀνεψιοῦ ὄντος. ἀλλὰ καλῶς, ἔφη, λέγεις, καὶ καλοῦμεν αὐτόν. καὶ ἅμα πρὸς τὸν ἀκόλουθον, Παῖ, ἔφη, κάλει Χαρμίδην, εἰπὼν ὅτι βούλομαι αὐτὸν ἰατρῷ συστῆσαι περὶ τῆς ἀσθενείας ἧς πρῴην πρός με ἔλεγεν ὅτι ἀσθενοῖ. πρὸς οὖν ἐμὲ ὁ Κριτίας, Ἔναγχός τοι ἔφη βαρύνεσθαί τι τὴν κεφαλὴν ἕωθεν ἀνιστάμενος·
For surely, even if he happened to be still younger, it would not be shameful for him to converse with us in the presence of you, who are at once his guardian and cousin." "You speak well," he said, "and we shall call him." And at the same time he said to the attendant, "Boy, call Charmides, telling him that I want to introduce him to a physician concerning the illness of which he said to me the other day that he was ill." So Critias said to me, "Indeed, he said just now that he felt somewhat heavy in his head when rising in the morning.
ἀλλὰ τί σε κωλύει προσποιήσασθαι πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπίστασθαί τι κεφαλῆς φάρμακον; οὐδέν, ἦν δʼ ἐγώ· μόνον ἐλθέτω. ἀλλʼ ἥξει, ἔφη.
But what prevents you from pretending to him that you know a certain cure for the head?" "Nothing," I said; "only let him come." "Indeed he will come," he said.
ὃ οὖν καὶ ἐγένετο.
And this very thing happened.
ἧκε γάρ, καὶ ἐποίησε γέλωτα πολύν· ἕκαστος γὰρ ἡμῶν τῶν καθημένων συγχωρῶν τὸν πλησίον ἐώθει σπουδῇ, ἵνα παρʼ αὑτῷ καθέζοιτο, ἕως τῶν ἐπʼ ἐσχάτῳ καθημένων τὸν μὲν ἀνεστήσαμεν, τὸν δὲ πλάγιον κατεβάλομεν.
For he came, and caused much laughter; for each of us who were sitting, in trying to make room, pushed his neighbor eagerly so that the boy might sit next to him, until of those sitting at the ends, we made one stand up, and knocked the other down sideways.
ὁ δʼ ἐλθὼν μεταξὺ ἐμοῦ τε καὶ τοῦ Κριτίου ἐκαθέζετο.
And he came and sat down between me and Critias.
ἐνταῦθα μέντοι, ὦ φίλε, ἐγὼ ἤδη ἠπόρουν, καί μου ἡ πρόσθεν θρασύτης ἐξεκέκοπτο, ἣν εἶχον ἐγὼ ὡς πάνυ ῥᾳδίως αὐτῷ διαλεξόμενος·
Then indeed, my friend, I was already at a loss, and my former boldness was knocked out of me, which I had when I thought I should converse with him very easily.
ἐπειδὴ δέ, φράσαντος τοῦ Κριτίου ὅτι ἐγὼ εἴην ὁ τὸ φάρμακον ἐπιστάμενος, ἐνέβλεψέν τέ μοι τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἀμήχανόν τι οἷον καὶ ἀνήγετο ὡς ἐρωτήσων, καὶ οἱ ἐν τῇ παλαίστρᾳ ἅπαντες περιέρρεον ἡμᾶς κύκλῳ κομιδῇ, τότε δή, ὦ γεννάδα, εἶδόν τε τὰ ἐντὸς τοῦ ἱματίου καὶ ἐφλεγόμην καὶ οὐκέτʼ ἐν ἐμαυτοῦ ἦν καὶ ἐνόμισα σοφώτατον εἶναι τὸν Κυδίαν τὰ ἐρωτικά, ὃς εἶπεν ἐπὶ καλοῦ λέγων παιδός, ἄλλῳ ὑποτιθέμενος, εὐλαβεῖσθαι μὴ κατέναντα λέοντος νεβρὸν ἐλθόντα μοῖραν αἱρεῖσθαι κρεῶν· αὐτὸς γάρ μοι ἐδόκουν ὑπὸ τοῦ τοιούτου θρέμματος ἑαλωκέναι.
But when, Critias having explained that I was the one who knew the cure, he looked at me with his eyes in an indescribable way and began to make a move as if to ask a question, and all those in the palæstra encircled us completely on all sides, then indeed, my noble friend, I saw the things inside his cloak and I was inflamed and was no longer master of myself, and I thought Cydias was most wise in matters of love, who said, speaking of a beautiful boy and advising another, to beware lest, coming like a fawn before a lion, one should take a share of the meat; for I myself seemed to have been captured by such a beast.
ὅμως δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐρωτήσαντος εἰ ἐπισταίμην τὸ τῆς κεφαλῆς φάρμακον, μόγις πως ἀπεκρινάμην ὅτι ἐπισταίμην.
Nevertheless, when he asked me if I knew the cure for the head, I answered with some difficulty that I did know it.
τί οὖν, ἦ δʼ ὅς, ἐστίν; καὶ ἐγὼ εἶπον ὅτι αὐτὸ μὲν εἴη φύλλον τι, ἐπῳδὴ δέ τις ἐπὶ τῷ φαρμάκῳ εἴη, ἣν εἰ μέν τις ἐπᾴδοι ἅμα καὶ χρῷτο αὐτῷ, παντάπασιν ὑγιᾶ ποιοῖ τὸ φάρμακον· ἄνευ δὲ τῆς ἐπῳδῆς οὐδὲν ὄφελος εἴη τοῦ φύλλου.
"What then," he said, "is it?" And I said that it was a certain leaf, but that there was a certain charm to go with the medicine, which if one chanted at the same time as using it, the medicine would make one completely well; but without the charm, there would be no use in the leaf.
§156καὶ ὅς, Ἀπογράψομαι τοίνυν, ἔφη, παρὰ σοῦ τὴν ἐπῳδήν. πότερον, ἦν δʼ ἐγώ, ἐάν με πείθῃς ἢ κἂν μή; γελάσας οὖν, ἐάν σε πείθω, ἔφη, ὦ Σώκρατες. εἶεν, ἦν δʼ ἐγώ· καὶ τοὔνομά μου σὺ ἀκριβοῖς; εἰ μὴ ἀδικῶ γε, ἔφη· οὐ γάρ τι σοῦ ὀλίγος λόγος ἐστὶν ἐν τοῖς ἡμετέροις ἡλικιώταις, μέμνημαι δὲ ἔγωγε καὶ παῖς ὢν Κριτίᾳ τῷδε συνόντα σε. καλῶς γε σύ, ἦν δʼ ἐγώ, ποιῶν· μᾶλλον γάρ σοι παρρησιάσομαι περὶ τῆς ἐπῳδῆς οἵα τυγχάνει οὖσα· ἄρτι δʼ ἠπόρουν τίνι τρόπῳ σοι ἐνδειξαίμην τὴν δύναμιν αὐτῆς.
And he said, "I will write down the charm from you, then." "Whether you persuade me," I said, "or even if you do not?" laughing then, he said, "If I persuade you, Socrates." "Well then," I said, "and do you know my name accurately?" "If I do no injustice," he said; "for there is no small talk about you among our contemporaries, and I myself remember when I was still a child that you associated with this Critias here." "You do well indeed," I said, "for I shall speak to you more freely about the charm, what sort of thing it happens to be; just now I was at a loss in what way I should show you its power.
ἔστι γάρ, ὦ Χαρμίδη, τοιαύτη οἵα μὴ δύνασθαι τὴν κεφαλὴν μόνον ὑγιᾶ ποιεῖν, ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ ἴσως ἤδη καὶ σὺ ἀκήκοας τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἰατρῶν, ἐπειδάν τις αὐτοῖς προσέλθῃ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἀλγῶν, λέγουσί που ὅτι οὐχ οἷόν τε αὐτοὺς μόνους ἐπιχειρεῖν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἰᾶσθαι, ἀλλʼ ἀναγκαῖον εἴη ἅμα καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν θεραπεύειν, εἰ μέλλοι καὶ τὰ τῶν ὀμμάτων εὖ ἔχειν· καὶ αὖ τὸ τὴν κεφαλὴν οἴεσθαι ἄν ποτε θεραπεῦσαι αὐτὴν ἐφʼ ἑαυτῆς ἄνευ ὅλου τοῦ σώματος πολλὴν ἄνοιαν εἶναι.
For it is of such a nature, Charmides, as not to be able to make the head alone well, but just as perhaps you have already heard from good physicians, when someone comes to them with aching eyes, they say, I suppose, that it is not possible to attempt to cure the eyes alone, but that it is necessary to treat the head at the same time, if the condition of the eyes is also to be well; and again, to think that one could ever treat the head itself by itself without the whole body is great folly.
ἐκ δὴ τούτου τοῦ λόγου διαίταις ἐπὶ πᾶν τὸ σῶμα τρεπόμενοι μετὰ τοῦ ὅλου τὸ μέρος ἐπιχειροῦσιν θεραπεύειν τε καὶ ἰᾶσθαι·
On this very account, turning to dietary regimens for the whole body, they attempt to treat and cure the part along with the whole.
ἢ οὐκ ᾔσθησαι ὅτι ταῦτα οὕτως λέγουσίν τε καὶ ἔχει; πάνυ γε, ἔφη.
Or have you not perceived that they say these things and that it is so?" "Quite so," he said.
οὐκοῦν καλῶς σοι δοκεῖ λέγεσθαι καὶ ἀποδέχῃ τὸν λόγον; πάντων μάλιστα, ἔφη.
"Does it not then seem to you to be well said, and do you accept the argument?" "Most of all," he said.
κἀγὼ ἀκούσας αὐτοῦ ἐπαινέσαντος ἀνεθάρρησά τε, καί μοι κατὰ σμικρὸν πάλιν ἡ θρασύτης συνηγείρετο, καὶ ἀνεζωπυρούμην.
And I, hearing him praise it, took courage, and little by little my boldness was aroused again, and I was rekindled.
καὶ εἶπον· τοιοῦτον τοίνυν ἐστίν, ὦ Χαρμίδη, καὶ τὸ ταύτης τῆς ἐπῳδῆς.
And I said, "Such then, Charmides, is also the nature of this charm.
ἔμαθον δʼ αὐτὴν ἐγὼ ἐκεῖ ἐπὶ στρατιᾶς παρά τινος τῶν Θρᾳκῶν τῶν Ζαλμόξιδος ἰατρῶν, οἳ λέγονται καὶ ἀπαθανατίζειν.
I learned it there in the army from one of the Thracian physicians of Zalmoxis, who are said also to make men immortal.
ἔλεγεν δὲ ὁ Θρᾲξ οὗτος ὅτι ταῦτα μὲν οἱ Ἕλληνες, ἃ νυνδὴ ἐγὼ ἔλεγον, καλῶς λέγοιεν· ἀλλὰ Ζάλμοξις, ἔφη, λέγει ὁ ἡμέτερος βασιλεύς, θεὸς ὤν, ὅτι ὥσπερ ὀφθαλμοὺς ἄνευ κεφαλῆς οὐ δεῖ ἐπιχειρεῖν ἰᾶσθαι οὐδὲ κεφαλὴν ἄνευ σώματος, οὕτως οὐδὲ σῶμα ἄνευ ψυχῆς, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο καὶ αἴτιον εἴη τοῦ διαφεύγειν τοὺς παρὰ τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἰατροὺς τὰ πολλὰ νοσήματα, ὅτι τοῦ ὅλου ἀμελοῖεν οὗ δέοι τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν ποιεῖσθαι, οὗ μὴ καλῶς ἔχοντος ἀδύνατον εἴη τὸ μέρος εὖ ἔχειν.
And this Thracian said that the Greeks were right in saying what I have just said; but Zalmoxis, he said, our king, who is a god, says that just as one must not attempt to cure eyes without the head, nor the head without the body, so neither must one cure the body without the soul; and that this is the very reason why many diseases escape the Greek physicians, because they neglect the whole which they ought to care for, and if this is not well, it is impossible for the part to be well."