§184ΛΑ. τέως μὲν οὖν παρέθει ἐν τῇ νηὶ ἀντεχόμενος τοῦ δόρατος· ἐπεὶ δὲ δὴ παρημείβετο ἡ ναῦς τὴν ναῦν καὶ ἐπέσπα αὐτὸν τοῦ δόρατος ἐχόμενον, ἐφίει τὸ δόρυ διὰ τῆς χειρός, ἕως ἄκρου τοῦ στύρακος ἀντελάβετο.
Laches: For a while, then, he ran along with the ship, holding on to the spear; but when the ship was passing the other ship and dragged him along as he held the spear, he let the spear slip through his hand until he caught hold of the tip of the butt-spike.
ἦν δὲ γέλως καὶ κρότος ὑπὸ τῶν ἐκ τῆς ὁλκάδος ἐπί τε τῷ σχήματι αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπειδὴ βαλόντος τινὸς λίθῳ παρὰ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ κατάστρωμα ἀφίεται τοῦ δόρατος, τότʼ ἤδη καὶ οἱ ἐκ τῆς τριήρους οὐκέτι οἷοί τʼ ἦσαν τὸν γέλωτα κατέχειν, ὁρῶντες αἰωρούμενον ἐκ τῆς ὁλκάδος τὸ δορυδρέπανον ἐκεῖνο.
And there was laughter and applause from those on the merchant vessel at his posture, and when someone threw a stone on the deck at his feet and he let go of the spear, then at last those on the trireme also were no longer able to hold back their laughter, seeing that scythe-spear of his dangling from the merchant vessel.
ἴσως μὲν οὖν εἴη ἂν τὶ ταῦτα, ὥσπερ Νικίας λέγει· οἷς δʼ οὖν ἐγὼ ἐντετύχηκα, τοιαῦτʼ ἄττα ἐστίν.
Perhaps, then, there might be something in these things, just as Nicias says; but those whom I have met are such as this.
ὃ οὖν καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς εἶπον, εἴτε οὕτω σμικρὰς ὠφελίας ἔχει μάθημα ὄν, εἴτε μὴ ὂν φασὶ καὶ προσποιοῦνται αὐτὸ εἶναι μάθημα, οὐκ ἄξιον ἐπιχειρεῖν μανθάνειν.
Therefore, as I said from the beginning, whether it has such small benefits as a study, or whether it is not a study but they say and pretend it is, it is not worth attempting to learn.
καὶ γὰρ οὖν μοι δοκεῖ, εἰ μὲν δειλός τις ὢν οἴοιτο αὐτὸ ἐπίστασθαι, θρασύτερος ἂν διʼ αὐτὸ γενόμενος ἐπιφανέστερος γένοιτο οἷος ἦν, εἰ δὲ ἀνδρεῖος, φυλαττόμενος ἂν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, εἰ καὶ σμικρὸν ἐξαμάρτοι, μεγάλας ἂν διαβολὰς ἴσχειν· ἐπίφθονος γὰρ ἡ προσποίησις τῆς τοιαύτης ἐπιστήμης, ὥστʼ εἰ μή τι θαυμαστὸν ὅσον διαφέρει τῇ ἀρετῇ τῶν ἄλλων, οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅπως ἄν τις φύγοι τὸ καταγέλαστος γενέσθαι φάσκων ἔχειν ταύτην τὴν ἐπιστήμην.
For indeed, it seems to me that if a coward should think he knows it, he would become bolder because of it and make more manifest what sort of man he was; while if he is brave, being watched by men, even if he should make a slight mistake, he would incur great slanders; for the pretense of such knowledge is envious, so that unless one is wonderfully superior to others in virtue, there is no way for one who claims to have this knowledge to escape becoming ridiculous.
τοιαύτη τις ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ, ὦ Λυσίμαχε, ἡ περὶ τοῦτο τὸ μάθημα εἶναι σπουδή· χρὴ δʼ ὅπερ σοι ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἔλεγον, καὶ Σωκράτη τόνδε μὴ ἀφιέναι, ἀλλὰ δεῖσθαι συμβουλεύειν ὅπῃ δοκεῖ αὐτῷ περὶ τοῦ προκειμένου.
Such, Lysimachus, seems to me to be the interest in this study; and you ought, as I was telling you from the beginning, not to let this Socrates go, but to entreat him to advise in what way he thinks about the matter before us.
ΛΥ. ἀλλὰ δέομαι ἔγωγε, ὦ Σώκρατες· καὶ γὰρ ὥσπερ τοῦ ἐπιδιακρινοῦντος δοκεῖ μοι δεῖν ἡμῖν ἡ βουλή.
Lysimachus: Indeed I do entreat him, Socrates; for our consultation seems to me to need, as it were, an arbitrator.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ συνεφερέσθην τώδε, ἧττον ἂν τοῦ τοιούτου ἔδει· νῦν δὲ τὴν ἐναντίαν γάρ, ὡς ὁρᾷς, Λάχης Νικίᾳ ἔθετο, εὖ δὴ ἔχει ἀκοῦσαι καὶ σοῦ ποτέρῳ τοῖν ἀνδροῖν σύμψηφος εἶ.
For if these two had agreed, there would have been less need of such a person; but as it is, since Laches has taken the opposite side to Nicias, as you see, it is well indeed to hear from you also which of the two men you vote with.
ΣΩ. τί δέ, ὦ Λυσίμαχε;
Socrates: What is this, Lysimachus?
ὁπότερʼ ἂν οἱ πλείους ἐπαινῶσιν ἡμῶν, τούτοις μέλλεις χρῆσθαι;
Are you going to follow whichever of us the majority praises?
ΛΥ. τί γὰρ ἄν τις καὶ ποιοῖ, ὦ Σώκρατες;
Lysimachus: What else could one do, Socrates?
ΣΩ. ἦ καὶ σύ, ὦ Μελησία, οὕτως ἂν ποιοῖς;
Socrates: And would you also, Melesias, do so?
κἂν εἴ τις περὶ ἀγωνίας τοῦ ὑέος σοι βουλὴ εἴη τί χρὴ ἀσκεῖν, ἆρα τοῖς πλείοσιν ἂν ἡμῶν πείθοιο, ἢ ʼκείνῳ ὅστις τυγχάνει ὑπὸ παιδοτρίβῃ ἀγαθῷ πεπαιδευμένος καὶ ἠσκηκώς;
And if you had a consultation about the athletic training of your son, as to what he ought to practice, would you obey the majority of us, or that one who happens to have been educated and trained under a good physical trainer?
ΜΕ. ἐκείνῳ εἰκός γε, ὦ Σώκρατες.
Melesias: To that one, naturally, Socrates.
ΣΩ. αὐτῷ ἄρʼ ἂν μᾶλλον πείθοιο ἢ τέτταρσιν οὖσιν ἡμῖν;
Socrates: Would you then obey him rather than us four?
ΜΕ. ἴσως.
Melesias: Perhaps.
ΣΩ. ἐπιστήμῃ γὰρ οἶμαι δεῖ κρίνεσθαι ἀλλʼ οὐ πλήθει τὸ μέλλον καλῶς κριθήσεσθαι.
Socrates: For that which is to be judged well must, I think, be judged by knowledge and not by numbers.
ΜΕ. πῶς γὰρ οὔ;
Melesias: Of course.