§200ΛΑ. καὶ μὴν ἔγωγε, ὦ φίλε Νικία, ᾤμην σε εὑρήσειν, ἐπειδὴ ἐμοῦ κατεφρόνησας Σωκράτει ἀποκριναμένου· πάνυ δὴ μεγάλην ἐλπίδα εἶχον, ὡς τῇ παρὰ τοῦ Δάμωνος σοφίᾳ αὐτὴν ἀνευρήσεις.
Laches: And indeed, my dear Nicias, I thought you would find it, since you looked down on me when I was answering Socrates; I had quite a great hope that you would discover it by the wisdom you got from Damon.
ΝΙ. εὖ γε, ὦ Λάχης, ὅτι οὐδὲν οἴει σὺ ἔτι πρᾶγμα εἶναι ὅτι αὐτὸς ἄρτι ἐφάνης ἀνδρείας πέρι οὐδὲν εἰδώς, ἀλλʼ εἰ καὶ ἐγὼ ἕτερος τοιοῦτος ἀναφανήσομαι, πρὸς τοῦτο βλέπεις, καὶ οὐδὲν ἔτι διοίσει, ὡς ἔοικε, σοὶ μετʼ ἐμοῦ μηδὲν εἰδέναι ὧν προσήκει ἐπιστήμην ἔχειν ἀνδρὶ οἰομένῳ τὶ εἶναι.
Nicias: How nice of you, Laches, that you think it is no longer of any consequence that you yourself were just shown to know nothing about courage, but if I too turn out to be another such person, you look to this, and it will make no difference to you, as it seems, to know nothing along with me of those things which it is fitting for a man who thinks himself to be somebody to have knowledge of.
σὺ μὲν οὖν μοι δοκεῖς ὡς ἀληθῶς ἀνθρώπειον πρᾶγμα ἐργάζεσθαι οὐδὲ πρὸς σαυτὸν βλέπειν ἀλλὰ πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους·
You indeed seem to me to act in a truly human way, not looking to yourself but to others.
ἐγὼ δʼ οἶμαι ἐμοὶ περὶ ὧν ἐλέγομεν νῦν τε ἐπιεικῶς εἰρῆσθαι, καὶ εἴ τι αὐτῶν μὴ ἱκανῶς εἴρηται, ὕστερον ἐπανορθώσεσθαι καὶ μετὰ Δάμωνος—οὗ σύ που οἴει καταγελᾶν, καὶ ταῦτα οὐδʼ ἰδὼν πώποτε τὸν Δάμωνα—καὶ μετʼ ἄλλων· καὶ ἐπειδὰν βεβαιώσωμαι αὐτά, διδάξω καὶ σέ, καὶ οὐ φθονήσω· δοκεῖς γάρ μοι καὶ μάλα σφόδρα δεῖσθαι μαθεῖν.
But for my part, I think that what we were discussing has been spoken of reasonably well by me for the present, and if any of it has not been sufficiently expressed, it will be corrected later both with Damon—whom you presumably mock, and that too without ever having seen Damon—and with others; and when I have confirmed these things, I will teach you too, and I will not grudge you; for you seem to me to be very much indeed in need of learning.
ΛΑ. σοφὸς γάρ τοι σὺ εἶ, ὦ Νικία.
Laches: For you are wise, to be sure, Nicias!
ἀλλʼ ὅμως ἐγὼ Λυσιμάχῳ τῷδε καὶ Μελησίᾳ συμβουλεύω σὲ μὲν καὶ ἐμὲ περὶ τῆς παιδείας τῶν νεανίσκων χαίρειν ἐᾶν, Σωκράτη δὲ τουτονί, ὅπερ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἔλεγον, μὴ ἀφιέναι· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐμοὶ ἐν ἡλικίᾳ ἦσαν οἱ παῖδες, ταὐτὰ ἂν ταῦτʼ ἐποίουν.
But nevertheless, I advise Lysimachus here and Melesias to let you and me go as far as the education of the young men is concerned, but not to let go of Socrates here, which is what I was saying from the beginning; and if my children were of age, I would do these very things.
ΝΙ. ταῦτα μὲν κἀγὼ συγχωρῶ· ἐάνπερ ἐθέλῃ Σωκράτης τῶν μειρακίων ἐπιμελεῖσθαι, μηδένα ἄλλον ζητεῖν.
Nicias: These things I too agree to; if Socrates is willing to take charge of the youths, we should seek no one else.
ἐπεὶ κἂν ἐγὼ τὸν Νικήρατον τούτῳ ἥδιστα ἐπιτρέποιμι, εἰ ἐθέλοι οὗτος· ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἄλλους μοι ἑκάστοτε συνίστησιν, ὅταν τι αὐτῷ περὶ τούτου μνησθῶ, αὐτὸς δὲ οὐκ ἐθέλει.
Since indeed I would most gladly entrust Niceratus to him, if he were willing; but indeed he always recommends others to me whenever I mention anything to him about this, but he himself is not willing.
ἀλλʼ ὅρα, ὦ Λυσίμαχε, εἴ τι σοῦ ἂν μᾶλλον ὑπακούοι Σωκράτης.
But see, Lysimachus, if Socrates would listen to you any more.
ΛΥ. δίκαιόν γέ τοι, ὦ Νικία, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐγὼ τούτῳ πολλὰ ἂν ἐθελήσαιμι ποιεῖν, ἃ οὐκ ἂν ἄλλοις πάνυ πολλοῖς ἐθέλοιμι.
Lysimachus: It is indeed just, Nicias, since I too would be willing to do many things for him, which I would not be willing to do for very many others.
πῶς οὖν φῄς, ὦ Σώκρατες;
How then do you say, Socrates?
ὑπακούσῃ τι καὶ συμπροθυμήσῃ ὡς βελτίστοις γενέσθαι τοῖς μειρακίοις;
Will you listen to us at all and join in our eagerness for the youths to become as good as possible?
ΣΩ. καὶ γὰρ ἂν δεινὸν εἴη, ὦ Λυσίμαχε, τοῦτό γε, μὴ ἐθέλειν τῳ συμπροθυμεῖσθαι ὡς βελτίστῳ γενέσθαι.
Socrates: Indeed, Lysimachus, it would be a terrible thing not to be willing to join in someone's eagerness to become as good as possible.
εἰ μὲν οὖν ἐν τοῖς διαλόγοις τοῖς ἄρτι ἐγὼ μὲν ἐφάνην εἰδώς, τώδε δὲ μὴ εἰδότε, δίκαιον ἂν ἦν ἐμὲ μάλιστα ἐπὶ τοῦτο τὸ ἔργον παρακαλεῖν, νῦν δʼ ὁμοίως γὰρ πάντες ἐν ἀπορίᾳ ἐγενόμεθα· τί οὖν ἄν τις ἡμῶν τίνα προαιροῖτο;
If indeed in the dialogues just now I had appeared to know, and these two not to know, it would be just to call upon me especially for this work; but now, for we all alike fell into difficulty; why then should any of us choose any of us?
§201ΣΩ. ἐμοὶ μὲν οὖν δὴ αὐτῷ δοκεῖ οὐδένα·
Socrates: Indeed, to me myself it seems, none.
ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴ ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχει, σκέψασθε ἄν τι δόξω συμβουλεύειν ὑμῖν.
But since these things are so, see if I seem to advise you anything.
ἐγὼ γάρ φημι χρῆναι, ὦ ἄνδρες —οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἔκφορος λόγος—κοινῇ πάντας ἡμᾶς ζητεῖν μάλιστα μὲν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς διδάσκαλον ὡς ἄριστον—δεόμεθα γάρ—ἔπειτα καὶ τοῖς μειρακίοις, μήτε χρημάτων φειδομένους μήτε ἄλλου μηδενός· ἐᾶν δὲ ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἔχειν ὡς νῦν ἔχομεν οὐ συμβουλεύω.
For I say, gentlemen—for no word must be carried out—that we must all search in common, especially for ourselves, for a teacher as good as possible—for we need one—and then also for the youths, sparing neither money nor anything else; but to let ourselves remain as we are now, I do not advise.
εἰ δέ τις ἡμῶν καταγελάσεται, ὅτι τηλικοίδε ὄντες εἰς διδασκάλων ἀξιοῦμεν φοιτᾶν, τὸν Ὅμηρον δοκεῖ μοι χρῆναι προβάλλεσθαι, ὃς ἔφη οὐκ
"ἀγαθὴν"
εἶναι
"αἰδῶ κεχρημένῳ ἀνδρὶ παρεῖναι"
.
And if anyone mocks us because being of such an age we think it right to go to teachers, it seems to me we should put forward Homer, who said that shame is not 'good' 'to be present with a needy man'.
καὶ ἡμεῖς οὖν ἐάσαντες χαίρειν εἴ τίς τι ἐρεῖ, κοινῇ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν μειρακίων ἐπιμέλειαν ποιησώμεθα.
And we therefore, bidding farewell to whatever anyone will say, let us take care of ourselves and of the youths in common.
ΛΥ. ἐμοὶ μὲν ἀρέσκει, ὦ Σώκρατες, ἃ λέγεις· καὶ ἐθέλω, ὅσῳπερ γεραίτατός εἰμι, τοσούτῳ προθυμότατα μανθάνειν μετὰ τῶν νεανίσκων.
Lysimachus: To me, Socrates, what you say is pleasing; and I am willing, by as much as I am the oldest, by so much most eagerly to learn along with the young men.
ἀλλά μοι οὑτωσὶ ποίησον· αὔριον ἕωθεν ἀφίκου οἴκαδε καὶ μὴ ἄλλως ποιήσῃς, ἵνα βουλευσώμεθα περὶ αὐτῶν τούτων, τὸ δὲ νῦν εἶναι τὴν συνουσίαν διαλύσωμεν.
But do this for me: tomorrow at dawn come to my house and do not do otherwise, so that we may deliberate about these very things; but for the present, let us dissolve the gathering.
ΣΩ. ἀλλὰ ποιήσω, ὦ Λυσίμαχε, ταῦτα, καὶ ἥξω παρὰ σὲ αὔριον, ἐὰν θεὸς ἐθέλῃ.
Socrates: But I will do these things, Lysimachus, and I will come to you tomorrow, if god wills.