§361ΣΩ. οἶδα γὰρ ὅτι τούτου φανεροῦ γενομένου μάλιστʼ ἂν κατάδηλον γένοιτο ἐκεῖνο περὶ οὗ ἐγώ τε καὶ σὺ μακρὸν λόγον ἑκάτερος ἀπετείναμεν, ἐγὼ μὲν λέγων ὡς οὐ διδακτὸν ἀρετή, σὺ δʼ ὡς διδακτόν.
Socrates: "For I know that if this becomes clear, that which both you and I have spun out in a long speech, each of us, would become most manifest—I saying that virtue is not teachable, and you that it is teachable.
καί μοι δοκεῖ ἡμῶν ἡ ἄρτι ἔξοδος τῶν λόγων ὥσπερ ἄνθρωπος κατηγορεῖν τε καὶ καταγελᾶν, καὶ εἰ φωνὴν λάβοι, εἰπεῖν ἂν ὅτι
ἄτοποί γʼ ἐστέ, ὦ Σώκρατές τε καὶ Πρωταγόρα·
And it seems to me that the recent outcome of our arguments accuses and mocks us like a human being, and if it could take a voice, it would say: 'How strange you are, Socrates and Protagoras!
σὺ μὲν λέγων ὅτι οὐ διδακτόν ἐστιν ἀρετὴ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν, νῦν σεαυτῷ τἀναντία σπεύδεις, ἐπιχειρῶν ἀποδεῖξαι ὡς πάντα χρήματά ἐστιν ἐπιστήμη, καὶ ἡ δικαιοσύνη καὶ σωφροσύνη καὶ ἡ ἀνδρεία, ᾧ τρόπῳ μάλιστʼ ἂν διδακτὸν φανείη ἡ ἀρετή.
You, on the one hand, who said in the former part that virtue is not teachable, are now eager for the opposite of yourself, attempting to demonstrate that all things are knowledge—justice, temperance, and courage—in which way virtue would most of all appear to be teachable.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλο τι ἦν ἢ ἐπιστήμη ἡ ἀρετή, ὥσπερ Πρωταγόρας ἐπεχείρει λέγειν, σαφῶς οὐκ ἂν ἦν διδακτόν· νῦν δὲ εἰ φανήσεται ἐπιστήμη ὅλον, ὡς σὺ σπεύδεις, ὦ Σώκρατες, θαυμάσιον ἔσται μὴ διδακτὸν ὄν.
For if virtue were something other than knowledge, as Protagoras was attempting to say, it would clearly not be teachable; but now, if it shall appear to be entirely knowledge, as you are eager to show, Socrates, it will be a wonder if it is not teachable.
Πρωταγόρας δʼ αὖ διδακτὸν τότε ὑποθέμενος, νῦν τοὐναντίον ἔοικεν σπεύδοντι ὀλίγου πάντα μᾶλλον φανῆναι αὐτὸ ἢ ἐπιστήμην· καὶ οὕτως ἂν ἥκιστα εἴη διδακτόν. ἐγὼ οὖν, ὦ Πρωταγόρα, πάντα ταῦτα καθορῶν ἄνω κάτω ταραττόμενα δεινῶς, πᾶσαν προθυμίαν ἔχω καταφανῆ αὐτὰ γενέσθαι, καὶ βουλοίμην ἂν ταῦτα διεξελθόντας ἡμᾶς ἐξελθεῖν καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν ὅτι ἔστιν, καὶ πάλιν ἐπισκέψασθαι περὶ αὐτοῦ εἴτε διδακτὸν εἴτε μὴ διδακτόν, μὴ πολλάκις ἡμᾶς ὁ Ἐπιμηθεὺς ἐκεῖνος καὶ ἐν τῇ σκέψει σφήλῃ ἐξαπατήσας, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐν τῇ διανομῇ ἠμέλησεν ἡμῶν, ὡς φῂς σύ.
Protagoras, on the other hand, having assumed then that it was teachable, now seems, on the contrary, eager for it to appear to be almost anything rather than knowledge; and in this way it would least of all be teachable.' I therefore, Protagoras, seeing all these things terribly turned upside down, have every desire for them to become clear, and I should wish us, having gone through these things, to go on also to what virtue is, and then to examine again concerning it whether it is teachable or not teachable, lest that Epimetheus should deceive us and trip us up also in our inquiry, just as he neglected us in the distribution, as you say.
ἤρεσεν οὖν μοι καὶ ἐν τῷ μύθῳ ὁ Προμηθεὺς μᾶλλον τοῦ Ἐπιμηθέως· ᾧ χρώμενος ἐγὼ καὶ προμηθούμενος ὑπὲρ τοῦ βίου τοῦ ἐμαυτοῦ παντὸς πάντα ταῦτα πραγματεύομαι, καὶ εἰ σὺ ἐθέλοις, ὅπερ καὶ κατʼ ἀρχὰς ἔλεγον, μετὰ σοῦ ἂν ἥδιστα ταῦτα συνδιασκοποίην. καὶ ὁ Πρωταγόρας,
ἐγὼ μέν,
ἔφη,
ὦ Σώκρατες, ἐπαινῶ σου τὴν προθυμίαν καὶ τὴν διέξοδον τῶν λόγων.
Thus Prometheus in the myth pleased me more than Epimetheus; whom I use as an example and, taking forethought for my own whole life, busy myself with all these matters, and if you were willing, as I was also saying at the beginning, I should most gladly examine these things together with you." And Protagoras said: "I, Socrates," he said, "praise your eagerness and the way you go through arguments.
καὶ γὰρ οὔτε τἆλλα οἶμαι κακὸς εἶναι ἄνθρωπος, φθονερός τε ἥκιστʼ ἀνθρώπων, ἐπεὶ καὶ περὶ σοῦ πρὸς πολλοὺς δὴ εἴρηκα ὅτι ὧν ἐντυγχάνω πολὺ μάλιστα ἄγαμαι σέ, τῶν μὲν τηλικούτων καὶ πάνυ· καὶ λέγω γε ὅτι οὐκ ἂν θαυμάζοιμι εἰ τῶν ἐλλογίμων γένοιο ἀνδρῶν ἐπὶ σοφίᾳ.
For indeed, in other respects I do not think I am a bad man, and of all men I am the least envious, since indeed I have already said to many about you that of those whom I meet, I admire you by far the most, especially of those of your age; and indeed I say that I should not wonder if you were to become one of the men distinguished for wisdom.
καὶ περὶ τούτων δὲ εἰς αὖθις, ὅταν βούλῃ, διέξιμεν· νῦν δʼ ὥρα ἤδη καὶ ἐπʼ ἄλλο τι τρέπεσθαι. §362ΣΩ. ἀλλʼ, ἦν δʼ ἐγώ, οὕτω χρὴ ποιεῖν, εἴ σοι δοκεῖ.
But about these things we shall go through again at another time, whenever you wish; but now it is already time to turn to something else." Socrates: "But," I said, "so we must do, if it seems good to you.
καὶ γὰρ ἐμοὶ οἷπερ ἔφην ἰέναι πάλαι ὥρα, ἀλλὰ Καλλίᾳ τῷ καλῷ χαριζόμενος παρέμεινα. ταῦτʼ εἰπόντες καὶ ἀκούσαντες ἀπῇμεν.
For indeed for me too it was time to go long ago, where I said, but I remained to gratify the beautiful Callias." Having said and heard these things, we went away.