§452ΣΩ. ὅτι εἴ σοι αὐτίκα παρασταῖεν οἱ δημιουργοὶ τούτων ὧν ἐπῄνεσεν ὁ τὸ σκολιὸν ποιήσας, ἰατρός τε καὶ παιδοτρίβης καὶ χρηματιστής, καὶ εἴποι πρῶτον μὲν ὁ ἰατρὸς ὅτι
ὦ Σώκρατες, ἐξαπατᾷ σε Γοργίας· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἡ τούτου τέχνη περὶ τὸ μέγιστον ἀγαθὸν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλʼ ἡ ἐμή
—εἰ οὖν αὐτὸν ἐγὼ ἐροίμην· σὺ δὲ τίς ὢν ταῦτα λέγεις;
Socrates: Because if, for example, there should stand before you at this moment the producers of those things which the author of the scolion praised—the physician, the trainer, and the money-maker—and the physician should say first: "Socrates, Gorgias is deceiving you; for his art is not about the greatest good for human beings, but mine is." —If, then, I should ask him: "And who are you to say this?" he would probably say, "A physician." "What then do you mean?
εἴποι ἂν ἴσως ὅτι ἰατρός. τί οὖν λέγεις; ἦ τὸ τῆς σῆς τέχνης ἔργον μέγιστόν ἐστιν ἀγαθόν; πῶς γὰρ οὔ,
φαίη ἂν ἴσως,
ὦ Σώκρατες, ὑγίεια;
Is the product of your art the greatest good?" "How could it not be, Socrates, health?" he would probably say.
τί δʼ ἐστὶν μεῖζον ἀγαθὸν ἀνθρώποις ὑγιείας; εἰ δʼ αὖ μετὰ τοῦτον ὁ παιδοτρίβης εἴποι ὅτι
θαυμάζοιμί τἄν, ὦ Σώκρατες, καὶ αὐτὸς εἴ σοι ἔχοι Γοργίας μεῖζον ἀγαθὸν ἐπιδεῖξαι τῆς αὑτοῦ τέχνης ἢ ἐγὼ τῆς ἐμῆς· εἴποιμʼ ἂν αὖ καὶ πρὸς τοῦτον· σὺ δὲ δὴ τίς εἶ, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, καὶ τί τὸ σὸν ἔργον; παιδοτρίβης,
φαίη ἄν,
τὸ δὲ ἔργον μού ἐστιν καλούς τε καὶ ἰσχυροὺς ποιεῖν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τὰ σώματα. μετὰ δὲ τὸν παιδοτρίβην εἴποι ἂν ὁ χρηματιστής, ὡς ἐγᾦμαι πάνυ καταφρονῶν ἁπάντων· σκόπει δῆτα, ὦ Σώκρατες, ἐάν σοι πλούτου φανῇ τι μεῖζον ἀγαθὸν ὂν ἢ παρὰ Γοργίᾳ ἢ παρʼ ἄλλῳ ὁτῳοῦν.
"What greater good is there for human beings than health?" And if, after him, the trainer should say: "I should be surprised, Socrates, if Gorgias could show you a greater good from his own art than I can from mine." I would say to him in turn: "And who on earth are you, my good man, and what is your work?" "A trainer," he would say, "and my work is to make people beautiful and strong in their bodies." And after the trainer, the money-maker would speak, as I think, completely despising everyone else: "Consider then, Socrates, whether any good appears to you to be greater than wealth, either with Gorgias or with anyone else at all." We would say to him: "What then?
φαῖμεν ἂν οὖν πρὸς αὐτόν· τί δὲ δή; ἦ σὺ τούτου δημιουργός; φαίη ἄν. τίς ὤν; χρηματιστής.
Are you the producer of this?" He would say, "Yes." "As who?" "A money-maker." "What then?
τί οὖν; κρίνεις σὺ μέγιστον ἀνθρώποις ἀγαθὸν εἶναι πλοῦτον;
Do you judge wealth to be the greatest good for human beings?" we shall ask.
φήσομεν. πῶς γὰρ οὔκ; ἐρεῖ.
"How could I not?" he will say.
καὶ μὴν ἀμφισβητεῖ γε Γοργίας ὅδε τὴν παρʼ αὑτῷ τέχνην μείζονος ἀγαθοῦ αἰτίαν εἶναι ἢ τὴν σήν, φαῖμεν ἂν ἡμεῖς.
"And yet, our friend Gorgias here disputes it, claiming that his own art is the cause of a greater good than yours," we would say.
δῆλον οὖν ὅτι τὸ μετὰ τοῦτο ἔροιτʼ ἄν· καὶ τί ἐστιν τοῦτο τὸ ἀγαθόν;
Clearly, then, after this he would ask: "And what is this good?
ἀποκρινάσθω Γοργίας. ἴθι οὖν νομίσας, ὦ Γοργία, ἐρωτᾶσθαι καὶ ὑπʼ ἐκείνων καὶ ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ, ἀπόκριναι τί ἐστιν τοῦτο ὃ φῂς σὺ μέγιστον ἀγαθὸν εἶναι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις καὶ σὲ δημιουργὸν εἶναι αὐτοῦ.
Let Gorgias answer." Come then, Gorgias, consider yourself to be questioned both by them and by me, and answer: what is this which you say is the greatest good for human beings, and of which you are the producer?
ΓΟΡ. ὅπερ ἐστίν, ὦ Σώκρατες, τῇ ἀληθείᾳ μέγιστον ἀγαθὸν καὶ αἴτιον ἅμα μὲν ἐλευθερίας αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ἅμα δὲ τοῦ ἄλλων ἄρχειν ἐν τῇ αὑτοῦ πόλει ἑκάστῳ.
Gorgias: That which is, in truth, Socrates, the greatest good and the cause both of freedom for human beings themselves, and at the same time of ruling over others for each in his own city.
ΣΩ. τί οὖν δὴ τοῦτο λέγεις;
Socrates: What then is this that you mean?
ΓΟΡ. τὸ πείθειν ἔγωγʼ οἷόν τʼ εἶναι τοῖς λόγοις καὶ ἐν δικαστηρίῳ δικαστὰς καὶ ἐν βουλευτηρίῳ βουλευτὰς καὶ ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐκκλησιαστὰς καὶ ἐν ἄλλῳ συλλόγῳ παντί, ὅστις ἂν πολιτικὸς σύλλογος γίγνηται.
Gorgias: I mean the ability to persuade by speeches, both judges in the law court, councilors in the council, assemblymen in the assembly, and in every other gathering, whatever political gathering it may be.
καίτοι ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ δυνάμει δοῦλον μὲν ἕξεις τὸν ἰατρόν, δοῦλον δὲ τὸν παιδοτρίβην· ὁ δὲ χρηματιστὴς οὗτος ἄλλῳ ἀναφανήσεται χρηματιζόμενος καὶ οὐχ αὑτῷ, ἀλλὰ σοὶ τῷ δυναμένῳ λέγειν καὶ πείθειν τὰ πλήθη.
And yet, with this power, you will have the physician as your slave, and the trainer as your slave; and this money-maker of yours will turn out to be making money for someone else and not for himself, but for you who are able to speak and persuade the multitudes.