§470ΣΩ. ἔχεις οὖν εἰπεῖν διʼ ὅτι μέμφῃ τὴν τοιαύτην δύναμιν;
SOCRATES: Can you then tell me why you find fault with such power?
ΠΩΛ. ἔγωγε.
POLUS: I can.
ΣΩ. τί δή;
SOCRATES: Why indeed?
λέγε.
Speak.
ΠΩΛ. ὅτι ἀναγκαῖον τὸν οὕτω πράττοντα ζημιοῦσθαί ἐστιν.
POLUS: Because it is necessary that the one who acts in this way is punished.
ΣΩ. τὸ δὲ ζημιοῦσθαι οὐ κακόν;
SOCRATES: And is being punished not an evil?
ΠΩΛ. πάνυ γε.
POLUS: Certainly.
ΣΩ. οὐκοῦν, ὦ θαυμάσιε, πάλιν αὖ σοι φαίνεται, ἐὰν μὲν πράττοντι ἃ δοκεῖ ἕπηται τὸ ὠφελίμως πράττειν, ἀγαθόν τε εἶναι, καὶ τοῦτο, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἐστὶν τὸ μέγα δύνασθαι· εἰ δὲ μή, κακὸν καὶ σμικρὸν δύνασθαι.
SOCRATES: So then, my admirable friend, it appears to you once more that if doing what seems fit to someone is followed by doing it beneficially, it is a good thing, and this, as it seems, is what it is to have great power; but if not, it is a bad thing and to have little power.
σκεψώμεθα δὲ καὶ τόδε· ἄλλο τι ὁμολογοῦμεν ἐνίοτε μὲν ἄμεινον εἶναι ταῦτα ποιεῖν ἃ νυνδὴ ἐλέγομεν, ἀποκτεινύναι τε καὶ ἐξελαύνειν ἀνθρώπους καὶ ἀφαιρεῖσθαι χρήματα, ἐνίοτε δὲ οὔ;
And let us consider this as well: do we agree that sometimes it is better to do those things we were just now speaking of, namely to kill and banish men and deprive them of property, and sometimes not?
ΠΩΛ. πάνυ γε.
POLUS: Certainly.
ΣΩ. τοῦτο μὲν δή, ὡς ἔοικε, καὶ παρὰ σοῦ καὶ παρʼ ἐμοῦ ὁμολογεῖται.
SOCRATES: This, then, as it seems, is agreed upon both by you and by me.
ΠΩΛ. ναί.
POLUS: Yes.
ΣΩ. πότε οὖν σὺ φῂς ἄμεινον εἶναι ταῦτα ποιεῖν;
SOCRATES: When, then, do you say it is better to do these things?
εἰπὲ τίνα ὅρον ὁρίζῃ.
Tell me what limit you define.
ΠΩΛ. σὺ μὲν οὖν, ὦ Σώκρατες, ἀπόκριναι τοῦτο.
POLUS: You rather, Socrates, answer this yourself.
ΣΩ. ἐγὼ μὲν τοίνυν φημί, ὦ Πῶλε, εἴ σοι παρʼ ἐμοῦ ἥδιόν ἐστιν ἀκούειν, ὅταν μὲν δικαίως τις ταῦτα ποιῇ, ἄμεινον εἶναι, ὅταν δὲ ἀδίκως, κάκιον.
SOCRATES: I say then, Polus, if it is more pleasing to you to hear it from me, that when someone does these things justly, it is better, but when unjustly, worse.
ΠΩΛ. χαλεπόν γέ σε ἐλέγξαι, ὦ Σώκρατες·
POLUS: It is hard to refute you, Socrates!
ἀλλʼ οὐχὶ κἂν παῖς σε ἐλέγξειεν ὅτι οὐκ ἀληθῆ λέγεις;
But could not even a child refute you and show that you do not speak the truth?
ΣΩ. πολλὴν ἄρα ἐγὼ τῷ παιδὶ χάριν ἕξω, ἴσην δὲ καὶ σοί, ἐάν με ἐλέγξῃς καὶ ἀπαλλάξῃς φλυαρίας.
SOCRATES: I shall then be very grateful to the child, and equally to you, if you refute me and rid me of my folly.
ἀλλὰ μὴ κάμῃς φίλον ἄνδρα εὐεργετῶν, ἀλλʼ ἔλεγχε.
But do not grow weary of doing a favor to a friend, but refute me.
ΠΩΛ. ἀλλὰ μήν, ὦ Σώκρατες, οὐδέν γέ σε δεῖ παλαιοῖς πράγμασιν ἐλέγχειν· τὰ γὰρ ἐχθὲς καὶ πρώην γεγονότα ταῦτα ἱκανά σε ἐξελέγξαι ἐστὶν καὶ ἀποδεῖξαι ὡς πολλοὶ ἀδικοῦντες ἄνθρωποι εὐδαίμονές εἰσιν.
POLUS: But indeed, Socrates, there is no need at all to refute you with ancient matters; for these things that happened only yesterday and the day before are sufficient to refute you and to demonstrate that many unjust men are happy.
ΣΩ. τὰ ποῖα ταῦτα;
SOCRATES: What sort of things are these?
ΠΩΛ. Ἀρχέλαον δήπου τοῦτον τὸν Περδίκκου ὁρᾷς ἄρχοντα Μακεδονίας;
POLUS: Surely you see this Archelaus, the son of Perdiccas, ruling Macedonia?
ΣΩ. εἰ δὲ μή, ἀλλʼ ἀκούω γε.
SOCRATES: If I do not see him, at least I hear of him.
ΠΩΛ. εὐδαίμων οὖν σοι δοκεῖ εἶναι ἢ ἄθλιος;
POLUS: Does he then seem to you to be happy or miserable?
ΣΩ. οὐκ οἶδα, ὦ Πῶλε· οὐ γάρ πω συγγέγονα τῷ ἀνδρί.
SOCRATES: I do not know, Polus; for I have not yet met the man.
ΠΩΛ. τί δέ;
POLUS: What?
συγγενόμενος ἂν γνοίης, ἄλλως δὲ αὐτόθεν οὐ γιγνώσκεις ὅτι εὐδαιμονεῖ;
Would you know it by meeting him, but otherwise you do not recognize straight off from here that he is happy?
ΣΩ. μὰ Δίʼ οὐ δῆτα.
SOCRATES: No, by Zeus, certainly not.
ΠΩΛ. δῆλον δή, ὦ Σώκρατες, ὅτι οὐδὲ τὸν μέγαν βασιλέα γιγνώσκειν φήσεις εὐδαίμονα ὄντα.
POLUS: It is clear then, Socrates, that you will say you do not even recognize the Great King as being happy.
ΣΩ. καὶ ἀληθῆ γε ἐρῶ· οὐ γὰρ οἶδα παιδείας ὅπως ἔχει καὶ δικαιοσύνης.
SOCRATES: And I shall speak the truth; for I do not know how he stands with respect to education and justice.
ΠΩΛ. τί δέ;
POLUS: What?
ἐν τούτῳ ἡ πᾶσα εὐδαιμονία ἐστίν;
Is all happiness in this?
ΣΩ. ὥς γε ἐγὼ λέγω, ὦ Πῶλε· τὸν μὲν γὰρ καλὸν καὶ ἀγαθὸν ἄνδρα καὶ γυναῖκα εὐδαίμονα εἶναί φημι, τὸν δὲ ἄδικον καὶ πονηρὸν ἄθλιον.
SOCRATES: So I say, Polus; for I claim that the noble and good man and woman are happy, but the unjust and wicked are miserable.
§471ΠΩΛ. ἄθλιος ἄρα οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Ἀρχέλαος κατὰ τὸν σὸν λόγον;
POLUS: Is this Archelaus then miserable according to your argument?
ΣΩ. εἴπερ γε, ὦ φίλε, ἄδικος.
SOCRATES: If indeed, my friend, he is unjust.
ΠΩΛ. ἀλλὰ μὲν δὴ πῶς οὐκ ἄδικος;
POLUS: But how indeed is he not unjust?
ᾧ γε προσῆκε μὲν τῆς ἀρχῆς οὐδὲν ἣν νῦν ἔχει, ὄντι ἐκ γυναικὸς ἣ ἦν δούλη Ἀλκέτου τοῦ Περδίκκου ἀδελφοῦ, καὶ κατὰ μὲν τὸ δίκαιον δοῦλος ἦν Ἀλκέτου, καὶ εἰ ἐβούλετο τὰ δίκαια ποιεῖν, ἐδούλευεν ἂν Ἀλκέτῃ καὶ ἦν εὐδαίμων κατὰ τὸν σὸν λόγον.
A man to whom belonged no part of the rule which he now holds, since he was born of a woman who was a slave of Alcetas, the brother of Perdiccas, and according to justice he was a slave of Alcetas, and if he wished to do what is just, he would be slaving for Alcetas and would be happy according to your argument.
νῦν δὲ θαυμασίως ὡς ἄθλιος γέγονεν, ἐπεὶ τὰ μέγιστα ἠδίκηκεν· ὅς γε πρῶτον μὲν τοῦτον αὐτὸν τὸν δεσπότην καὶ θεῖον μεταπεμψάμενος ὡς ἀποδώσων τὴν ἀρχὴν ἣν Περδίκκας αὐτὸν ἀφείλετο, ξενίσας καὶ καταμεθύσας αὐτόν τε καὶ τὸν ὑὸν αὐτοῦ Ἀλέξανδρον, ἀνεψιὸν αὑτοῦ, σχεδὸν ἡλικιώτην, ἐμβαλὼν εἰς ἅμαξαν, νύκτωρ ἐξαγαγὼν ἀπέσφαξέν τε καὶ ἠφάνισεν ἀμφοτέρους.
But now he has become wonderfully miserable, since he has committed the greatest injustices; who first of all, having sent for this very master and uncle of his, as if to restore the rule which Perdiccas took from him, having entertained him and made him and his son Alexander, his own cousin, who was almost his equal in age, completely drunk, threw them into a wagon, took them out by night, slaughtered them and made away with both of them.
καὶ ταῦτα ἀδικήσας ἔλαθεν ἑαυτὸν ἀθλιώτατος γενόμενος καὶ οὐ μετεμέλησεν αὐτῷ, ἀλλʼ ὀλίγον ὕστερον τὸν ἀδελφόν, τὸν γνήσιον τοῦ Περδίκκου ὑόν, παῖδα ὡς ἑπτέτη, οὗ ἡ ἀρχὴ ἐγίγνετο κατὰ τὸ δίκαιον, οὐκ ἐβουλήθη εὐδαίμων γενέσθαι δικαίως ἐκθρέψας καὶ ἀποδοὺς τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐκείνῳ, ἀλλʼ εἰς φρέαρ ἐμβαλὼν καὶ ἀποπνίξας πρὸς τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ Κλεοπάτραν χῆνα ἔφη διώκοντα ἐμπεσεῖν καὶ ἀποθανεῖν.
And having done these unjust deeds, he did not realize that he had become most miserable and did not feel any regret; but a little later, when he had a brother, the legitimate son of Perdiccas, a boy of about seven years, to whom the rule belonged according to justice, he did not wish to become happy by justly rearing him and restoring the rule to him, but having thrown him into a well and drowned him, he told his mother Cleopatra that he had fallen in while chasing a goose and died.
τοιγάρτοι νῦν, ἅτε μέγιστα ἠδικηκὼς τῶν ἐν Μακεδονίᾳ, ἀθλιώτατός ἐστιν πάντων Μακεδόνων, ἀλλʼ οὐκ εὐδαιμονέστατος, καὶ ἴσως ἔστιν ὅστις Ἀθηναίων ἀπὸ σοῦ ἀρξάμενος δέξαιτʼ ἂν ἄλλος ὁστισοῦν Μακεδόνων γενέσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ Ἀρχέλαος.
Therefore now, having committed the greatest injustices of those in Macedonia, he is the most miserable of all Macedonians, but not the happiest, and perhaps there is some Athenian, beginning with you, who would choose to become any other Macedonian whatsoever rather than Archelaus.
ΣΩ. καὶ κατʼ ἀρχὰς τῶν λόγων, ὦ Πῶλε, ἔγωγέ σε ἐπῄνεσα ὅτι μοι δοκεῖς εὖ πρὸς τὴν ῥητορικὴν πεπαιδεῦσθαι, τοῦ δὲ διαλέγεσθαι ἠμεληκέναι· καὶ νῦν ἄλλο τι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ λόγος, ᾧ με καὶ ἂν παῖς ἐξελέγξειε, καὶ ἐγὼ ὑπὸ σοῦ νῦν, ὡς σὺ οἴει, ἐξελήλεγμαι τούτῳ τῷ λόγῳ, φάσκων τὸν ἀδικοῦντα οὐκ εὐδαίμονα εἶναι;
SOCRATES: At the beginning of our discussion, Polus, I praised you because you seemed to me to be well-educated in rhetoric, but to have neglected dialogue; and now, is this the argument with which even a child would refute me, and have I now, as you think, been refuted by you with this argument, when I assert that the wrongdoer is not happy?
πόθεν, ὠγαθέ;
How so, my good friend?
καὶ μὴν οὐδέν γέ σοι τούτων ὁμολογῶ ὧν σὺ φῄς.
For indeed I agree to none of these things that you say.
ΠΩΛ. οὐ γὰρ ἐθέλεις, ἐπεὶ δοκεῖ γέ σοι ὡς ἐγὼ λέγω.
POLUS: Because you do not wish to, since it seems to you just as I say.