§90ΣΩ. πολλάκις γοῦν ζητῶν εἴ τινες εἶεν αὐτῆς διδάσκαλοι, πάντα ποιῶν οὐ δύναμαι εὑρεῖν.
SOC. Indeed, though often searching if there are any teachers of it, doing everything I am unable to find them.
καίτοι μετὰ πολλῶν γε ζητῶ, καὶ τούτων μάλιστα οὓς ἂν οἴωμαι ἐμπειροτάτους εἶναι τοῦ πράγματος.
And yet I search with many indeed, and of these especially with those whom I think to be most experienced in the matter.
καὶ δὴ καὶ νῦν, ὦ Μένων, εἰς καλὸν ἡμῖν Ἄνυτος ὅδε παρεκαθέζετο, ᾧ μεταδῶμεν τῆς ζητήσεως.
And in fact just now, Meno, for our benefit, Anytus here has sat down beside us at a fitting moment, whom let us make a partner in the search.
εἰκότως δʼ ἂν μεταδοῖμεν· Ἄνυτος γὰρ ὅδε πρῶτον μέν ἐστι πατρὸς πλουσίου τε καὶ σοφοῦ Ἀνθεμίωνος, ὃς ἐγένετο πλούσιος οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐτομάτου οὐδὲ δόντος τινός, ὥσπερ ὁ νῦν νεωστὶ εἰληφὼς τὰ Πολυκράτους χρήματα Ἰσμηνίας ὁ Θηβαῖος, ἀλλὰ τῇ αὑτοῦ σοφίᾳ κτησάμενος καὶ ἐπιμελείᾳ, ἔπειτα καὶ τὰ ἄλλα οὐχ ὑπερήφανος δοκῶν εἶναι πολίτης οὐδὲ ὀγκώδης τε καὶ ἐπαχθής, ἀλλὰ κόσμιος καὶ εὐσταλὴς ἀνήρ· ἔπειτα τοῦτον εὖ ἔθρεψεν καὶ ἐπαίδευσεν, ὡς δοκεῖ Ἀθηναίων τῷ πλήθει· αἱροῦνται γοῦν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὰς μεγίστας ἀρχάς.
And it would be reasonable to make him a partner; for Anytus here is, first, born of a rich and wise father Anthemion, who became rich not by chance nor by someone's gift, like Ismenias the Theban who has recently acquired the wealth of Polycrates, but having acquired it by his own wisdom and diligence; next, in other respects too he is thought to be not a proud citizen, nor puffed up and offensive, but an orderly and well-behaved man; next, he brought up and educated this man well, as it seems to the multitude of the Athenians; at any rate they elect him to the greatest offices.
δίκαιον δὴ μετὰ τοιούτων ζητεῖν ἀρετῆς πέρι διδασκάλους, εἴτʼ εἰσὶν εἴτε μή, καὶ οἵτινες.
It is just indeed to search with such men concerning teachers of virtue, whether there are any or not, and who they are.
σὺ οὖν ἡμῖν, ὦ Ἄνυτε, συζήτησον, ἐμοί τε καὶ τῷ σαυτοῦ ξένῳ Μένωνι τῷδε, περὶ τούτου τοῦ πράγματος τίνες ἂν εἶεν διδάσκαλοι. ὧδε δὲ σκέψαι·
You then, Anytus, join us in the search, both me and Meno here, your guest, concerning this matter, who might be the teachers.
εἰ βουλοίμεθα Μένωνα τόνδε ἀγαθὸν ἰατρὸν γενέσθαι, παρὰ τίνας ἂν αὐτὸν πέμποιμεν διδασκάλους;
And consider it thus: if we wished Meno here to become a good doctor, to which teachers would we send him?
ἆρʼ οὐ παρὰ τοὺς ἰατρούς;
Would it not be to the doctors?
ΑΝ. πάνυ γε.
ANY. Certainly.
ΣΩ. τί δʼ εἰ σκυτοτόμον ἀγαθὸν βουλοίμεθα γενέσθαι, ἆρʼ οὐ παρὰ τοὺς σκυτοτόμους;
SOC. And what if we wished him to become a good shoemaker, would it not be to the shoemakers?
ΑΝ. ναί.
ANY. Yes.
ΣΩ. καὶ τἆλλα οὕτως;
SOC. And the other things in the same way?
ΑΝ. πάνυ γε.
ANY. Certainly.
ΣΩ. ὧδε δή μοι πάλιν περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν εἰπέ.
SOC. Speak indeed to me again about the same things in this way.
παρὰ τοὺς ἰατρούς, φαμέν, πέμποντες τόνδε καλῶς ἂν ἐπέμπομεν, βουλόμενοι ἰατρὸν γενέσθαι· ἆρʼ ὅταν τοῦτο λέγωμεν, τόδε λέγομεν, ὅτι παρὰ τούτους πέμποντες αὐτὸν σωφρονοῖμεν ἄν, τοὺς ἀντιποιουμένους τε τῆς τέχνης μᾶλλον ἢ τοὺς μή, καὶ τοὺς μισθὸν πραττομένους ἐπʼ αὐτῷ τούτῳ, ἀποφήναντας αὑτοὺς διδασκάλους τοῦ βουλομένου ἰέναι τε καὶ μανθάνειν;
We say that sending him to the doctors, we would be sending him well, wishing him to become a doctor; when we say this, do we say this, that sending him to these we would be wise, namely, to those who lay claim to the art rather than to those who do not, and to those who charge a fee for this very thing, having declared themselves teachers to anyone who wishes to come and learn?
ἆρʼ οὐ πρὸς ταῦτα βλέψαντες καλῶς ἂν πέμποιμεν;
Is it not looking to these things that we would send him well?
ΑΝ. ναί.
ANY. Yes.
ΣΩ. οὐκοῦν καὶ περὶ αὐλήσεως καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τὰ αὐτὰ ταῦτα;
SOC. Therefore, is it not the same also concerning flute-playing and the other things?
πολλὴ ἄνοιά ἐστι βουλομένους αὐλητήν τινα ποιῆσαι παρὰ μὲν τοὺς ὑπισχνουμένους διδάξειν τὴν τέχνην καὶ μισθὸν πραττομένους μὴ ἐθέλειν πέμπειν, ἄλλοις δέ τισιν πράγματα παρέχειν, ζητοῦντα μανθάνειν παρὰ τούτων, οἳ μήτε προσποιοῦνται διδάσκαλοι εἶναι μήτʼ ἔστιν αὐτῶν μαθητὴς μηδεὶς τούτου τοῦ μαθήματος ὃ ἡμεῖς ἀξιοῦμεν μανθάνειν παρʼ αὐτῶν ὃν ἂν πέμπωΜΕΝ. οὐ πολλή σοι δοκεῖ ἀλογία εἶναι;
It is great folly, wishing to make someone a flute-player, to be unwilling to send him to those who promise to teach the art and charge a fee, but to cause trouble to some others, seeking to learn from those who neither pretend to be teachers nor have any student of this subject which we expect the one we send to learn from them. Does it not seem to you to be a great absurdity?
ΑΝ. ναὶ μὰ Δία ἔμοιγε, καὶ ἀμαθία γε πρός.
ANY. Yes, by Zeus, to me indeed, and a piece of ignorance besides.