§283ΣΩ. καλόν γε, ὦ Ἱππία, λέγεις καὶ μέγα τεκμήριον σοφίας τῆς τε σεαυτοῦ καὶ τῶν νῦν ἀνθρώπων πρὸς τοὺς ἀρχαίους ὅσον διαφέρουσι.
SOCRATES: Indeed, you tell of a beautiful thing, Hippias, and a great proof of the wisdom of yourself and of the men of today, of how much they differ compared to the ancients.
τῶν γὰρ προτέρων πολλὴ ἀμαθία κατὰ τὸν σὸν λόγον.
For according to your account, there is great ignorance among the earlier men.
τοὐναντίον γὰρ Ἀναξαγόρᾳ φασὶ συμβῆναι ἢ ὑμῖν· καταλειφθέντων γὰρ αὐτῷ πολλῶν χρημάτων καταμελῆσαι καὶ ἀπολέσαι πάντα—οὕτως αὐτὸν ἀνόητα σοφίζεσθαι—λέγουσι δὲ καὶ περὶ ἄλλων τῶν παλαιῶν ἕτερα τοιαῦτα.
For they say that the opposite happened to Anaxagoras than to you; for although much money had been left to him, he neglected it and lost everything—so foolishly did he practice his wisdom—and they say other such things about others of the ancients.
τοῦτο μὲν οὖν μοι δοκεῖς καλὸν τεκμήριον ἀποφαίνειν περὶ σοφίας τῶν νῦν πρὸς τοὺς προτέρους, καὶ πολλοῖς συνδοκεῖ ὅτι τὸν σοφὸν αὐτὸν αὑτῷ μάλιστα δεῖ σοφὸν εἶναι· τούτου δʼ ὅρος ἐστὶν ἄρα, ὃς ἂν πλεῖστον ἀργύριον ἐργάσηται.
This, then, you seem to me to present as a beautiful proof concerning the wisdom of those of today compared to their predecessors, and many agree that the wise man must be wise especially for himself; and the measure of this, it seems, is whoever makes the most money.
καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἱκανῶς ἐχέτω· τόδε δέ μοι εἰπέ, σὺ αὐτὸς πόθεν πλεῖστον ἀργύριον ἠργάσω τῶν πόλεων εἰς ἃς ἀφικνῇ;
And let these things be sufficient; but tell me this: from which of the cities you visit did you yourself make the most money?
ἢ δῆλον ὅτι ἐκ Λακεδαίμονος, οἷπερ καὶ πλειστάκις ἀφῖξαι;
Or is it clear that it was from Lacedaemon, where you have also gone most frequently?
ΙΠ. οὐ μὰ τὸν Δία, ὦ Σώκρατες.
HIPPIAS: No, by Zeus, Socrates.
ΣΩ. πῶς φῄς;
SOCRATES: How do you say?
ἀλλʼ ἐλάχιστον;
But the least?
ΙΠ. οὐδὲν μὲν οὖν τὸ παράπαν πώποτε.
HIPPIAS: Not even anything at all, ever.
ΣΩ. τέρας λέγεις καὶ θαυμαστόν, ὦ Ἱππία. καί μοι εἰπέ·
SOCRATES: You speak of a marvel and a wonder, Hippias.
πότερον ἡ σοφία ἡ σὴ οὐχ οἵα τοὺς συνόντας αὐτῇ καὶ μανθάνοντας εἰς ἀρετὴν βελτίους ποιεῖν;
And tell me: is your wisdom not of such a kind as to make those who associate with it and learn from it better in virtue?
ΙΠ. καὶ πολύ γε, ὦ Σώκρατες.
HIPPIAS: Very much so indeed, Socrates.
ΣΩ. ἀλλὰ τοὺς μὲν Ἰνυκίνων ὑεῖς οἷός τε ἦσθα ἀμείνους ποιῆσαι, τοὺς δὲ Σπαρτιατῶν ἠδυνάτεις;
SOCRATES: But were you able to make the sons of the Inycans better, but powerless to do so for the sons of the Spartans?
ΙΠ. πολλοῦ γε δέω.
HIPPIAS: Far from it.
ΣΩ. ἀλλὰ δῆτα Σικελιῶται μὲν ἐπιθυμοῦσιν ἀμείνους γίγνεσθαι, Λακεδαιμόνιοι δʼ οὔ;
SOCRATES: Well then, do the Sicilians desire to become better, but the Lacedaemonians not?
ΙΠ. πάντως γέ που, ὦ Σώκρατες, καὶ Λακεδαιμόνιοι.
HIPPIAS: Surely, I suppose, Socrates, the Lacedaemonians also do.
ΣΩ. ἆρʼ οὖν χρημάτων ἐνδείᾳ ἔφευγον τὴν σὴν ὁμιλίαν;
SOCRATES: Was it then because of a lack of money that they avoided your company?
ΙΠ. οὐ δῆτα, ἐπεὶ ἱκανὰ αὐτοῖς ἐστιν.
HIPPIAS: Not at all, since they have enough.
ΣΩ. τί δῆτʼ ἂν εἴη ὅτι ἐπιθυμοῦντες καὶ ἔχοντες χρήματα, καὶ σοῦ δυναμένου τὰ μέγιστα αὐτοὺς ὠφελεῖν, οὐ πλήρη σε ἀργυρίου ἀπέπεμψαν;
SOCRATES: What on earth, then, could be the reason that, though they desired it and had money, and you were able to benefit them in the greatest way, they did not send you away full of money?
ἀλλʼ ἐκεῖνο, μῶν μὴ Λακεδαιμόνιοι σοῦ βέλτιον ἂν παιδεύσειαν τοὺς αὑτῶν παῖδας;
Or rather, is it that the Lacedaemonians would educate their own children better than you?
ἢ τοῦτο φῶμεν οὕτω, καὶ σὺ συγχωρεῖς;
Or should we say that this is so, and do you agree?
ΙΠ. οὐδʼ ὁπωστιοῦν.
HIPPIAS: Not in any way whatsoever.
ΣΩ. πότερον οὖν τοὺς νέους οὐχ οἷός τʼ ἦσθα πείθειν ἐν Λακεδαίμονι ὡς σοὶ συνόντες πλέον ἂν εἰς ἀρετὴν ἐπιδιδοῖεν ἢ τοῖς ἑαυτῶν, ἢ τοὺς ἐκείνων πατέρας ἠδυνάτεις πείθειν ὅτι σοὶ χρὴ παραδιδόναι μᾶλλον ἢ αὐτοὺς ἐπιμελεῖσθαι, εἴπερ τι τῶν ὑέων κήδονται;
SOCRATES: Was it then that you were not able to persuade the young men in Lacedaemon that, by associating with you, they would make greater progress in virtue than with their own people, or were you powerless to persuade their fathers that they ought to hand them over to you rather than take care of them themselves, if indeed they care at all for their sons?
οὐ γάρ που ἐφθόνουν γε τοῖς ἑαυτῶν παισὶν ὡς βελτίστοις γενέσθαι.
For surely they did not envy their own children becoming as good as possible.
ΙΠ. οὐκ οἶμαι ἔγωγε φθονεῖν.
HIPPIAS: I for my part do not think they envied them.
ΣΩ. ἀλλὰ μὴν εὔνομός γʼ ἡ Λακεδαίμων.
SOCRATES: And yet, Lacedaemon is well-governed.