§1.649ΚΛ. ναί·
CL.
σωφρονοῖ γὰρ ἄν, ὦ ξένε, καὶ ὁ τοιοῦτος οὕτω πράττων.
Yes; for such a person, acting in this way, would be temperate, stranger.
ΑΘ. πάλιν δὴ πρὸς τὸν νομοθέτην λέγωμεν τάδε·
ATH.
εἶεν, ὦ νομοθέτα, τοῦ μὲν δὴ φόβου σχεδὸν οὔτε θεὸς ἔδωκεν ἀνθρώποις τοιοῦτον φάρμακον οὔτε αὐτοὶ μεμηχανήμεθα— τοὺς γὰρ γόητας οὐκ ἐν θοίνῃ λέγω—τῆς δὲ ἀφοβίας καὶ τοῦ λίαν θαρρεῖν καὶ ἀκαίρως ἃ μὴ χρή, πότερον ἔστιν πῶμα, ἢ πῶς λέγομεν;
Let us speak again to the lawgiver as follows: "Well then, O lawgiver, of fear indeed almost no god has given humans such a potion, nor have we ourselves contrived one—for I do not speak of sorcerers at a feast—but as for fearlessness and excessive confidence, and being confident inappropriately in things one ought not, is there a drink, or how do we say?" CL.
ΚΛ. ἔστιν, φήσει που, τὸν οἶνον φράζων.
"There is," he will say, of course, meaning wine.
ΑΘ. ἦ καὶ τοὐναντίον ἔχει τοῦτο τῷ νυνδὴ λεγομένῳ;
ATH. And does this have the opposite effect to what was just mentioned?
πιόντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον αὐτὸν αὑτοῦ ποιεῖ πρῶτον ἵλεων εὐθὺς μᾶλλον ἢ πρότερον, καὶ ὁπόσῳ ἂν πλέον αὐτοῦ γεύηται, τοσούτῳ πλειόνων ἐλπίδων ἀγαθῶν πληροῦσθαι καὶ δυνάμεως εἰς δόξαν;
Does it make the person who drinks it first of all immediately more cheerful with himself than before, and the more he tastes of it, the more he is filled with good hopes and the power of self-opinion?
καὶ τελευτῶν δὴ πάσης ὁ τοιοῦτος παρρησίας ὡς σοφὸς ὢν μεστοῦται καὶ ἐλευθερίας, πάσης δὲ ἀφοβίας, ὥστε εἰπεῖν τε ἀόκνως ὁτιοῦν, ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ πρᾶξαι;
And in the end, such a person is filled with all freedom of speech, as if he were wise, and liberty, and all fearlessness, so as to speak anything without hesitation, and likewise to act?
πᾶς ἡμῖν, οἶμαι, ταῦτʼ ἂν συγχωροῖ.
Everyone, I think, would agree with us on this.
ΚΛ. τί μήν;
CL. Of course.
ΑΘ. ἀναμνησθῶμεν δὴ τόδε, ὅτι δύʼ ἔφαμεν ἡμῶν ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς δεῖν θεραπεύεσθαι, τὸ μὲν ὅπως ὅτι μάλιστα θαρρήσομεν, τὸ δὲ τοὐναντίον ὅτι μάλιστα φοβησόμεθα.
ATH. Let us then recall this, that we said two things must be cultivated in our souls: the one, how we shall be as confident as possible, and the other, the opposite, how we shall fear as much as possible.
ΚΛ. ἃ τῆς αἰδοῦς ἔλεγες, ὡς οἰόμεθα.
CL. Which you said belonged to respect, as we believe.
ΑΘ. καλῶς μνημονεύετε.
ATH. You remember well.
ἐπειδὴ δὲ τήν τε ἀνδρείαν καὶ τὴν ἀφοβίαν ἐν τοῖς φόβοις δεῖ καταμελετᾶσθαι, σκεπτέον ἆρα τὸ ἐναντίον ἐν τοῖς ἐναντίοις θεραπεύεσθαι δέον ἂν εἴη.
And since courage and fearlessness must be practiced in fears, we must consider whether the opposite must be cultivated in the opposite circumstances.
ΚΛ. τό γʼ οὖν εἰκός.
CL. That is likely, at least.
ΑΘ. ἃ παθόντες ἄρα πεφύκαμεν διαφερόντως θαρραλέοι τʼ εἶναι καὶ θρασεῖς, ἐν τούτοις δέον ἄν, ὡς ἔοικʼ, εἴη τὸ μελετᾶν ὡς ἥκιστα εἶναι ἀναισχύντους τε καὶ θρασύτητος γέμοντας, φοβεροὺς δὲ εἰς τό τι τολμᾶν ἑκάστοτε λέγειν ἢ πάσχειν ἢ καὶ δρᾶν αἰσχρὸν ὁτιοῦν.
ATH. Therefore, in the experiences by which we are by nature exceptionally bold and audacious, in these, as it seems, we must practice being as little shameless as possible and full of audacity, and being fearful of ever venturing to say or suffer or even do anything shameful.
ΚΛ. ἔοικεν.
CL. It seems so.
ΑΘ. οὐκοῦν ταῦτά ἐστι πάντα ἐν οἷς ἐσμὲν τοιοῦτοι, θυμός, ἔρως, ὕβρις, ἀμαθία, φιλοκέρδεια, δειλία, καὶ ἔτι τοιάδε, πλοῦτος, κάλλος, ἰσχύς, καὶ πάνθʼ ὅσα διʼ ἡδονῆς αὖ μεθύσκοντα παράφρονας ποιεῖ;
ATH. Are not then all these the things in which we become such: anger, love, insolence, ignorance, love of gain, cowardice, and furthermore such as wealth, beauty, strength, and all that, on the other hand, intoxicates through pleasure and makes people out of their minds?
τούτων δὲ εὐτελῆ τε καὶ ἀσινεστέραν πρῶτον μὲν πρὸς τὸ λαμβάνειν πεῖραν, εἶτα εἰς τὸ μελετᾶν, πλὴν τῆς ἐν οἴνῳ βασάνου καὶ παιδιᾶς, τίνα ἔχομεν ἡδονὴν εἰπεῖν ἔμμετρον μᾶλλον, ἂν καὶ ὁπωστιοῦν μετʼ εὐλαβείας γίγνηται;
And of these, what pleasure can we name that is more moderate, first for taking a trial and then for practicing, being cheap and more harmless, except the test and play in wine, even if it is conducted in any way with caution?
§1.650ΑΘ. σκοπῶμεν γὰρ δή·
ATH.
δυσκόλου ψυχῆς καὶ ἀγρίας, ἐξ ἧς ἀδικίαι μυρίαι γίγνονται, πότερον ἰόντα εἰς τὰ συμβόλαια πεῖραν λαμβάνειν, κινδυνεύοντα περὶ αὐτῶν, σφαλερώτερον, ἢ συγγενόμενον μετὰ τῆς τοῦ Διονύσου θεωρίας;
For let us indeed consider: concerning a difficult and wild soul, from which myriad injustices arise, is it more hazardous to take trial of it by entering into contracts, risking one's own property concerning them, or by associating with it under the spectacle of Dionysus?
ἢ πρὸς τἀφροδίσια ἡττημένης τινὸς ψυχῆς βάσανον λαμβάνειν, ἐπιτρέποντα αὑτοῦ θυγατέρας τε καὶ ὑεῖς καὶ γυναῖκας, οὕτως, ἐν τοῖς φιλτάτοις κινδυνεύσαντες, ἦθος ψυχῆς θεάσασθαι;
Or, to take a test of a soul that is defeated by sexual desires, by entrusting to it one's own daughters and sons and wives, and thus, having run risks in the dearest things, to observe the character of the soul?
καὶ μυρία δὴ λέγων οὐκ ἄν τίς ποτε ἀνύσειεν ὅσῳ διαφέρει τὸ μετὰ παιδιᾶς τὴν ἄλλως ἄνευ μισθοῦ ζημιώδους θεωρεῖν.
And indeed, even if one spoke of myriad other things, one would never finish showing how great a difference there is between observing with play and observing in that other way without cost of harmful damage.
καὶ δὴ καὶ τοῦτο μὲν αὐτὸ περί γε τούτων οὔτʼ ἂν Κρῆτας οὔτʼ ἄλλους ἀνθρώπους οὐδένας οἰόμεθα ἀμφισβητῆσαι, μὴ οὐ πεῖράν τε ἀλλήλων ἐπιεικῆ ταύτην εἶναι, τό τε τῆς εὐτελείας καὶ ἀσφαλείας καὶ τάχους διαφέρειν πρὸς τὰς ἄλλας βασάνους.
And indeed, concerning this very point at least, we do not think either Cretans or any other humans would dispute that this is a reasonable trial of one another, and that it excels other tests in cheapness, safety, and speed.
ΚΛ. ἀληθὲς τοῦτό γε.
CL. That is true, at least.
ΑΘ. τοῦτο μὲν ἄρʼ ἂν τῶν χρησιμωτάτων ἓν εἴη, τὸ γνῶναι τὰς φύσεις τε καὶ ἕξεις τῶν ψυχῶν, τῇ τέχνῃ ἐκείνῃ ἧς ἐστιν ταῦτα θεραπεύειν· ἔστιν δέ που, φαμέν, ὡς οἶμαι, πολιτικῆς.
ATH. This, then, would be one of the most useful things, to know the natures and dispositions of souls, for that art whose business it is to cultivate them; and this, we say, is, I suppose, the political art.
ἦ γάρ;
Is it not?
ΚΛ. πάνυ μὲν οὖν.
CL. By all means.