§72αἳ δὴ προείρηνται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἐπανθοῦσιν αὐτῷ κατὰ ταυτηνὶ τὴν ἡλικίαν συμβαλεῖν καὶ μάλʼ ἐναργῶς, κἀκ τῶν εἰς ψυχὴν κἀκ τῶν εἰς σῶμα φερόντων οὑτωσὶ διελόμενον.
, not only by those which have been mentioned before, but also by those which bloom on him at this age, it is possible to compare, and very clearly, distinguishing in this way between the things pertaining to the soul and those pertaining to the body.
τὸ μέν γε τῆς ψυχῆς πρᾶον φθάνει τὴν ἀκμὴν τῆς ἡλικίας σπεῦδον εἰς τὸ γῆρας, οὐ μὴν κεκμηκυῖα προσέοικεν ἡ πραότης, οἵαν ἐνειργάσαντο πολλοῖς αἱ κατὰ τὸν βίον ἀνάγκαι, συνηβᾷ δὲ ἀνακεκραμένη πρέποντι φρονήματι.
For the gentleness of his soul anticipates the prime of his age, hastening toward old age, yet his gentleness does not resemble a weary one, such as the necessities of life have wrought in many, but coexists with youth, mixed with a fitting pride.
θεωρείτω δʼ ἀπὸ τῆς βολῆς τῶν ὀμμάτων, εἴ τις ἀπολέλειπται τοῦ μαθεῖν ἔργῳ τὸ λεγόμενον· οὔτε γὰρ ἐπανεστᾶσιν ἀτενεῖς οὔτε ὕπνῳ δή τινι καθῃρημένοις ἐοίκασιν ὑπὸ ταπεινότητος, ἀλλʼ ἡσυχῆ σεμνότης ἥμερος ἐνείρει τὸ βλέμμα.
Let anyone observe this from the casting of his eyes, if anyone is left behind in learning the spoken word by deed; for they neither stand out intense, nor do they seem like eyes cast down in some sleep by lowliness, but a gentle, civilized majesty infuses his gaze.
χάρις τοίνυν, ἡ παισὶν ἐκ θεῶν δῶρον προτεθεῖσα καθάπερ ἔκ τινος ὁμολογίας, οὔ τί που γυμνὴ κατὰ τοὺς ζωγράφους, ἀλλʼ αἰδῶ πολλὴν ἐπαμφιασαμένη πᾶσι τοῖς μέρεσιν ἐντέτηκεν.
Therefore, grace, which is set before children as a gift from the gods, as if by some agreement, is by no means naked as the painters depict, but, having clothed itself in much modesty, has melted into all his parts.
οὐκοῦν οὔτε ἐμειδίασεν ἄλλος σὺν Ἀφροδίτῃ τοσαύτῃ οὔτε μὴν ἔστησεν ἐρυθήματι κινούμενον ἤδη τὸν γέλωτα.
Thus, neither has anyone else smiled with so much Aphrodite, nor indeed has anyone stayed by a blush a laugh that was already beginning to move.
οὐ τοίνυν οὔτε τὸ θυμοειδὲς αὐτὸν ἐπιλέλοιπεν, ᾧ τεκμήραιτʼ ἄν τις τὴν ἀρρένων φύσιν, οὐδέ γε εἰς ἀγρίαν καὶ θηριώδη ταύτην ἐρεθιζόμενον ἐπεξῆκται· δείγματα δʼ ἀμφοῖν τούτων αὐτὸς παρέσχηται, νῦν μὲν τῷ προσώπῳ τὴν κίνησιν τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπίδηλος ὢν, νῦν δὲ ἀτρέμα πείθων αὐτὴν ἡσυχάσαι καὶ γαλήνην ἱστάς.
Furthermore, neither has the spirited element left him, by which one might judge a male nature, nor indeed has it been stimulated and driven out to that savage and wild state; and he himself has presented proofs of both of these, now being manifest in his face with the movement of his soul, and now gently persuading it to be quiet and establishing a calm.
πειθὼ δʼ ἐν ταῖς σπουδαῖς καὶ παιδιαῖς τίς ἂν ἀπὸ τῶν τούτου χειλῶν ἀναστήσειεν οὐ φθεγξαμένου μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ σιωπῶντος;
And who could remove persuasion from his lips in both serious matters and play, not only when he speaks, but even when he is silent?
οὔτε γὰρ εἰπὼν ἄν τις ἐντρέψειεν οὕτως ὡς οὗτος ὃ βούλεται τῇ σιωπῇ προδείξας οὔτʼ ἂν ὁ Νέστωρ ἔτι δόξειεν ἂν, γέρων γε ὢν ἐκεῖνος, ἐοικότα φθέγγεσθαι μέλιτι παρὰ τοῦτον ἐξετασθείς.
For neither would anyone by speaking turn someone so much as this boy does by showing beforehand in silence what he wishes, nor would Nestor, even being an old man, still seem to speak like honey when examined beside him.
συνελόντι δʼ οὔποτε σπουδάζει δίχα φαιδρότητος, ἀλλὰ πᾶν, κἂν ᾖ χαλεπὸν, οὐκ ἔστιν ἑορτῆς ἄνευ πραχθῆναι, τό τε ἐν τῷ μέρει τερπνὸν αὐτῷ σπουδῆς οὐκ ἀπήλλακται.
In short, he never is serious without cheerfulness, but everything, even if it is difficult, cannot be done without a festival, and the pleasure on his part is not separated from seriousness.
εἰ δὲ §73ὀρθῶς ἡμῖν ὁ τοῦ Πλάτωνος ἐπικελεύει λόγος, χρὴ δὲ οἴεσθαι τοῦθʼ οὕτως ἔχειν, ὥστε ἐν ταῖς παιδιαῖς τῶν μαθημάτων ὅσα ἀναγκαῖα προμεμαθηκέναι προμανθάνειν, οἷον τέκτονα μετρεῖν ἢ σταθμᾶσθαι, καὶ πολεμικὸν ἱππεύειν παίζοντα, ἤ τι τῶν τοιούτων ἄλλο ποιοῦντα, καὶ πειρᾶσθαι διὰ τῶν παιδιῶν ἐκεῖσε τρέπειν τὰς ἡδονὰς καὶ ἐπιθυμίας τῶν παίδων οἷ ἀφικομένους δεῖ τέλος ἔχειν, τοῦτʼ εἰ δεῖ φῆσαι καλῶς ἔχειν τῷ Πλάτωνι, καὶ γάρ πως ἔτυχον αὐτῶν ἀπομνημονεύσας, οὔτʼ ἀφελὼν οὐδὲν οὔτε προσθεὶς, τίς ἂν ἡμῖν ἐκ τῆς ἄλλης τῶν παίδων συμμορίας τούτῳ παράλληλος, ᾧ γε ἵππων μὲν ἅμιλλαι καὶ κυνῶν ἀσκήσεις ἀφεῖνται, τοσούτου δεῖ τι τῶν χειρόνων νοσεῖν ἢ κατὰ ταῦτα ἐν οἷς ὅ τε νῦν βίος ἐστὶν αὐτῷ καὶ ὁ λοιπὸς μέλλει γενήσεσθαι· λέγω δʼ ἀγῶνες παίδων οἱ κατὰ τὰς παλαίστρας καὶ λόγων ἅμιλλαι·
And if word of Plato rightly bids us—and we must think this is so, namely that in play one must learn beforehand whatever of studies is necessary to have learned beforehand, such as a builder measuring or weighing, and a warrior riding a horse in play, or doing some other such thing, and trying through play to turn the pleasures and desires of the children thither where they must have their end when they arrive—if we must say that this is well said by Plato (for indeed I happen to have remembered them, neither taking away nor adding anything), who among the rest of the company of children would be parallel to this boy, for whom races of horses and exercises of dogs have been dismissed, and who is so far from suffering from any of the worse things as to be engaged in those things in which both his present life is and his remaining life is going to be; I mean the contests of children in the palaestras and the rivalries of speeches?
προϊὼν δʼ ἤδη τῇ παιδιᾷ μαντεύεται τὸ μέλλον ἀτεχνῶς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ τύχην γυμνάζων, καὶ δικαστὴς ἤδη κάθηται, πάντως δʼ οὐκ ἠγνόηκεν ἡ φύσις τὴν διὰ τῆς παιδιᾶς ὁδὸν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀληθῆ τύχην.
And proceeding already in play, he prophesies the future, literally training his own fortune, and already sits as a judge; and nature has by no means ignored the way through play to true fortune.
καὶ τούτῳ γε οὐκ ἄν τις ἐπιτιμήσειεν ὡς ἀδίκως δικάσαντι, καθάπερ τῷ Κύρῳ φασὶ τὸν διδάσκαλον τῆς δικαιοσύνης, ἐπεὶ καὶ Κύρου τὴν δικαστικήν ἐστι σοφώτερος, παρʼ οὐδενὸς αὐτὴν ἐκμαθών.
And no one would censure him as having judged unjustly, as they say the teacher of justice did to Cyrus, since he is wiser in the art of judging than Cyrus, having learned it from no one.
τοιοῦτόν ἐστι καθαρὰ φύσις, ἐξ ἀκηράτου γε τοῦ κηροῦ πλασθεῖσα κατὰ τὸν Πλάτωνα, μέσην ὑγροῦ τε καὶ μαλθακοῦ καὶ τοῦ σκληροῦ καὶ λιθώδους τὴν πλάσιν ἔχουσα.
Such is a pure nature, molded from pure wax according to Plato, having its molding in the middle of the moist and soft, and the hard and stony.
τί δʼ ἂν εἴποις ὅταν εἰς θεὸν ἡγεμόνα τοῦ παντὸς ἀναφέρῃ καὶ θεὸν, ᾧ μέλειν ἐκ προγόνων αὐτῶν ἐδόθη πρέπων γε πατέρων ἀγαθῶν ἀγαθὸς διάδοχος ἔκγονός τε καὶ παῖς καὶ πᾶν ὅσον προσειπεῖν ἔξεστιν.
And what would you say when he refers himself to the God ruler of the universe and to the god to whom it was given from his ancestors themselves to care for him, being indeed a good successor, descendant, and child of good fathers, and whatever else it is possible to address him?
ὦ τρὶς ἐκεῖνοι καὶ πολλάκις εὐδαίμονες, οἳ τὴν μόνην τῷ γένει τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀποδοθεῖσαν ἀθανασίαν ἐν σοὶ καρπούμενοι, καὶ μετὰ τῆς μνήμης τῆς ἑαυτῶν κλῆρόν σοι μεγαλοπρεπέστερον τῶν ὑπό τε γῆν καὶ περὶ γῆν θησαυρῶν καταλιπόντες τὴν ἑαυτῶν δόξαν, ἧς ἐπιβιβάζει σε τὰ νῦν ἀσφαλῶς θεὸς αὐτὸς ἐπιστὰς αὐτὸν αἰτήσας
O thrice and many times happy those men, who, reaping in you the only immortality granted to the race of men, and leaving along with their memory their own glory as a more magnificent inheritance to you than treasures under the earth and around the earth—upon which glory now safely the god himself, having stood by and having asked for you himself, sets you.