laches-第3部分

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fighting　in　armour？　　Is　that　a　practice　in　which　the　lads　may　be



advantageously　instructed？







SOCRATES：　　I　will　endeavour　to　advise　you；　Lysimachus；　as　far　as　I　can　in



this　matter；　and　also　in　every　way　will　comply　with　your　wishes；　but　as　I



am　younger　and　not　so　experienced；　I　think　that　I　ought　certainly　to　hear



first　what　my　elders　have　to　say；　and　to　learn　of　them；　and　if　I　have



anything　to　add；　then　I　may　venture　to　give　my　opinion　to　them　as　well　as



to　you。　　Suppose；　Nicias；　that　one　or　other　of　you　begin。







NICIAS：　　I　have　no　objection；　Socrates；　and　my　opinion　is　that　the



acquirement　of　this　art　is　in　many　ways　useful　to　young　men。　　It　is　an



advantage　to　them　that　among　the　favourite　amusements　of　their　leisure



hours　they　should　have　one　which　tends　to　improve　and　not　to　injure　their



bodily　health。　　No　gymnastics　could　be　better　or　harder　exercise；　and　this；



and　the　art　of　riding；　are　of　all　arts　most　befitting　to　a　freeman；　for



they　only　who　are　thus　trained　in　the　use　of　arms　are　the　athletes　of　our



military　profession；　trained　in　that　on　which　the　conflict　turns。　　Moreover



in　actual　battle；　when　you　have　to　fight　in　a　line　with　a　number　of　others；



such　an　acquirement　will　be　of　some　use；　and　will　be　of　the　greatest



whenever　the　ranks　are　broken　and　you　have　to　fight　singly；　either　in



pursuit；　when　you　are　attacking　some　one　who　is　defending　himself；　or　in



flight；　when　you　have　to　defend　yourself　against　an　assailant。　　Certainly



he　who　possessed　the　art　could　not　meet　with　any　harm　at　the　hands　of　a



single　person；　or　perhaps　of　several；　and　in　any　case　he　would　have　a　great



advantage。　　Further；　this　sort　of　skill　inclines　a　man　to　the　love　of　other



noble　lessons；　for　every　man　who　has　learned　how　to　fight　in　armour　will



desire　to　learn　the　proper　arrangement　of　an　army；　which　is　the　sequel　of



the　lesson：　　and　when　he　has　learned　this；　and　his　ambition　is　once　fired；



he　will　go　on　to　learn　the　complete　art　of　the　general。　　There　is　no



difficulty　in　seeing　that　the　knowledge　and　practice　of　other　military　arts



will　be　honourable　and　valuable　to　a　man；　and　this　lesson　may　be　the



beginning　of　them。　　Let　me　add　a　further　advantage；　which　is　by　no　means　a



slight　one；that　this　science　will　make　any　man　a　great　deal　more　valiant



and　self…possessed　in　the　field。　　And　I　will　not　disdain　to　mention；　what



by　some　may　be　thought　to　be　a　small　matter；he　will　make　a　better



appearance　at　the　right　time；　that　is　to　say；　at　the　time　when　his



appearance　will　strike　terror　into　his　enemies。　　My　opinion　then；



Lysimachus；　is；　as　I　say；　that　the　youths　should　be　instructed　in　this　art；



and　for　the　reasons　which　I　have　given。　　But　Laches　may　take　a　different



view；　and　I　shall　be　very　glad　to　hear　what　he　has　to　say。







LACHES：　　I　should　not　like　to　maintain；　Nicias；　that　any　kind　of　knowledge



is　not　to　be　learned；　for　all　knowledge　appears　to　be　a　good：　　and　if；　as



Nicias　and　as　the　teachers　of　the　art　affirm；　this　use　of　arms　is　really　a



species　of　knowledge；　then　it　ought　to　be　learned；　but　if　not；　and　if　those



who　profess　to　teach　it　are　deceivers　only；　or　if　it　be　knowledge；　but　not



of　a　valuable　sort；　then　what　is　the　use　of　learning　it？　　I　say　this；



because　I　think　that　if　it　had　been　really　valuable；　the　Lacedaemonians；



whose　whole　life　is　passed　in　finding　out　and　practising　the　arts　which



give　them　an　advantage　over　other　nations　in　war；　would　have　discovered



this　one。　　And　even　if　they　had　not；　still　these　professors　of　the　art



would　certainly　not　have　failed　to　discover　that　of　all　the　Hellenes　the



Lacedaemonians　have　the　greatest　interest　in　such　matters；　and　that　a



master　of　the　art　who　was　honoured　among　them　would　be　sure　to　make　his



fortune　among　other　nations；　just　as　a　tragic　poet　would　who　is　honoured



among　ourselves；　which　is　the　reason　why　he　who　fancies　that　he　can　write　a



tragedy　does　not　go　about　itinerating　in　the　neighbouring　states；　but



rushes　hither　straight；　and　exhibits　at　Athens；　and　this　is　natural。　



Whereas　I　perceive　that　these　fighters　in　armour　regard　Lacedaemon　as　a



sacred　inviolable　territory；　which　they　do　not　touch　with　the　point　of



their　foot；　but　they　make　a　circuit　of　the　neighbouring　states；　and　would



rather　exhibit　to　any　others　than　to　the　Spartans；　and　particularly　to



those　who　would　themselves　acknowledge　that　they　are　by　no　means　firstrate



in　the　arts　of　war。　　Further；　Lysimachus；　I　have　encountered　a　good　many　of



these　gentlemen　in　actual　service；　and　have　taken　their　measure；　which　I



can　give　you　at　once；　for　none　of　these　masters　of　fence　have　ever　been



distinguished　in　war；there　has　been　a　sort　of　fatality　about　them；　while



in　all　other　arts　the　men　of　note　have　been　always　those　who　have　practised



the　art；　they　appear　to　be　a　most　unfortunate　exception。　　For　example；　this



very　Stesilaus；　whom　you　and　I　have　just　witnessed　exhibiting　in　all　that



crowd　and　making　such　great　professions　of　his　powers；　I　have　seen　at



another　time　making；　in　sober　truth；　an　involuntary　exhibition　of　himself；



which　was　a　far　better　spectacle。　　He　was　a　marine　on　board　a　ship　which



struck　a　transport　vessel；　and　was　armed　with　a　weapon；　half　spear；　half



scythe；　the　singularity　of　this　weapon　was　worthy　of　the　singularity　of　the



man。　　To　make　a　long　story　short；　I　will　only　tell　you　what　happened　to



this　notable　invention　of　the　scythe　spear。　　He　was　fighting；　and　the



scythe　was　caught　in　the　rigging　of　the　other　ship；　and　stuck　fast；　and　he



tugged；　but　was　unable　to　get　his　weapon　free。　　The　two　ships　were　passing



one　another。　　He　first　ran　along　his　own　ship　holding　on　to　the　spear；　but



as　the　other　ship　passed　by　and　drew　him　after　as　he　was　holding　on；　he　let



the　spear　slip　through　his　hand　until　he　retained　only　the　end　of　the



handle。　　The　people　in　the　transport　clapped　their　hands；　and　laughed　at



his　ridiculous　figure；　and　when　some　one　threw　a　stone；　which　fell　on　the



deck　at　his　feet；　and　he　quitted　his　hold　of　the　scythe…spear；　the　crew　of



his　own　trireme　also　burst　out　laughing；　they　could　not　refrain　when　they



beheld　the　weapon　waving　in　the　air；　suspended　from　the　transport。　　Now　I



do　not　deny　that　there　may　be　something　in　such　an　art；　as　Nicias　asserts；



but　I　tell　you　my　experience；　and；　as　I　said　at　first；　whether　this　be　an



art　of　which　the　advantage　is　so　slight；　or　not　an　art　at　all；　but　only　an



imposition；　in　either　case　such　an　acquirement　is　not　worth　having。　　For　my



opinion　is；　that　if　the　professor　of　this　art　be　a　coward；　he　will　be



likely　to　become　rash；　and　his　character　will　be　only　more　notorious；　or　if



he　be　brave；　and　fail　ever　so　little；　other　men　will　be　on　the　watch；　and



he　will　be　greatly　traduced；　for　there　is　a　jealousy　of　such　pretenders；



and　unless　a　man　be　pre…eminent　in　valour；　he　cannot　help　being　ridiculous；



if　he　says　that　he　has　this　sort　of　skill。　　Such　is　my　judgment；



Lysimachus；　of　the　desirableness　of　this　art；　but；　as　I　said　at　first；　ask



Socrates；　and　do　not　let　him　go　until　he　has　given　you　his　opinion　of　the



matter。







LYSIMACHUS：　　I　am　going　to　ask　this　favour　of　you；　Socrates；　as　is　the　more



necessary　because　the　two　councillors　disagree；　and　some　one　is　in　a　manner



still　needed　who　will　decide　between　them。　　Had　they　agreed；　no　arbiter



would　have　been　required。　　But　as　Laches　has　voted　one　way　and　Nicias



another；　I　should　like　to　hear　with　which　of　our　two　friends　you　agree。







SOCRATES：　　What；　Lysimachus；　are　you　going　to　accept　the　opinion　of　the



majority？







LYSIMACHUS：　　Why；　yes；　Socrates；　what　else　am　I　to　do？







SOCRATES：　　And　would　you　do　so　too；　Melesias？　　If　you　were　deliberating



about　the　gymnastic　training　of　your　son；　would　you　follow　the　advice　of



the　majority　of　us；　or　the　opinion　of　the　one　who　had　been　trained　and



exercised　under　a　skilful　master？







MELESIAS：　　The　latter；　Socrates；　as　would　surely　be　reasonable。







SOCRATES：　　His　one　vote　would　be　worth　more　than　the　vote　of　all　us　four？







MELESIAS：　　Certainly。







SOCRATES：　　And　for　this　reason；　as　I　imagine；because　a　good　decision　is



based　on　knowledge　and　not　on　numbers？







MELESIAS：　　To　be　sure。







SOCRATES：　　Must　we　not　then　first　of　all　ask；　whether　there　is　any　one　of



us　who　has　knowledge　of　that　about　which　we　are　deliberating？　　If　there　is；



let　us　take　his　advice；　though　he　be　one　only；　and　not　mind　the　rest；　if



there　is　not；　let　us　seek　further　counsel。　　Is　this　a　slight　matter　about



which　you　and　Lysimachus　are　deliberating？　　Are　you　not　risking　the



greatest　of　your　possessions？　　For　children　are　your　riches；　and　upon　their



turning　out　well　or　ill　depends　the　whole　order　of　their　father's　house。







MELESIAS：　　That　is　true。







SOCRATES：　　Great　care；　then；　is　required　in　this　matter？







MELESIAS：　　Certainly。







SOCRATES：　　Suppose；　as　I　was　just　now　saying；　that　we　were　considering；　or



wanting　to　consider；　who　was　the　best　trainer。　　Should　we　not　select　him



who　knew　and　had　practised　the　art；　and　had　the　best　teachers？







MELESIAS：　　I　think　that　we　should。







SOCRATES：　　But　would　there　not　arise　a　prior　question　about　the　nature　of



the　art　of　which　we　want　to　find　the　masters？







MELESIAS：　　I　do　not　understand。







SOCRATES：　　Let　me　try　to　make　my　meaning　plainer　then。　　I　do　not　think　that



we　have　as　yet　decided　what　that　is　about　which　we　are　consulting；　when　we