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eryxias-第3章

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tormenting him and demanding an explanation of his argument; he gained the

ear of the audience far more than Prodicus。



Can you repeat the discourse to us?  Said Erasistratus。



SOCRATES:  If I can only remember it; I will。  The youth began by asking

Prodicus; In what way did he think that riches were a good and in what an

evil?  Prodicus answered; as you did just now; that they were a good to

good men and to those who knew in what way they should be employed; while

to the bad and the ignorant they were an evil。  The same is true; he went

on to say; of all other things; men make them to be what they are

themselves。  The saying of Archilochus is true:



'Men's thoughts correspond to the things which they meet with。'



Well; then; replied the youth; if any one makes me wise in that wisdom

whereby good men become wise; he must also make everything else good to me。

Not that he concerns himself at all with these other things; but he has

converted my ignorance into wisdom。  If; for example; a person teach me

grammar or music; he will at the same time teach me all that relates to

grammar or music; and so when he makes me good; he makes things good to me。



Prodicus did not altogether agree:  still he consented to what was said。



And do you think; said the youth; that doing good things is like building a

house;the work of human agency; or do things remain what they were at

first; good or bad; for all time?



Prodicus began to suspect; I fancy; the direction which the argument was

likely to take; and did not wish to be put down by a mere stripling before

all those present:(if they two had been alone; he would not have

minded):so he answered; cleverly enough:  I think that doing good things

is a work of human agency。



And is virtue in your opinion; Prodicus; innate or acquired by instruction?



The latter; said Prodicus。



Then you would consider him a simpleton who supposed that he could obtain

by praying to the Gods the knowledge of grammar or music or any other art;

which he must either learn from another or find out for himself?



Prodicus agreed to this also。



And when you pray to the Gods that you may do well and receive good; you

mean by your prayer nothing else than that you desire to become good and

wise:if; at least; things are good to the good and wise and evil to the

evil。  But in that case; if virtue is acquired by instruction; it would

appear that you only pray to be taught what you do not know。



Hereupon I said to Prodicus that it was no misfortune to him if he had been

proved to be in error in supposing that the Gods immediately granted to us

whatever we asked:if; I added; whenever you go up to the Acropolis you

earnestly entreat the Gods to grant you good things; although you know not

whether they can yield your request; it is as though you went to the doors

of the grammarian and begged him; although you had never made a study of

the art; to give you a knowledge of grammar which would enable you

forthwith to do the business of a grammarian。



While I was speaking; Prodicus was preparing to retaliate upon his youthful

assailant; intending to employ the argument of which you have just made

use; for he was annoyed to have it supposed that he offered a vain prayer

to the Gods。  But the master of the gymnasium came to him and begged him to

leave because he was teaching the youths doctrines which were unsuited to

them; and therefore bad for them。



I have told you this because I want you to understand how men are

circumstanced in regard to philosophy。  Had Prodicus been present and said

what you have said; the audience would have thought him raving; and he

would have been ejected from the gymnasium。  But you have argued so

excellently well that you have not only persuaded your hearers; but have

brought your opponent to an agreement。  For just as in the law courts; if

two witnesses testify to the same fact; one of whom seems to be an honest

fellow and the other a rogue; the testimony of the rogue often has the

contrary effect on the judges' minds to what he intended; while the same

evidence if given by the honest man at once strikes them as perfectly true。

And probably the audience have something of the same feeling about yourself

and Prodicus; they think him a Sophist and a braggart; and regard you as a

gentleman of courtesy and worth。  For they do not pay attention to the

argument so much as to the character of the speaker。



But truly; Socrates; said Erasistratus; though you may be joking; Critias

does seem to me to be saying something which is of weight。



SOCRATES:  I am in profound earnest; I assure you。  But why; as you have

begun your argument so prettily; do you not go on with the rest?  There is

still something lacking; now you have agreed that (wealth) is a good to

some and an evil to others。  It remains to enquire what constitutes wealth;

for unless you know this; you cannot possibly come to an understanding as

to whether it is a good or an evil。  I am ready to assist you in the

enquiry to the utmost of my power:  but first let him who affirms that

riches are a good; tell us what; in his opinion; is wealth。



ERASISTRATUS:  Indeed; Socrates; I have no notion about wealth beyond that

which men commonly have。  I suppose that wealth is a quantity of money

(compare Arist。 Pol。); and this; I imagine; would also be Critias'

definition。



SOCRATES:  Then now we have to consider; What is money?  Or else later on

we shall be found to differ about the question。  For instance; the

Carthaginians use money of this sort。  Something which is about the size of

a stater is tied up in a small piece of leather:  what it is; no one knows

but the makers。  A seal is next set upon the leather; which then passes

into circulation; and he who has the largest number of such pieces is

esteemed the richest and best off。  And yet if any one among us had a mass

of such coins he would be no wealthier than if he had so many pebbles from

the mountain。  At Lacedaemon; again; they use iron by weight which has been

rendered useless:  and he who has the greatest mass of such iron is thought

to be the richest; although elsewhere it has no value。  In Ethiopia

engraved stones are employed; of which a Lacedaemonian could make no use。 

Once more; among the Nomad Scythians a man who owned the house of Polytion

would not be thought richer than one who possessed Mount Lycabettus among

ourselves。  And clearly those things cannot all be regarded as possessions;

for in some cases the possessors would appear none the richer thereby: 

but; as I was saying; some one of them is thought in one place to be money;

and the possessors of it are the wealthy; whereas in some other place it is

not money; and the ownership of it does not confer wealth; just as the

standard of morals varies; and what is honourable to some men is

dishonourable to others。  And if we wish to enquire why a house is valuable

to us but not to the Scythians; or why the Carthaginians value leather

which is worthless to us; or the Lacedaemonians find wealth in iron and we

do not; can we not get an answer in some such way as this:  Would an

Athenian; who had a thousand talents weight of the stones which lie about

in the Agora and which we do not employ for any purpose; be thought to be

any the richer?



ERASISTRATUS:  He certainly would not appear so to me。



SOCRATES:  But if he possessed a thousand talents weight of some precious

stone; we should say that he was very rich?



ERASISTRATUS:  Of course。



SOCRATES:  The reason is that the one is useless and the other useful?



ERASISTRATUS:  Yes。



SOCRATES:  And in the same way among the Scythians a house has no value

because they have no use for a house; nor would a Scythian set so much

store on the finest house in the world as on a leather coat; because he

could use the one and not the other。  Or again; the Carthaginian coinage is

not wealth in our eyes; for we could not employ it; as we can silver; to

procure what we need; and therefore it is of no use to us。



ERASISTRATUS:  True。



SOCRATES:  What is useful to us; then; is wealth; and what is useless to us

is not wealth?



But how do you mean; Socrates? said Eryxias; interrupting。  Do we not

employ in our intercourse with one another speech and violence (?) and

various other things?  These are useful and yet they are not wealth。



SOCRATES:  Clearly we have not yet answered the question; What is wealth? 

That wealth must be useful; to be wealth at all;thus much is acknowledged

by every one。  But what particular thing is wealth; if not all things?  Let

us pursue the argument in another way; and then we may perhaps find what we

are seeking。  What is the use of wealth; and for what purpose has the

possession of riches been invented;in the sense; I mean; in which drugs

have been discovered for the cure of disease?  Perhaps in this way we may

throw some light on the
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