The Sportsman [29]
who are the choice spirits?--Clearly those who choose to toil."
And this has been proved conclusively by a notable example. If we look back to the men of old who sat at the feet of Cheiron--whose names I mentioned--we see that it was by dedicating the years of their youth to the chase[23] that they learnt all their noble lore; and therefrom they attained to great renown, and are admired even to this day for their virtue--virtue who numbers all men as her lovers, as is very plain. Only because of the pains it costs to win her the greater number fall away; for the achievement of her is hid in obscurity; while the pains that cleave to her are manifest. Perchance, if only she were endowed with a visible bodily frame, men would less have neglected her, knowing that even as she is visible to them, so they also are not hid from her eyes. For is it not so that when a man moves in the presence of him whom he dearly loves,[24] he rises to a height above himself, being incapable of aught base or foul in word or deed in sight of him?[25] But fondly dreaming that the eye of virtue is closed to them, they are guilty of many a base thing and foul before her very face, who is hidden from their eyes. Yet she is present everywhere, being dowered with immortality; and those who are perfect in goodness[26] she honours, but the wicked she thrusts aside from honour. If only men could know that she regards them, how eagerly would they rush to the embrace of toilful training and tribulation,[27] by which alone she is hardly taken; and so should they gain the mastery over her, and she should be laid captive at their feet.
[23] Or, "that they made their first essay in hunting when mere boys, and from hunting upwards were taught many noble arts."
[24] Lit. "is beheld by his beloved." Cf. "Symp." iv. 4; viii. 31.
[25] Lit. "in order not to be seen of him."
[26] Lit. "good with respect to her."
[27] Or, "to those toils and that training."
XIII
Now what astonishes me in the "sophists," as they are called,[1] is, that though they profess, the greater part of them, to lead the young to virtue, they really lead them in the opposite direction. Never have we set eyes on the man anywhere who owed his goodness to the sophists of to-day.[2] Nor do their writings contain anything[3] calculated to make men good, but they have written volumes on vain and frivolous subjects, in which the young may find pleasures that pall, but the essence of virtue is not in them. The result of this literature is to inflict unncessary waste of time on those who look to learn something from it all and look in vain, cutting them off from wholesome occupations and even teaching what is bad. I cannot then but blame them for certain large offences[4] more than lightly; but as regards the subject matter of their writings my charge is, that while full of far-fetched phraseology,[5] of solid wholesome sentiments, by which the young might be trained to virtue, I see not a vestige. Speaking as a plain man, I know that to be taught what is good by one's own nature is best of all,[6] and next best to learn of those who really do know some good thing rather than of those who have an art to deceive. It may well be that I fail to express myself in subtle language,[7] nor do I pretend to aim at subtlety; what I do aim at is to express rightly-conceived thoughts such as may serve the need of those who have been nobly disciplined in virtue; for it is not words and names that give instruction, but thoughts and sentiments worthy the name.
[1] Cf. Isocr. "Against the Sophists"; "Antidosis"; "Hel. Encom."; Plat. "Sophist."
[2] Who are these {oi nun sophistai}?
[3] Lit. "do they present writings to the world."
[4] Or, "as to certain weightier matters gravely."
[5] {remata} = "words and phrases"; {ynomai} = "moral maxims, just thoughts."
[6] "Being myself but a private individual and a plain man." According to Hartman, "A. X. N." p. 350, "ridicule detorquet Hesiodeum":
{outos men panaristos os auto panta noese esthlos d' au kakeinos os
And this has been proved conclusively by a notable example. If we look back to the men of old who sat at the feet of Cheiron--whose names I mentioned--we see that it was by dedicating the years of their youth to the chase[23] that they learnt all their noble lore; and therefrom they attained to great renown, and are admired even to this day for their virtue--virtue who numbers all men as her lovers, as is very plain. Only because of the pains it costs to win her the greater number fall away; for the achievement of her is hid in obscurity; while the pains that cleave to her are manifest. Perchance, if only she were endowed with a visible bodily frame, men would less have neglected her, knowing that even as she is visible to them, so they also are not hid from her eyes. For is it not so that when a man moves in the presence of him whom he dearly loves,[24] he rises to a height above himself, being incapable of aught base or foul in word or deed in sight of him?[25] But fondly dreaming that the eye of virtue is closed to them, they are guilty of many a base thing and foul before her very face, who is hidden from their eyes. Yet she is present everywhere, being dowered with immortality; and those who are perfect in goodness[26] she honours, but the wicked she thrusts aside from honour. If only men could know that she regards them, how eagerly would they rush to the embrace of toilful training and tribulation,[27] by which alone she is hardly taken; and so should they gain the mastery over her, and she should be laid captive at their feet.
[23] Or, "that they made their first essay in hunting when mere boys, and from hunting upwards were taught many noble arts."
[24] Lit. "is beheld by his beloved." Cf. "Symp." iv. 4; viii. 31.
[25] Lit. "in order not to be seen of him."
[26] Lit. "good with respect to her."
[27] Or, "to those toils and that training."
XIII
Now what astonishes me in the "sophists," as they are called,[1] is, that though they profess, the greater part of them, to lead the young to virtue, they really lead them in the opposite direction. Never have we set eyes on the man anywhere who owed his goodness to the sophists of to-day.[2] Nor do their writings contain anything[3] calculated to make men good, but they have written volumes on vain and frivolous subjects, in which the young may find pleasures that pall, but the essence of virtue is not in them. The result of this literature is to inflict unncessary waste of time on those who look to learn something from it all and look in vain, cutting them off from wholesome occupations and even teaching what is bad. I cannot then but blame them for certain large offences[4] more than lightly; but as regards the subject matter of their writings my charge is, that while full of far-fetched phraseology,[5] of solid wholesome sentiments, by which the young might be trained to virtue, I see not a vestige. Speaking as a plain man, I know that to be taught what is good by one's own nature is best of all,[6] and next best to learn of those who really do know some good thing rather than of those who have an art to deceive. It may well be that I fail to express myself in subtle language,[7] nor do I pretend to aim at subtlety; what I do aim at is to express rightly-conceived thoughts such as may serve the need of those who have been nobly disciplined in virtue; for it is not words and names that give instruction, but thoughts and sentiments worthy the name.
[1] Cf. Isocr. "Against the Sophists"; "Antidosis"; "Hel. Encom."; Plat. "Sophist."
[2] Who are these {oi nun sophistai}?
[3] Lit. "do they present writings to the world."
[4] Or, "as to certain weightier matters gravely."
[5] {remata} = "words and phrases"; {ynomai} = "moral maxims, just thoughts."
[6] "Being myself but a private individual and a plain man." According to Hartman, "A. X. N." p. 350, "ridicule detorquet Hesiodeum":
{outos men panaristos os auto panta noese esthlos d' au kakeinos os