cratylus-第25部分

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all；　and　is　the　subtlest　and　swiftest　element；　for　if　it　were　not　the

subtlest；　and　a　power　which　none　can　keep　out；　and　also　the　swiftest；

passing　by　other　things　as　if　they　were　standing　still；　it　could　not

penetrate　through　the　moving　universe。　　And　this　element；　which

superintends　all　things　and　pierces　（diaion）　all；　is　rightly　called

dikaion；　the　letter　k　is　only　added　for　the　sake　of　euphony。　　Thus　far；　as

I　was　saying；　there　is　a　general　agreement　about　the　nature　of　justice；　but

I；　Hermogenes；　being　an　enthusiastic　disciple；　have　been　told　in　a　mystery

that　the　justice　of　which　I　am　speaking　is　also　the　cause　of　the　world：　

now　a　cause　is　that　because　of　which　anything　is　created；　and　some　one

comes　and　whispers　in　my　ear　that　justice　is　rightly　so　called　because

partaking　of　the　nature　of　the　cause；　and　I　begin；　after　hearing　what　he

has　said；　to　interrogate　him　gently：　　'Well；　my　excellent　friend；'　say　I；

'but　if　all　this　be　true；　I　still　want　to　know　what　is　justice。'　　Thereupon

they　think　that　I　ask　tiresome　questions；　and　am　leaping　over　the　barriers；

and　have　been　already　sufficiently　answered；　and　they　try　to　satisfy　me

with　one　derivation　after　another；　and　at　length　they　quarrel。　　For　one　of

them　says　that　justice　is　the　sun；　and　that　he　only　is　the　piercing

（diaionta）　and　burning　（kaonta）　element　which　is　the　guardian　of　nature。　

And　when　I　joyfully　repeat　this　beautiful　notion；　I　am　answered　by　the

satirical　remark；　'What；　is　there　no　justice　in　the　world　when　the　sun　is

down？'　　And　when　I　earnestly　beg　my　questioner　to　tell　me　his　own　honest

opinion；　he　says；　'Fire　in　the　abstract'；　but　this　is　not　very

intelligible。　　Another　says；　'No；　not　fire　in　the　abstract；　but　the

abstraction　of　heat　in　the　fire。'　　Another　man　professes　to　laugh　at　all

this；　and　says；　as　Anaxagoras　says；　that　justice　is　mind；　for　mind；　as　they

say；　has　absolute　power；　and　mixes　with　nothing；　and　orders　all　things；　and

passes　through　all　things。　　At　last；　my　friend；　I　find　myself　in　far

greater　perplexity　about　the　nature　of　justice　than　I　was　before　I　began　to

learn。　　But　still　I　am　of　opinion　that　the　name；　which　has　led　me　into　this

digression；　was　given　to　justice　for　the　reasons　which　I　have　mentioned。



HERMOGENES：　　I　think；　Socrates；　that　you　are　not　improvising　now；　you　must

have　heard　this　from　some　one　else。



SOCRATES：　　And　not　the　rest？



HERMOGENES：　　Hardly。



SOCRATES：　　Well；　then；　let　me　go　on　in　the　hope　of　making　you　believe　in

the　originality　of　the　rest。　　What　remains　after　justice？　　I　do　not　think

that　we　have　as　yet　discussed　courage　（andreia）；injustice　（adikia）；　which

is　obviously　nothing　more　than　a　hindrance　to　the　penetrating　principle

（diaiontos）；　need　not　be　considered。　　Well；　then；　the　name　of　andreia　seems

to　imply　a　battle；this　battle　is　in　the　world　of　existence；　and　according

to　the　doctrine　of　flux　is　only　the　counterflux　（enantia　rhon）：　　if　you

extract　the　delta　from　andreia；　the　name　at　once　signifies　the　thing；　and

you　may　clearly　understand　that　andreia　is　not　the　stream　opposed　to　every

stream；　but　only　to　that　which　is　contrary　to　justice；　for　otherwise

courage　would　not　have　been　praised。　　The　words　arren　（male）　and　aner　（man）

also　contain　a　similar　allusion　to　the　same　principle　of　the　upward　flux

（te　ano　rhon）。　　Gune　（woman）　I　suspect　to　be　the　same　word　as　goun　（birth）：　

thelu　（female）　appears　to　be　partly　derived　from　thele　（the　teat）；　because

the　teat　is　like　rain；　and　makes　things　flourish　（tethelenai）。



HERMOGENES：　　That　is　surely　probable。



SOCRATES：　　Yes；　and　the　very　word　thallein　（to　flourish）　seems　to　figure

the　growth　of　youth；　which　is　swift　and　sudden　ever。　　And　this　is　expressed

by　the　legislator　in　the　name；　which　is　a　compound　of　thein　（running）；　and

allesthai　（leaping）。　　Pray　observe　how　I　gallop　away　when　I　get　on　smooth

ground。　　There　are　a　good　many　names　generally　thought　to　be　of　importance；

which　have　still　to　be　explained。



HERMOGENES：　　True。



SOCRATES：　　There　is　the　meaning　of　the　word　techne　（art）；　for　example。



HERMOGENES：　　Very　true。



SOCRATES：　　That　may　be　identified　with　echonoe；　and　expresses　the

possession　of　mind：　　you　have　only　to　take　away　the　tau　and　insert　two

omichrons；　one　between　the　chi　and　nu；　and　another　between　the　nu　and　eta。



HERMOGENES：　　That　is　a　very　shabby　etymology。



SOCRATES：　　Yes；　my　dear　friend；　but　then　you　know　that　the　original　names

have　been　long　ago　buried　and　disguised　by　people　sticking　on　and　stripping

off　letters　for　the　sake　of　euphony；　and　twisting　and　bedizening　them　in

all　sorts　of　ways：　　and　time　too　may　have　had　a　share　in　the　change。　　Take；

for　example；　the　word　katoptron；　why　is　the　letter　rho　inserted？　　This　must

surely　be　the　addition　of　some　one　who　cares　nothing　about　the　truth；　but

thinks　only　of　putting　the　mouth　into　shape。　　And　the　additions　are　often

such　that　at　last　no　human　being　can　possibly　make　out　the　original　meaning

of　the　word。　　Another　example　is　the　word　sphigx；　sphiggos；　which　ought

properly　to　be　phigx；　phiggos；　and　there　are　other　examples。



HERMOGENES：　　That　is　quite　true；　Socrates。



SOCRATES：　　And　yet；　if　you　are　permitted　to　put　in　and　pull　out　any　letters

which　you　please；　names　will　be　too　easily　made；　and　any　name　may　be

adapted　to　any　object。



HERMOGENES：　　True。



SOCRATES：　　Yes；　that　is　true。　　And　therefore　a　wise　dictator；　like

yourself；　should　observe　the　laws　of　moderation　and　probability。



HERMOGENES：　　Such　is　my　desire。



SOCRATES：　　And　mine；　too；　Hermogenes。　　But　do　not　be　too　much　of　a

precisian；　or　'you　will　unnerve　me　of　my　strength　（Iliad。）。'　　When　you　have

allowed　me　to　add　mechane　（contrivance）　to　techne　（art）　I　shall　be　at　the

top　of　my　bent；　for　I　conceive　mechane　to　be　a　sign　of　great　accomplishment

anein；　for　mekos　has　the　meaning　of　greatness；　and　these　two；　mekos　and

anein；　make　up　the　word　mechane。　　But；　as　I　was　saying；　being　now　at　the

top　of　my　bent；　I　should　like　to　consider　the　meaning　of　the　two　words

arete　（virtue）　and　kakia　（vice）；　arete　I　do　not　as　yet　understand；　but

kakia　is　transparent；　and　agrees　with　the　principles　which　preceded；　for

all　things　being　in　a　flux　（ionton）；　kakia　is　kakos　ion　（going　badly）；　and

this　evil　motion　when　existing　in　the　soul　has　the　general　name　of　kakia；

or　vice；　specially　appropriated　to　it。　　The　meaning　of　kakos　ienai　may　be

further　illustrated　by　the　use　of　deilia　（cowardice）；　which　ought　to　have

come　after　andreia；　but　was　forgotten；　and；　as　I　fear；　is　not　the　only　word

which　has　been　passed　over。　　Deilia　signifies　that　the　soul　is　bound　with　a

strong　chain　（desmos）；　for　lian　means　strength；　and　therefore　deilia

expresses　the　greatest　and　strongest　bond　of　the　soul；　and　aporia

（difficulty）　is　an　evil　of　the　same　nature　（from　a　（alpha）　not；　and

poreuesthai　to　go）；　like　anything　else　which　is　an　impediment　to　motion　and

movement。　　Then　the　word　kakia　appears　to　mean　kakos　ienai；　or　going　badly；

or　limping　and　halting；　of　which　the　consequence　is；　that　the　soul　becomes

filled　with　vice。　　And　if　kakia　is　the　name　of　this　sort　of　thing；　arete

will　be　the　opposite　of　it；　signifying　in　the　first　place　ease　of　motion；


then　that　the　stream　of　the　good　soul　is　unimpeded；　and　has　therefore　the

attribute　of　ever　flowing　without　let　or　hindrance；　and　is　therefore　called

arete；　or；　more　correctly；　aeireite　（ever…flowing）；　and　may　perhaps　have

had　another　form；　airete　（eligible）；　indicating　that　nothing　is　more

eligible　than　virtue；　and　this　has　been　hammered　into　arete。　　I　daresay

that　you　will　deem　this　to　be　another　invention　of　mine；　but　I　think　that

if　the　previous　word　kakia　was　right；　then　arete　is　also　right。



HERMOGENES：　　But　what　is　the　meaning　of　kakon；　which　has　played　so　great　a

part　in　your　previous　discourse？



SOCRATES：　　That　is　a　very　singular　word　about　which　I　can　hardly　form　an

opinion；　and　therefore　I　must　have　recourse　to　my　ingenious　device。



HERMOGENES：　　What　device？



SOCRATES：　　The　device　of　a　foreign　origin；　which　I　shall　give　to　this　word

also。



HERMOGENES：　　Very　likely　you　are　right；　but　suppose　that　we　leave　these

words　and　endeavour　to　see　the　rationale　of　kalon　and　aischron。



SOCRATES：　　The　meaning　of　aischron　is　evident；　being　only　aei　ischon　roes

（always　preventing　from　flowing）；　and　this　is　in　accordance　with　our　former

derivations。　　For　the　name…giver　was　a　great　enemy　to　stagnation　of　all

sorts；　and　hence　he　gave　the　name　aeischoroun　to　that　which　hindered　the

flux　（aei　ischon　roun）；　and　that　is　now　beaten　together　into　aischron。



HERMOGENES：　　But　what　do　you　say　of　kalon？



SOCRATES：　　That　is　more　obscure；　yet　the　form　is　only　due　to　the　quantity；

and　has　been　changed　by　altering　omicron　upsilon　into　omicron。



HERMOGENES：　　What　do　you　mean？



SOCRATES：　　This　name　appears　to　denote　mind。



HERMOGENES：　　How　so？



SOCRATES：　　Let　me　ask　you　what　is　the　cause　why　anything　has　a　name；　is　not

the　principle　which　imposes　the　name　the　cause？



HERMOGENES：　　Certainly。



SOCRATES：　　And　must　not　this　be　the　mind　of　Gods；　or　of　men；　or　of　both？



HERMOGENES：　　Yes。



SOCRATES：　　Is　not　mind　that　which　called　（kalesan）　things　by　their　names；

and　is　not　mind　the　beautiful　（kalon）？



HERMOGENES：　　That　is　evident。



SOCRATES：　　And　are　not　the　works　of　intelligence　and　mind　worthy　of　praise；

and　are　not　other　works　worthy　of　blame？



HERMOGENES：　　Certainly。



SOCRATES：　　Physic　does　the　work　of　a　physician；　and　carpentering　does　the

works　of　a　carpenter？



HERMOGENES：　　Exactly。



SOCRATES：　　And　the　principle　of　beauty　does　the　works　of　beauty？



HERMOGENES：　　Of　course。



SOCRATES：　　And　that　principle　we　affirm　to　be　mind？



HERMOGENES：　　Very　true。



SOCRATES：　　Then　mind　is　rightly　called　beauty　because　she　does　the　works

which　we　recognize　and　speak　of　as　the　beautiful？



HERMOGENES：　　T