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agesilaus-第10章

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And makes me poor indeed。〃











The errors of private persons he bore with gently; but those of rulers



he looked upon as grave; since the mischief wrought in the one case



was so small; and so large in the other。 The proper attribute of



royalty was; he maintained; not an avoidance of responsibility; but a



constant striving after nobleness。'3'







'3' On the word {kalokagathia} so translated; see Demosth。 777; 5。







Whilst he would not suffer any image'4' of his bodily form to be set



up (though many wished to present him with a statue); he never ceased



elaborating what should prove the monument of his spirit; holding that



the former is the business of a statuary; the latter of one's self。



Wealth might procure the one; he said; but only a good man could



produce the other。







'4' See Plut。 〃Ages。〃 ii。 (Clough; iv。 p。 2); also Plut。 〃Ap。 Lac。〃 p。



    115; ib。 p。 103; Cic。 〃ad Div。〃 V。 xii。 7。







As for riches; he employed them not with justice merely; but with



liberality; holding that for a just man it is sufficient if he let



alone the things of others; but of a liberal man it is required that



he should take of his own and give to supply another's needs。







He was ever subject to religious fear;'5' believing that no man during



his lifetime; however well he lives; can be counted happy; it is only



he who has ended his days with glory of whom it can be said that he



has attained at last to blessedness。'6'







'5' See 〃Cyr。〃 III。 iii。 58; and for the word {deisidaimon}; see Jebb;



    〃Theophr。 Char。〃 p。 263 foll。; Mr。 Ruskin; Preface to 〃Bibl。



    Past。〃 vol。 i。 p。 xxv。







'6' See Herod。 i。 34; Soph。 〃Oed。 Tyr。〃 1529; and Prof。 Jebb's note ad



    loc。







In his judgment it was a greater misfortune to neglect things good and



virtuous; knowing them to be so; than in ignorance。 Nor was he



enamoured of any reputation; the essentials of which he had not



laboriously achieved。'7'







'7' Or; 〃for which he did not qualify himself by the appropriate



    labour。〃







He was one of the small band; as it seemed to me; who regard virtue;



not as a thing to be patiently endured;'8' but as a supreme enjoyment。



At any rate; to win the praise of mankind gave him a deeper pleasure



than the acquisition of wealth; and he preferred to display courage



far rather in conjunction with prudence than with unnecessary risks;



and to cultivate wisdom in action more than by verbal discussion。







'8' Or; 〃as a system of stoical endurance;〃 〃a kind of stoicism。〃 But



    we must not let Xenophon; who is a Socratic; talk of the Stoa。 If



    we knew certainly that the chapter was a much later production;



    the language would be appropriate enough。







Very gentle to his friends; to his enemies he was most terrible。



Whilst he could hold out against toil and trouble with the best;



nothing pleased him better than yielding to his comrades。 But passion



was kindled in him by beauty of deed rather than of person。'9'







'9' Or; 〃beauteous deeds rather than bodily splendour。〃







Skilled in the exercise of self…command in the midst of external



welfare; he could be stout of heart enough in stress of danger。







Urbanity he practised; not with jest and witticisim; but by the



courtesy of his demeanour。







In spite of a certain haughtiness; he was never overbearing; but rich



in saving common sense。 At any rate; while pouring contempt upon



arrogance; he bore himself more humbly than the most ordinary man。 In



fact; what he truly took a pride in was the simplicity of his own



attire; in contrast with the splendid adornment of his troops; or;



again; in the paucity of his own wants; combined with a bountiful



liberality towards his friends。







Besides all this; as an antagonist he could hit hard enough; but no



one ever bore a lighter hand when the victory was won。'10'







'10' Lit。 〃he was the heaviest of antagonists and the lightest of



    conquerors。〃







The same man; whom an enemy would have found it hard to deceive; was



pliability itself in the concerns of his friends。 Whilst for ever



occupied in laying these on a secure foundation; he made it a



ceaseless task to baffle the projects of the national foe。







The epithets applied to him are significant。 His relatives found in



him a kinsman who was more than kind。 To his intimates he appeared as



a friend in need who is a friend indeed。 To the man who had done him



some service; of tenacious memory。 To the victim of injustice; a



knight…errant。 And to those who had incurred danger by his side; a



saviour second only to the gods。







It was given to this man; as it appears to me; to prove exceptionally



that though strength of body may wax old the vigour of a man's soul is



exempt from eld。 Of him; at any rate; it is true that he never shrank



from the pursuit of great and noble objects; so long as'11' his body



was able to support the vigour of his soul。 Therefore his old age



appeared mightier than the youth of other people。 It would be hard to



discover; I imagine; any one who in the prime of manhood was as



formidable to his foes as Agesilaus when he had reached the limit of



mortal life。 Never; I suppose; was there a foeman whose removal came



with a greater sense of relief to the enemy than that of Agesilaus;



though a veteran when he died。 Never was there a leader who inspired



stouter courage in the hearts of fellow…combatants than this man with



one foot planted in the grave。 Never was a young man snatched from a



circle of loving friends with tenderer regret than this old graybeard。







'11' Reading; {megalon kai kalon ephiemenos; eos kai to soma; k。t。l。}



    See Breitenbach。







The benefactor of his fatherland; absolutely to the very end; with



bounteous hand; even in the arms of death; dealing out largesse'12' to



the city which he loved。 And so they bore him home to his eternal



resting…place;'13' this hero; who; having raised to himself many a



monument of his valour over the broad earth; came back to find in the



land of his fathers a sepulture worthy of a king。'14'







'12' See above; ii。 31。







'13' See for this remarkable phrase; Diod。 i。 51。







'14' See 〃Pol。 Lac。〃 xv。 9。























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