Section 228

SOCRATES. You think so? Then let us recall the story of Hipparchus, the son of Peisistratus, who was the eldest and wisest of Peisistratus' sons. He performed many other excellent and wise deeds, and he was the first to bring the poems of Homer into this land, compelling the rhapsodes at the Panathenaea to recite them in sequence, just as they do to this day. He also sent a fifty-oared ship for Anacreon of Teos and brought him to the city, and kept Simonides of Ceos always about him, prevailing upon him with rich rewards and gifts. All these things he did, wishing to educate the citizens, so that he might rule over the best of men, believing that he ought to grudge wisdom to no one, since he was a truly good and noble man.

When the people in the city had been educated by him and marvelled at his wisdom, he proceeded to educate those in the country, setting up herms for them along the roads midway between the city and each deme. Selecting the wisest things he knew, both from others and what he had thought out himself, he put them into elegiac verses and carved them upon the herms as his own poems and displays of wisdom, so that his citizens, while traveling, might read his inscriptions and not wonder at the wise sayings of Delphi, such as "Know thyself" and "Nothing in excess," but might instead consider the sayings of Hipparchus to be wise. Among these inscriptions, one says on the left side of the herm: "A memorial of Hipparchus: walk with just intent." On the right side it says: "A memorial of Hipparchus: deceive not a friend."

Now, this great and wise man Hipparchus was assassinated by Harmodius and Aristogeiton. And the reason for his death was not, as many think, an insult to the sister of Harmodius; that is a foolish tale. The truth is that Harmodius was the beloved of Aristogeiton, and was being educated by him. But Hipparchus also loved Harmodius, and tried to win him away. When Aristogeiton realized this, he killed Hipparchus out of jealousy, much as a rival in love would do.

Τμῆμα 228

ΣΩ. οὐκοῦν ὡμολογήσαμεν ὀλίγον πρότερον τὸ κέρδος τῇ ζημίᾳ κακῷ ὄντι ἐναντίον εἶναι;

ΕΤ. φημί.

ΣΩ. ἐναντίον δὲ ὂν κακῷ ἀγαθὸν εἶναι;

ΕΤ. ὡμολογήσαμεν γάρ.

ΣΩ. ὁρᾷς οὖν, ἐπιχειρεῖς με ἐξαπατᾶν, ἐπίτηδες ἐναντία λέγων οἷς ἄρτι ὡμολογήσαμεν.

ΕΤ. οὐ μὰ Δία, ὦ Σώκρατες, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον σύ με ἐξαπατᾷς καὶ οὐκ οἶδα ὅπῃ ἐν τοῖς λόγοις ἄνω καὶ κάτω στρέφεις.

ΣΩ. εὐφήμει· οὐ μεντἂν καλῶς ποιοίην οὐ πειθόμενος ἀνδρὶ ἀγαθῷ καὶ σοφῷ.

ΕΤ. τίνι τούτῳ; καὶ τί μάλιστα;

ΣΩ. πολίτῃ μὲν ἐμῷ τε καὶ σῷ, Πεισιστράτου δὲ ὑεῖ τοῦ ἐκ Φιλαϊδῶν, Ἱππάρχῳ, ὃς τῶν Πεισιστράτου παίδων ἦν πρεσβύτατος καὶ σοφώτατος, ὃς ἄλλα τε πολλὰ καὶ καλὰ ἔργα σοφίας ἀπεδείξατο, καὶ τὰ Ὁμήρου ἔπη πρῶτος ἐκόμισεν εἰς τὴν γῆν ταυτηνί, καὶ ἠνάγκασε τοὺς ῥαψῳδοὺς Παναθηναίοις ἐξ ὑπολήψεως ἐφεξῆς αὐτὰ διιέναι, ὥσπερ νῦν ἔτι οἵδε ποιοῦσιν, καὶ ἐπʼ Ἀνακρέοντα τὸν Τήιον πεντηκόντορον στείλας ἐκόμισεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, Σιμωνίδην δὲ τὸν Κεῖον ἀεὶ περὶ αὑτὸν εἶχεν, μεγάλοις μισθοῖς καὶ δώροις πείθων· ταῦτα δʼ ἐποίει βουλόμενος παιδεύειν τοὺς πολίτας, ἵνʼ ὡς βελτίστων ὄντων αὐτῶν ἄρχοι, οὐκ οἰόμενος δεῖν οὐδενὶ σοφίας φθονεῖν, ἅτε ὢν καλός τε κἀγαθός. ἐπειδὴ δὲ αὐτῷ οἱ περὶ τὸ ἄστυ τῶν πολιτῶν πεπαιδευμένοι ἦσαν καὶ ἐθαύμαζον αὐτὸν ἐπὶ σοφίᾳ, ἐπιβουλεύων αὖ τοὺς ἐν τοῖς ἀγροῖς παιδεῦσαι ἔστησεν αὐτοῖς Ἑρμᾶς κατὰ τὰς ὁδοὺς ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ ἄστεος καὶ τῶν δήμων ἑκάστων, κἄπειτα τῆς σοφίας τῆς αὑτοῦ, ἥν τʼ ἔμαθεν καὶ ἣν αὐτὸς ἐξηῦρεν, ἐκλεξάμενος ἃ ἡγεῖτο σοφώτατα εἶναι, ταῦτα αὐτὸς ἐντείνας εἰς ἐλεγεῖον αὑτοῦ ποιήματα καὶ ἐπιδείγματα τῆς σοφίας ἐπέγραψεν, ἵνα πρῶτον μὲν τὰ ἐν Δελφοῖς γράμματα τὰ σοφὰ ταῦτα μὴ θαυμάζοιεν οἱ πολῖται αὐτοῦ, τό τε γνῶθι σαυτόν καὶ τὸ μηδὲν ἄγαν καὶ τἆλλα τὰ τοιαῦτα, ἀλλὰ τὰ Ἱππάρχου ῥήματα μᾶλλον σοφὰ ἡγοῖντο, ἔπειτα παριόντες ἄνω καὶ κάτω καὶ ἀναγιγνώσκοντες καὶ γεῦμα λαμβάνοντες αὐτοῦ τῆς σοφίας φοιτῷεν ἐκ τῶν ἀγρῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ λοιπὰ παιδευθησόμενοι.