Lesser Hippias.docx

Lesser Hippias.docx

《Lesser Hippias.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《Lesser Hippias.docx（26页珍藏版）》请在冰点文库上搜索。

LesserHippias

LesserHippiasbyPlato（seeAppendixI）

TranslatedbyBenjaminJowettAPPENDIXI.

ItseemsimpossibletoseparatebyanyexactlinethegenuinewritingsofPlatofromthespurious.TheonlyexternalevidencetothemwhichisofmuchvalueisthatofAristotle;fortheAlexandriancataloguesofacenturylaterincludemanifestforgeries.EventhevalueoftheAristotelianauthorityisagooddealimpairedbytheuncertaintyconcerningthedateandauthorshipofthewritingswhichareascribedtohim.AndseveralofthecitationsofAristotleomitthenameofPlato,andsomeofthemomitthenameofthedialoguefromwhichtheyaretaken.

Prior,however,totheenquiryaboutthewritingsofaparticularauthor,generalconsiderationswhichequallyaffectallevidencetothegenuinenessofancientwritingsarethefollowing:

Shorterworksaremorelikelytohavebeenforged,ortohavereceivedanerroneousdesignation,thanlongerones;andsomekindsofcomposition,suchasepistlesorpanegyricalorations,aremoreliabletosuspicionthanothers;those,again,whichhaveatasteofsophistryinthem,ortheringofalaterage,ortheslightercharacterofarhetoricalexercise,orinwhichamotiveorsomeaffinitytospuriouswritingscanbedetected,orwhichseemtohaveoriginatedinanameorstatementreallyoccurringinsomeclassicalauthor,arealsoofdoubtfulcredit;whilethereisnoinstanceofanyancientwritingprovedtobeaforgery,whichcombinesexcellencewithlength.AreallygreatandoriginalwriterwouldhavenoobjectinfatheringhisworksonPlato;andtotheforgerorimitator,the'literaryhack'ofAlexandriaandAthens,theGodsdidnotgrantoriginalityorgenius.Further,inattemptingtobalancetheevidenceforandagainstaPlatonicdialogue,wemustnotforgetthattheformofthePlatonicwritingwascommontoseveralofhiscontemporaries.Aeschines,Euclid,Phaedo,Antisthenes,andinthenextgenerationAristotle,areallsaidtohavecomposeddialogues;andmistakesofnamesareverylikelytohaveoccurred.

GreekliteratureinthethirdcenturybeforeChristwasalmostasvoluminousasourown,andwithoutthesafeguardsofregularpublication,orprinting,orbinding,orevenofdistincttitles.Anunknownwritingwasnaturallyattributedtoaknownwriterwhoseworksborethesamecharacter;andthenameonceappendedeasilyobtainedauthority.Atendencymayalsobeobservedtoblendtheworksandopinionsofthemasterwiththoseofhisscholars.ToalaterPlatonist,thedifferencebetweenPlatoandhisimitatorswasnotsoperceptibleastoourselves.TheMemorabiliaofXenophonandtheDialoguesofPlatoarebutapartofaconsiderableSocraticliteraturewhichhaspassedaway.Andwemustconsiderhowweshouldregardthequestionofthegenuinenessofaparticularwriting,ifthislostliteraturehadbeenpreservedtous.

Theseconsiderationsleadustoadoptthefollowingcriteriaofgenuineness:

（1）ThatismostcertainlyPlato'swhichAristotleattributestohimbyname,which

（2）isofconsiderablelength,of（3）greatexcellence,andalso（4）inharmonywiththegeneralspiritofthePlatonicwritings.ButthetestimonyofAristotlecannotalwaysbedistinguishedfromthatofalaterage（seeabove）;andhasvariousdegreesofimportance.ThosewritingswhichheciteswithoutmentioningPlato,undertheirownnames,e.g.theHippias,theFuneralOration,thePhaedo,etc.,haveaninferiordegreeofevidenceintheirfavour.Theymayhavebeensupposedbyhimtobethewritingsofanother,althoughinthecaseofreallygreatworks,e.g.thePhaedo,thisisnotcredible;thoseagainwhicharequotedbutnotnamed,arestillmoredefectiveintheirexternalcredentials.TheremaybealsoapossibilitythatAristotlewasmistaken,ormayhaveconfusedthemasterandhisscholarsinthecaseofashortwriting;butthisisinconceivableaboutamoreimportantwork,e.g.theLaws,especiallywhenwerememberthathewaslivingatAthens,andafrequenterofthegrovesoftheAcademy,duringthelasttwentyyearsofPlato'slife.NormustweforgetthatinallhisnumerouscitationsfromthePlatonicwritingsheneverattributesanypassagefoundintheextantdialoguestoanyonebutPlato.Andlastly,wemayremarkthatoneortwogreatwritings,suchastheParmenidesandthePoliticus,whicharewhollydevoidofAristotelian

（1）credentialsmaybefairlyattributedtoPlato,onthegroundof

（2）length,（3）excellence,and（4）accordancewiththegeneralspiritofhiswritings.IndeedthegreaterpartoftheevidenceforthegenuinenessofancientGreekauthorsmaybesummedupundertwoheadsonly:

（1）excellence;and

（2）uniformityoftradition--akindofevidence,whichthoughinmanycasessufficient,isofinferiorvalue.

Proceedingupontheseprinciplesweappeartoarriveattheconclusionthatnineteen-twentiethsofallthewritingswhichhaveeverbeenascribedtoPlato,areundoubtedlygenuine.Thereisanotherportionofthem,includingtheEpistles,theEpinomis,thedialoguesrejectedbytheancientsthemselves,namely,theAxiochus,Dejusto,Devirtute,Demodocus,Sisyphus,Eryxias,whichongrounds,bothofinternalandexternalevidence,weareablewithequalcertaintytoreject.Buttherestillremainsasmallportionofwhichweareunabletoaffirmeitherthattheyaregenuineorspurious.Theymayhavebeenwritteninyouth,orpossiblyliketheworksofsomepainters,maybepartlyorwhollythecompositionsofpupils;ortheymayhavebeenthewritingsofsomecontemporarytransferredbyaccidenttothemorecelebratednameofPlato,orofsomePlatonistinthenextgenerationwhoaspiredtoimitatehismaster.Notthatongroundseitheroflanguageorphilosophyweshouldlightlyrejectthem.Somedifferenceofstyle,orinferiorityofexecution,orinconsistencyofthought,canhardlybeconsidereddecisiveoftheirspuriouscharacter.Forwhoalwaysdoesjusticetohimself,orwhowriteswithequalcareatalltimes?

CertainlynotPlato,whoexhibitsthegreatestdifferencesindramaticpower,intheformationofsentences,andintheuseofwords,ifhisearlierwritingsarecomparedwithhislaterones,saytheProtagorasorPhaedruswiththeLaws.Orwhocanbeexpectedtothinkinthesamemannerduringaperiodofauthorshipextendingoverabovefiftyyears,inanageofgreatintellectualactivity,aswellasofpoliticalandliterarytransition?

CertainlynotPlato,whoseearlierwritingsareseparatedfromhislateronesbyaswideanintervalofphilosophicalspeculationasthatwhichseparateshislaterwritingsfromAristotle.

ThedialogueswhichhavebeentranslatedinthefirstAppendix,andwhichappeartohavethenextclaimtogenuinenessamongthePlatonicwritings,aretheLesserHippias,theMenexenusorFuneralOration,theFirstAlcibiades.Ofthese,theLesserHippiasandtheFuneralOrationarecitedbyAristotle;thefirstintheMetaphysics,thelatterintheRhetoric.

NeitherofthemareexpresslyattributedtoPlato,butinhiscitationofbothofthemheseemstobereferringtopassagesintheextantdialogues.

Fromthementionof'Hippias'inthesingularbyAristotle,wemayperhapsinferthathewasunacquaintedwithaseconddialoguebearingthesamename.Moreover,themereexistenceofaGreaterandLesserHippias,andofaFirstandSecondAlcibiades,doestoacertainextentthrowadoubtuponbothofthem.Thoughaverycleverandingeniouswork,theLesserHippiasdoesnotappeartocontainanythingbeyondthepowerofanimitator,whowasalsoacarefulstudentoftheearlierPlatonicwritings,toinvent.

ThemotiveorleadingthoughtofthedialoguemaybedetectedinXen.Mem.,andthereisnosimilarinstanceofa'motive'whichistakenfromXenophoninanundoubteddialogueofPlato.Ontheotherhand,theupholdersofthegenuinenessofthedialoguewillfindintheHippiasatrueSocraticspirit;theywillcomparetheIonasbeingakinbothinsubjectandtreatment;theywillurgetheauthorityofAristotle;andtheywilldetectinthetreatmentoftheSophist,inthesatiricalreasoninguponHomer,inthereductioadabsurdumofthedoctrinethatviceisignorance,tracesofaPlatonicauthorship.Inreferencetothelastpointwearedoubtful,asinsomeoftheotherdialogues,whethertheauthorisassertingoroverthrowingtheparadoxofSocrates,ormerelyfollowingtheargument'whitherthewindblows.'Thatnoconclusionisarrivedatisalsoinaccordancewiththecharacteroftheearlierdialogues.TheresemblancesorimitationsoftheGorgias,Protagoras,andEuthydemus,whichhavebeenobservedintheHippias,cannotwithcertaintybeadducedoneithersideoftheargument.Onthewhole,moremaybesaidinfavourofthegenuinenessoftheHippiasthanagainstit.

TheMenexenusorFuneralOrationiscitedbyAristotle,andisinterestingassupplyinganexampleofthemannerinwhichtheoratorspraised'theAtheniansamongtheAthenians,'falsifyingpersonsanddates,andcastingaveiloverthegloomiereventsofAthenianhistory.ItexhibitsanacquaintancewiththefuneralorationofThucydides,andwas,perhaps,intendedtorivalthatgreatwork.Ifgenuine,theproperplaceoftheMenexenuswouldbeattheendofthePhaedrus.Thesatiricalopeningandtheconcludingwordsbearagreatresemblancetotheearlierdialogues;theorationitselfisprofessedlyamimeticwork,likethespeechesinthePhaedrus,andcannotthereforebetestedbyacomparisonoftheotherwritingsofPlato.ThefuneralorationofPericlesisexpresslymentionedinthePhaedrus,andthismayhavesuggestedthesubject,inthesamemannerthattheCleitophonappearstobesuggestedbytheslightmentionofCleitophonandhisattachmenttoThrasymachusintheRe