Σωκράτης
πῶς λέγεις, ὦ Ἄνυτε; οὗτοι ἄρα μόνοι τῶν ἀντιποιουΜένων τι ἐπίστασθαι εὐεργετεῖν τοσοῦτον τῶν ἄλλων διαφέρουσιν, ὅσον οὐ μόνον οὐκ ὠφελοῦσιν, ὥσπερ οἱ ἄλλοι, ὅτι ἄν τις αὐτοῖς παραδῷ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἐναντίον διαφθείρουσιν;
(91d) καὶ τούτων φανερῶς χρήματα ἀξιοῦσι πράττεσθαι;
ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν οὐκ ἔχω ὅπως σοι πιστεύσω: οἶδα γὰρ ἄνδρα ἕνα Πρωταγόραν πλείω χρήματα κτησάμενον ἀπὸ ταύτης τῆς σοφίας ἢ Φειδίαν τε, ὃς οὕτω περιφανῶς καλὰ ἔργα ἠργάζετο, καὶ ἄλλους δέκα τῶν ἀνδριαντοποιῶν.
καίτοι τέρας λέγεις εἰ οἱ μὲν τὰ ὑποδήματα ἐργαζόμενοι τὰ παλαιὰ καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια ἐξακούμενοι οὐκ ἂν δύναιντο λαθεῖν τριάκονθ᾽ (91e) ἡμέρας μοχθηρότερα ἀποδιδόντες ἢ παρέλαβον τὰ ἱμάτιά τε καὶ ὑποδήματα, ἀλλ᾽ εἰ τοιαῦτα ποιοῖεν, ταχὺ ἂν τῷ λιμῷ ἀποθάνοιεν,
Πρωταγόρας δὲ ἄρα ὅλην τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἐλάνθανεν διαφθείρων τοὺς συγγιγνομένους καὶ μοχθηροτέρους ἀποπέμπων ἢ παρελάμβανεν πλέον ἢ τετταράκοντα ἔτη—
οἶμαι γὰρ αὐτὸν ἀποθανεῖν ἐγγὺς καὶ ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτη γεγονότα, τετταράκοντα δὲ ἐν τῇ τέχνῃ ὄντα—καὶ ἐν ἅπαντι τῷ χρόνῳ τούτῳ ἔτι εἰς τὴν ἡμέραν ταυτηνὶ εὐδοκιμῶν οὐδὲν πέπαυται,
καὶ οὐ μόνον Πρωταγόρας, ἀλλὰ καὶ (92a) ἄλλοι πάμπολλοι, οἱ μὲν πρότερον γεγονότες ἐκείνου, οἱ δὲ καὶ νῦν ἔτι ὄντες.
πότερον δὴ οὖν φῶμεν κατὰ τὸν σὸν λόγον εἰδότας αὐτοὺς ἐξαπατᾶν καὶ λωβᾶσθαι τοὺς νέους, ἢ λεληθέναι καὶ ἑαυτούς;
καὶ οὕτω μαίνεσθαι ἀξιώσομεν τούτους, οὓς ἔνιοί φασι σοφωτάτους ἀνθρώπων εἶναι;
SOCRATES. Quid dicis, o Anite? Hii ergo soli eorum qni sollicite intendunt quid scire benefacere, adeo ab aliis differunt, ut non solum non prosunt, quemadmodum alii quotiens quis eis tradatur, immo quod contrarium corrumpunt?
Et horum manifeste pecunias probant lucrifacere?
Ego igitur non habeo quid tibi credam: no vi quippe virum unum Protagoram plures pecunias lucratum ab hac sophia quam Fidiam quoque, qui tam splendide operabatur, et alios decem statuarum fabros.
At monstrum dicis si hii, qui calceos. operantur veteres et vestimenta resarcientes, nequaquam valeant latere trtgmta dies deteriora reddentes quam receperint vestimenta et calceos, sed si talia fecerint, cito fame moriantur,
Protagoras igitur totam Greciam latuit corrumpens cohabitantes et deteriores remittens quam receperit plus quam quadraginta annos
- reor enim ipsum defunctum esse prope etiam septuaginta annos factum, quadraginta vera in arte manentem - atque universo tempore isto adhuc in diem hanc placens haud quievit;
et non solum Protagoras, immo et alii perplurimi, hii nempe prius facti illo, hii utique etiam nunc superstites.
Utrum igitur inquiemus iuxta tuum verbum scientes ipsos fallere et ledi iuvenes an latrusse illos?
Et ita insanire asseremus istos, quos quidam aiunt sapientissimos hominum esse?
SO. Cur ita dicis Anyte? num ii soli ex omni hominum genere cum prodesse hominibus profiteantur, adeo cæteris deteriores sunt, ut non modo non iuvent, quemadmodum alii, quod ipsis traditum sit, verum contra corrumpant,
atque huius gratia vulgo mercedem exigant?
Equidem non video qua rationem fidem tibi adhibeam. Novi enim virum unum Protagoram, qui plures ob hanc sapientiam pecunias cumulavit, quam aut Phidias ille cuius tam conspicua pulchraqueopera extant, aut decem alii sculptores.
Atque absurdum sit, si qui calceos veteres consuunt, veteresque resarciunt, latere non possint dies triginta, si vestes calceosque restituant detoriores redditos; sed si talia facerent brevi fame perirent;
Protagoras autem universam Græciam annos plusquam quadraginta fefellit familiares suos pervertens, deterioresque quam accepit reddens.
Nam reor illum vita decessisse natum annos pene septuaginta; quadraginta vero in hac arte versatum. Ac per omne illud tempus, usque in hanc diem clarus extitit.
neque Protagoras tantum, sed alii quoque permulti, partim priores illo, partim etiam nunc vitiam agentes.
Utrum enim iuxta sententiam tuam dicemus eos conscios decipere, et lædere iuvenes conari; an seipsos quoque fallunt,
et insaniunt ex eo, quia nonnulli sunt, qui sapientissimos eos esse mortalium dicunt?
SOCRATES: What, Anytus? Of all the people who profess that they know how to do men good, do you mean to say that these are the only ones who not only do them no good, but positively corrupt those who are entrusted to them,
and in return for this disservice have the face to demand money?
Indeed, I cannot believe you; for I know of a single man, Protagoras, who made more out of his craft than the illustrious Pheidias, who created such noble works, or any ten other statuaries.
How could that be? A mender of old shoes, or patcher up of clothes, who made the shoes or clothes worse than he received them, could not have remained thirty days undetected, and would very soon have starved;
whereas during more than forty years, Protagoras was corrupting all Hellas, and sending his disciples from him worse than he received them, and he was never found out.
For, if I am not mistaken, he was about seventy years old at his death, forty of which were spent in the practice of his profession; and during all that time he had a good reputation, which to this day he retains:
and not only Protagoras, but many others are well spoken of; some who lived before him, and others who are still living.
Now, when you say that they deceived and corrupted the youth, are they to be supposed to have corrupted them consciously or unconsciously?
Can those who were deemed by many to be the wisest men of Hellas have been out of their minds?
