The Clouds say
to Strepsiades: ’O man, you who desire the great wisdom from us (ȏ tȇs megalȇs epithumȇsas sophias anthrȏpe
par hȇmȏn, 412), how happy you will become among the Athenians and the Greeks
(hȏs eudaimȏn en Athȇnaiois kai tois
Hellȇsi genȇsei, 413), if your memory is good, if you are a good thinker,
if the ability to endure hardship is (ei
mnȇmȏn ei kai phrontistȇs kai to talaipȏron enesti, 414) in your soul, and
neither standing nor walking makes
you weary (en tȇi psuchȇi, kai mȇ kamneis
mȇth’ hestȏs mȇte badizȏn, 415),
and you are neither too bothered by cold nor pine for a second meal (mȇte rigȏn achthei lian mȇt’ aristan
epithumeis, 416), if you abstain from wine, of naked games and other
foolish things (oinou t’ apechei kai
gumnasiȏn kai tȏn allȏn anoȇtȏn,
417), and if you think this to be the best thing – as behoves a spirited man (kai beltiston touto nomizeis, hoper eikos
dexion andra, 418) – to be victorious in your actions and deliberations and
in fighting with your tongue (nikan
prattȏn kai bouleuȏn kai tȇi glȏttȇi polemizȏn, 419).’
Dover notes
on anoȇtȏn
(‘foolish things‘) in line 417: ‘Probably to be taken, as mȏros (‘stupid’) often is, as a euphemistic allusion to sexual pleasures;
cf. X. M. II. i. 1 lagneia (‘sexual indulgence’), I. ii. 1 aphrodisia (‘erotic appetite’), in
descriptions of Socrates’ enkrateia (‘self-control’).’
Xenophon
says in Memorabilia I. ii. 1: ‘No
less wonderful is it to me (Thaumaston de
phainetai moi) that some believed (kai
to peisthȇnai tinas) the charge brought against Socrates of corrupting the
youth (hȏs Sȏkratȇs tous neous
diephtheiren). In the first place, apart from what I have said (hos pros tois eirȇmenois prȏton men), in
control of his own erotic passions (aphrodisiȏn)
and appetites of belly (kai gastros) he
was the strictest of men (pantȏn
anthrȏpȏn enkratestatos ȇn); further (eita),
cold (pros cheimȏna) and heat (kai theros) and every kind of toil (kai pantas ponous) he was the ablest to
endure (karterikȏtatos); and besides
(eti de pros), his needs were so
schooled to moderation (to metriȏn
deisthai pepaideumenos houtȏs) that having very little (hȏste panu mikra kektȇmenos) he was yet
very content (panu raidiȏs echein
arkounta).’ In Memorabilia II. ii.
1 he says: ‘I thought (Edokei de moi)
he exhorted (protrepein) his
companions (tous sunontas) to
practice (askein) self-control (enkrateian) in the matter of eating (brȏtou) and drinking (kai potou), and sexual indulgence (kai lagneias), and sleeping (kai hupnou), and endurance of cold (kai rigous) and heat (kai thalpous) and toil (kai ponou, tr. Marchant).’
On the
margin of my Oxford edition of Aristophanes I noted Starkie’s comment on
‘standing’ in line 415 (‘if … neither standing nor walking makes you weary’:
‘See the anecdote about Socrates told by Alcibiades in Plato’s Symposium 220c.’
Alcibiades’
anecdote is part of his reminiscences about Socrates during the military expedition
at Potidaea, in which both of them took part: ‘There we messed together (sunesitoumen ekei), and I had the
opportunity of observing his extraordinary power of sustaining fatigue. His
endurance was simply marvellous when, being cut off from supplies, we were
compelled to go without food – on such occasions, which often happen in time of
war, he was superior not only to me but to everybody (ou monon emou periȇn alla kai tȏn allȏn hapantȏn); there was no one
to be compared to him. Yet at a festival (en
t’ au tais euȏchiais) he was the only person who had any real powers of
enjoyment (monos apolauein hoios t’ ȇn);
though not willing to drink (pinein ouk
ethelȏn), he could if compelled (hopote
anankastheiȇ) to beat us all at that (pantas
ekratei), – wonderful to relate! (kai ho pantȏn thaumastotaton) no human
being had ever seen Socrates drunk (Sȏkratȇ
methuonta oudeis pȏpote heȏraken anthrȏpȏn) … His fortitude in enduring
cold (pros de au tas tou cheimȏnos
karterȇseis) was also surprising (thaumasia
ȇrgazeto). There was a severe frost (kai
pote ontos pagou hoiou deinotatou), for the winter in that region is really
tremendous (deinoi gar autothi cheimȏnes),
and everybody else either remained indoors (kai
pantȏn ȇ ouk exiontȏn endothen), or if they went out (ȇ ei tis exioi) had on an amazing quantity of clothes (ȇmphiesmenȏn te thaumasta dȇ hosa), and
were well shod (kai hupodedȇmenȏn),
and had their feet swathed (kai eneiligmenȏn tous podas) in felt (eis pilous) and fleeces (kai arnakidas): in the midst of this,
Socrates (houtos d’ en toutois) with
his bare feet on the ice (anupodȇtos dia
tou krustallou) and in his ordinary dress (echȏn himation toiouton hoion kai proteron) marched better than the
other soldiers who had shoes (raion
eporeueto ȇ hoi alloi hupodedemenoi), and they looked daggers at him (hoi de stratiȏtai hupeblepon auton) because
he seemed to despise them (hȏs
kataphronounta sphȏn). I have told you one tale, and now I must tell you
another, which is worth hearing (kai
tauta men dȇ tauta), “of the doings and sufferings of the enduring man” (hoion d’ au tod’ erexe kai etlȇ karteros
anȇr [Homer Odyssea IV, 242])
while he was on the expedition (ekei pote
epi stratias, axion akousai). One morning he was thinking about something
which he could not resolve; he would not give it up, but continued thinking
from early dawn until noon – there he stood fixed in thought (heistȇkei zȇtȏn); and at noon attention
was drawn to him, and the rumour ran through the wandering crowd that Socrates (hoti Sȏkratȇs) had been standing and
thinking about something ever since the break of the day (ex heȏthinou phrontizȏn ti hestȇke). At last, in the evening after
supper, some Ionians out of curiosity (I should explain that this was not in
winter but in summer), brought out their mats and slept in the open air that
they might watch him and see whether he would stand all night. There he stood until the following morning (ho de heistȇkei
mechri heȏs egeneto kai hȇlios aneschen); and with the return of light he
offered up a prayer to the sun and went his way (epeita ȏichet’ apiȏn proseuxamenos tȏi hȇliȏi).’ (Pl. Symp. 219e-220d, tr. B. Jowett; Jowett’s
translation, although very free, captures well the atmosphere of Alcibiades’
narrative; I have supplied the Greek wherever I could find any meaningful
correspondence between Plato’s Greek and Jowett’s English.)
***
On entering
the stage, the chorus of Clouds addresses Strepsiades and Socrates as follows: ‘Be
greeted, ancient old man who hunt after music loving words (chair’ ȏ presbuta palaiogenes therata logȏn
philomousȏn, 358), and you, the priest of the subtlest nonsense, tell us
what you need (su te leptotatȏn lȇrȏn
hiereu, phraze pros hȇmas ho ti chrȇizeis, 359), for we would not respond
to anyone of the meteoro-sophists of today (ou
gar an allȏi hupakousaimen tȏn nun meteȏrosophistȏn, 360), except to Prodicus
because of his wisdom and his thought, and to you (plȇn ȇ Prodikȏi, tȏi men sophias kai gnȏmȇs houneka, soi de, 361),
for you stalk like a pelican on the roads and role your eyes (hoti brenthuei
t’ en taisin hodois kai t’ȏphtalmȏ
parablleis, 362), and barefoot you put up with much hardship and you
have your solemn face looking up to us (k’anupodȇtos
kaka poll’ anechei kaph’ hȇmin semnoprosȏpeis, 363).
Alcibiades
had these lines in mind when he said: ‘There was another occasion on which his
behaviour was very remarkable (axion ȇn
theasasthai Sȏkratȇ) – in the flight of the army after the battle of Delium
(hote apo Dȇliou phugȇi anechȏrei to
stratopedon), where he served among the heavy-armed – I had a better opportunity
of seeing him than at Potidaea (entautha
dȇ kai kallion etheasamȇn Sȏkratȇ ȇ en Poteidaiai), for I was myself on horseback,
and therefore comparatively out of danger (autos
gar hȇtton en phobȏi ȇ dia to eph’ hippou einai). He and Laches [an
Athenian general] were retreating, for the troops were in flight (anechȏrei oun eskedasmenȏn ȇdȇ tȏn anthrȏpȏn,
houtos te hama kai Lachȇs) and I met them (kai egȏ peritunchanȏ) and told them not to be discouraged (kai idȏn euthus parakeleuomai te autoin
tharrein), and promised to remain with them (kai elegon hoti ouk apoleipsȏ autȏ); and there you might see him (epeita emoig’ edokei), Aristophanes (ȏ Aristophanes), as you describe (to son dȇ touto), just as he is in the
streets of Athens (kai ekei
diaporeuesthai hȏsper kai enthade), stalking like a pelican (brenthuomenos),
and rolling his eyes (kai t’ȏphtalmȏ paraballȏn), calmly
contemplating (ȇrema paraskopȏn) enemies
as well as friends (kai tous philious kai
tous polemious), and making very intelligible to anybody (dȇlos ȏn panti), even from a distance (kai panu porrȏthen), that whoever
attacked him (hoti ei tis hapsetai toutou
tou andros) would be likely to meet with a stout resistance (mala errȏmenȏs amuneitai); and in this
way he and his companion escaped (dio kai
asphalȏs apȇiei kai houtos kai ho hetairos) – for this is the sort of man
who is never touched in war (schedon gar
ti tȏn houtȏ diakeimenȏn en tȏi polemȏi oude haptontai); those only are
pursued who are running away headlong (alla
tous protropadȇn pheugontas diȏkousin). I particularly observed how
superior he was to Laches in presence of mind.’ (Pl. Symp. 220e8-221c1; tr. Jowett)
Again,
Jowett’s translation captures well the atmosphere of Alcibiades’ narrative, but
it is at places only loosely related to Alcibiades’ narrative. For example,
Jowett’s last sentence ‘I particularly observed how superior he was to Laches
in presence of mind’ paraphrases Alcibiades’ prȏton men hoson periȇn Lachȇtos tȏi emphrȏn einai, but in
Alcibiades’ narrative this clause follows the clause ‘I had a better opportunity
of seeing him than at Potidaea (entautha
dȇ kai kallion etheasamȇn Sȏkratȇ ȇ en Poteidaiai), for I was myself on
horseback, and therefore comparatively out of danger (autos gar hȇtton en phobȏi ȇ dia to eph’ hippou einai)’. Jowett
obviously thought that in these passages Plato’s text needed some improving. In
Greek the whole sentence stands as follows: entautha
dȇ kai kallion etheasamȇn Sȏkratȇ ȇ en Poteidaiai – autos gar hȇtton en phobȏi
ȇ dia to eph’ hippou einai – prȏton men hoson periȇn Lachȇtos tȏi emphrȏn einai
(221a5-b1).
***
If we
compare the pronouncements of the Clouds quoted above with the related passages
in Xenophon’s Memorabilia and Plato’s
Symposium, we can see that they
represent a caricature of the Socratic principles of self-control. But as far
as their perception of Strepsiades are concerned – ‘O man, you who desire the
great wisdom from us … Be greeted, ancient old man who hunt after music loving
words’ – they have completely misjudged him. Doesn’t this colossal misjudgement
on their part caricature as well something profoundly characteristic about the
historical Socrates? When Socrates says in the Apology that he was doing the greatest good to everyone by seeking
to persuade each that he must look to himself, and seek virtue and wisdom, was
he not profoundly misjudging his fellow citizens (36c-e)? When in Plato’s Meno, after bringing Meno’s slave with
his questions to a solution of a mathematic-geometric problem, he tells Meno:
‘At present (Kai nun men ge) these
notions have just been stirred up in him, as in a dream (autȏi hȏsper onar arti anakekinȇntai hai doxai hautai); but if he
were frequently asked (ei de auton tis
anerȇsetai pollakis) the same questions (ta auta tauta), in different forms (kai pantachȇi), he would know as well as anyone at last (oisth’ hoti teleutȏn oudenos hȇtton akribȏs
epistȇsetai peri toutȏn)? (85c9-12) … he may be made to do the same with
all geometry (houtos gar poiȇsei peri
pasȇs geȏmetrias t’auta tauta) and every other branch of knowledge (kai tȏn allȏn mathȇmatȏn hapantȏn)’.
(85e1-3, tr. Jowett) – Wasn’t a misjudgement of human nature involved in Socrates’
theory of ‘recollection’?
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