Texte grec :
| [4,30] καλοῦσι δὲ οἱ πολλοὶ ταύτην μὲν παιδείαν, {καθάπερ οἶμαι παιδιάν},
καὶ νομίζουσι τὸν πλεῖστα γράμματα εἰδότα, Περσικά τε καὶ Ἑλληνικὰ καὶ τὰ
Σύρων καὶ τὰ Φοινίκων, καὶ πλείστοις ἐντυγχάνοντα βιβλίοις, τοῦτον
σοφώτατον καὶ μάλιστα πεπαιδευμένον· πάλιν δὲ ὅταν ἐντύχωσι
τῶν τοιούτων τισὶ μοχθηροῖς καὶ δειλοῖς καὶ φιλαργύροις,
ὀλίγου ἄξιόν φασι τὸ πρᾶγμα {καὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον}· τὴν δὲ ἑτέραν
(31) ἐνίοτε μὲν παιδείαν, ἐνίοτε δὲ ἀνδρείαν καὶ μεγαλοφροσύνην. καὶ
οὕτω δὴ Διὸς παῖδας ἐκάλουν οἱ πρότερον τοὺς τῆς ἀγαθῆς παιδείας
ἐπιτυγχάνοντας καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς ἀνδρείους, πεπαιδευμένους
ὡς Ἡρακλέα ἐκεῖνον. οὐκοῦν ὅστις ἂν ἐκείνην τὴν παιδείαν ἔχῃ
καλῶς πεφυκώς, ῥᾳδίως καὶ ταύτης γίγνεται μέτοχος, ὀλίγα ἀκούσας
καὶ ὀλιγάκις, αὐτὰ τὰ μέγιστα καὶ κυριώτατα, καὶ μεμύηται καὶ
(32) φυλάττει ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ. καὶ οὐδεὶς ἂν αὐτόν τι τούτων ἀφέλοιτο
οὔτε καιρὸς οὔτε ἄνθρωπος σοφιστής, ἀλλ´ οὐδ´ ἂν πυρί τις ἐκκαῦσαι
βουλόμενος· ἀλλὰ κἂν ἐμπρήσῃ τις τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὥσπερ τὸν Ἡρακλέα
φασὶν αὑτὸν ἐμπρῆσαι, μένοι ἂν αὐτοῦ τὰ δόγματα ἐν τῇ
ψυχῇ, καθάπερ οἶμαι τῶν κατακαιομένων νεκρῶν τοὺς ὀδόντας φασὶ
(33) διαμένειν, τοῦ ἄλλου σώματος δαπανηθέντος ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρός. {οὐ
γὰρ μαθεῖν, ἀλλ´ ὑπομνησθῆναι δεῖται μόνον· ἔπειτα εὐθὺς οἶδέν
τε καὶ ἐγνώρισεν, ὡς ἂν ἐξ ἀρχῆς τὰ δόγματα ἔχων ταῦτα ἐν τῇ
αὑτοῦ διανοίᾳ.} προσέτι δέ, ἐὰν μὲν ἀνδρὶ περιπέσῃ ὥσπερ ὁδὸν
ἐπισταμένῳ, ῥᾳδίως ἐκεῖνος ἐπέδειξεν αὐτῷ, καὶ μαθὼν εὐθὺς
ἄπεισιν· ἐὰν δὲ ἀγνοοῦντι καὶ ἀλαζόνι {σοφιστῇ,} κατατρίψει περιάγων
αὐτόν, ὁτὲ μὲν πρὸς ἀνατολάς, ὁτὲ δὲ πρὸς δύσιν, ὁτὲ δὲ πρὸς
μεσημβρίαν ἕλκων, οὐδὲν αὐτὸς εἰδώς, ἀλλὰ εἰκάζων, καὶ πολὺ πρότερον
(34) αὐτὸς ὑπὸ τοιούτων ἀλαζόνων πεπλανημένος. ὥσπερ γὰρ αἱ
ἀμαθεῖς καὶ ἀκόλαστοι κύνες ἐν τῇ θήρᾳ μηδὲν ξυνεῖσαι μηδὲ γνωρίσασαι
τὸ ἴχνος ἐξαπατῶσιν ἄλλας τῇ φωνῇ καὶ τῷ σχήματι, ὡς
εἰδυῖαί τε καὶ ὁρῶσαι, καὶ πολλαὶ συνέπονται ταύταις, αἱ ἀφρονέσταται
σχεδὸν ταῖς μάτην φθεγγομέναις,
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Traduction française :
| [4,30] This human sort, however,
is what most people call ` education' meaning thereby
something for children, I suppose and they have
the notion that he who knows the most literature,
Persian or Greek or Syrian or Phoenician, and has
read the most books is the wisest and best educated
person; but again, when people find any knaves or
cowards or avaricious men among these, then they
say the fact is as insignificant as the individual.
The other kind men sometimes call simply education,
at other times, ` true manhood ' and ` high-mindedness.'
And it was for that reason that men of old
called those persons ` sons of Zeus ' who received the
good education and were manly of soul, having been
educated after the pattern of the great Heracles.
Whoever, then, being noble by nature, possesses that
higher education, readily acquires this other also,
having only to learn a few things in a few lessons,
merely the greatest and most important things, and
is already initiated and treasures them in his soul.
And thenceforth nothing can rob him of any of these
things, neither time nor any tricky sophist, nay, not
even one who would fain burn them out by fire.
But if the man were burned, as Heracles is said to
have burned himself, yet his principles would abide
in his soul just as, I believe, the teeth of bodies that
have been cremated are said to remain undestroyed
though the rest of the body has been consumed by
the fire. For he does not have to learn but merely
to recall ; after that he at once knows and recognizes,
as having had these principles in his mind at the
beginning. And furthermore, if he comes upon a
man who knows the road, so to speak, this man easily
directs him, and on getting the information he at
once goes his way. If, however, he falls in with some
ignorant and charlatan sophist, the fellow will wear
him out by leading him hither and thither, dragging
him now to the east and now to the west and now to
the south, not knowing anything himself but merely
guessing, after having been led far afield himself
long before by impostors like himself. It is just the
same as in hunting. When dogs that are untrained
and unruly catch no scent and do not pick up the
trail, they mislead others by barking and behaving
as if they knew and saw, and many, chiefly the most
foolish, follow those dogs that bark at random,
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