No More Learning

Mm* THE
? ? i8o
', THE
INTRODUCTION TO
LACHES.
T H E Education ofChildren isa thing ofsuch Importance, that the welfare of Families and the good of Estates depend wholly upon it. Tis
n o w o n d e r then, that Socrates, w h o lov'd his C o u n try intirely, was lo watchful in hindting the Athe
nians to take false Measures fh reference to that ; andmade ithisbusinesstocuretheirfalsePreju dices. ThegreatestPrejudice,andperhapsthemost pernicious to the Republick, was that which they entertain'd of Valour. The Wars they were then engag'd in, together with those that threaten'd 'em
afar off, had inspir'd 5em with iiich a Martial Ar
dour, that they thought of nothing bet training up their Children to thev Exercise of Arms ; as-being
persuaded that, that was the only way to render themserviceabletotheirCountry. Besides,Chance i t s e l f h a d f o r t i f i e d t h e T h o u g h t -, f o r n o t l o n g b e fore a sort of Fencing-Master came to Athens, who talk'd wonders of his Art, and pretended to teach Valour, and to put his Scholars in a Condition to resist by themselves a greater number of Enemies. The People crouded to his School, and the young People quitted all, to betake themselves to this Exercise. Socrates,foreseeing thedangerousConse
quences of this their Application, labours to prevent it. And that is the Subject of this Conference. As
? ? TheIntroductiontoLaches. ' i$i
As this Dialogue is capable to recommend it self by its great Title , so the Characters of its Actors ought to whet our Curiosity. Lysmachits, Son to the great Ariftides, and Melesias Son to the great Thucidides, being gall'd with the thoughts of their bad Education , and resolv'd to take more Care of their Children, than their Fathers had taken of them ; went to fee for Wicia* and Laches, who made al ready 'a considerable Figure in the Republick, and carried'emtofeethisFencing-Master. Afterthe Show was over , they ask'd the Advice of these two Friends, whether they approv'd of that Exer cise, and whether they should have their Children tolearnit,ornot? SotheexplicationofValourwas theSubjectofDiscourse. And'twasveryprobable that no Man would speak better upon that Subject, thanthesetwo,who hadgivenProofoftheirVa louronseveralOccasions. But,afterall,theydo not think themselves capable to decide such a dif ficultQuestion, withouthelp:Therefore theycall in Socrates to assist 'emx as being one that made the Interest of Youth his whole study 4 and, besides,
gave Proof of an Heroick Courage at the Siege ofPotidoea,and'theBattleofDelium. Niciasisof Opinion thattheExerciseisveryproperforYouth, and admirably well fitted for rendring them brave a n d c l e v e r -, a n d l o o k s u p o n i t a s a m e a n s l e a d i n g toagoodEnd,viz. theArtofWan Lachesat
tacks this Opinion, and makes out the uselelhels of thatExercise by the insignificancy ofitsTeachers, who never didagoodActionintheirwholelife time i and as for Valour, had never purchased the leastReputationintheArmy. Socratesiscalledin to decide the Controverfie. At firsthe pleads his Incapacity for an Excuse : But afterwards insinuates that there's a necessity 6f knowing Men, before one canbeacquaintedwithValour. He makesoutthe falsity of the Notion that great Men had of this Vertue, which is still kept up to this day : And tho' he does not reveal his Mind plainly to those
Mm3 who
? ? j82
the Introduction to Laches.
w h o c a l l e v e r y t h i n g i n q u e s t i o n ? , y e t o n e m a y e a sily perceive his Opinion to be this, That Valour is
a Vertue that reaches all the Actions of our Life, andincludesallotherVertues. ForavaliantMan, is one that'salways accompanied by Prudence, and judgesequally ofthings,past,present,andtocome; who being acquainted with all the Good and Evil, thatis,hasbeen,oristocome,isinaCondition
to arm himselfagainst the one, and omits nothing
tocompasstheother. SothattobeValiant,one mustbeGood? ,andtoeducateYouth aright,they
must be taught wifely to avoid all Evil, and pursue all the Good they can reach, not only from Men, but, which is more important, from God himself; AndtospareneitherLabour norLifeinthepursuit This isSocrates's Doctrine. And Plato has made the World a good Present, in preserving this excel lent Conference : For we ought not to look upon
it as a trial of Wit ; it is entitled to a wonderful Solidity. PursuanttothisDoctrineofSocrates,we fee plainly that the mostvalourous ofallMen were the Martyrs ; for their Valour was accompanied by a true Prudence, which taught 'em to distinguish what is truly Terrible, from that which is not j to know thepast,present, andfutureHappineisorMi s e r y ? , a n d m o v ' d ' e m t o s c r e e n t h e m s e l v e s f r o m t h e
one, and pursue the other at the expence of their Lives.
Itseems Aristotledidnotperceivethefullforce and solidity of these Principles of Socrates, when he arraign'd him for saying that Valour was a Sci ence. Doubtless,itisa Science,butadivineone, that cannot be learn'dfrom Men.
The solidity of this Dialogue is mix'd with a wonderfulagreeableness:Forwhether wemindthe Beauty of hisCharacters, theLivelinessoftheNar rative, the Spirit of the Dialogue, or the Satyrical Stroaks 'tis full of, we find nothing more perfect in its kind. His Satyr upon those mighty Politicians who employ'd all theirCare upon AffairsofState,
and
? ? The Introduction to Laches. 185
and neglected their Children, suffering them to be
overrun by Vice-,this,I lay,isverynatural. So-
crates means by it to (hew, that these great M e n
do more harm to the Commonwealth, by thisun
happy Negligence, than ever they did good by all the
Servicestheyhavedone. HisSatyragainstFencing-
Masters is likewise very Ingenious, in which the
Character of our Modern Pretenders is admirably
welldrawn. ThosewhohavetakennoticeofM-
ciasm Thucidides,haranguing in the Athenian Coun cilagainstthe SicilianExpedition? ,willhere find
an exact Transcript of his true Character. And
that which above all deserves to be remark'd, is
Plato's Dexterity in crying up Socrates, and setting
his Merit in a great Light. ThisDialogueissupposedtohave beencompos'd
soon after the Defeat of the Athenians at Delium, which happen'dinthefirstYear of the 8pth Olym piad. AndtodeterminetheTimemorenicely,it may befix'dtheverynext Year, during theTruce between the Athenians and Lacedemonians. 'Tis pure lyMoral, andoftheiameCharacterwiththeDia logues of thefirstVolume.
Mm4 LA-
? ? 584
LACHES- OR, QF
-yALOUR'
Lysimachus, Son of AriftdestheJust.
Melesias, Son to Thucidides. Arislides,SontoLysimachus. iBoth of'emvery Thucidides,SontoMelefias. S young,
Nicias, General cf the Athenians. loaches, another Athenian General. Socrates.
Lysim. \[\ TELL,NiciasandLaches,youhaveseen 'VV thisMan,who*parry'dinArmour justnow. WhenMelesiasandIdefir'dyoutocome
andfeethisShow^wedidnottellyoutheReasons t h a t o b l i g ' d u s t o i t : B u t n o w w e ' l l t e l l y o u ? , b e
ing persuaded that we may ipeak to you with an
entireConfidence. MostPeoplelaughattheseEx ercises ? ,. and when one asks their Advice, they're
so far from communicating their Thoughts, that they only try to pump those who come to con sult 'em, and speak against their own Sentiments. As for you, we know you have added the hight of
*1usethefameTermsasarenowinuse,becausetheEx ercisethisMantaughtwasmuchthefamewithwhatisnow taught in our Fencing-Schools. He taught 'em to fence in ArmourwithSwordandBuckler,andtoresistseveralCom
batants at once, by parrying and striking. 'Tis pretty re markable, that this fort ot Fencing-Masters was not known at Athens till after the Defeat at Velixm.
Sincerity
? ? Laches: Or, of fakuf. i%$ Sincerity to a great Capacity ? ,and we hope you'll
tell us ingenuously what your Thoughts are in re ferencetotheSubjectwe areabouttomention. The; upshotofallthisPreambleisthis. Eachofushasa- Son. Theretheyare. ThatYouth,theSonofMe- Iejias, is called Tbucidides, by his Grand-Father's
Name :And this,which ismine,iscalledAristides aftermyFather. Wearcresolvedtotakeasingu larCareoftheirEducation? ,andnottodo asmost*^
Fathersdo,who,whentheirChildrencome tobe^"/'0/'*** young Men, throw theBridleon theirNeck, andf^Edl
iuffer'emtolive accordingtotheirfansie. We de-cationof signtokeep'em stillinawe,andeducate'em to*&>>*>? ti>H-
thebestadvantage. Andforasmuchasyouhavelike-***
wile Children, we fansie you have Thought as much
asany Man upontheMethodofmaking'em Ver- tuous : Or, ifyou have not yet considered of it by
reasonof theirwant ofYears,we presume you will not take it ill that w e put you in mind, that this is an indispensable Duty ; and that we oblige you to deliberate with us what Education all of us should give our Children. The Occasion of our coming to see for you was this.
Tho' the Discourse may seem already too long, yet you'll havetheGoodnessto hearitout. You knowMelesiasandIhavebutoneTable,andthese Childreneatwithus:We shall-concealnothing, from you, and, as I told you at first, shall speak to you with an entire Confidence. Both he and I have entertain'd our Children with a thousand and
a thousand brave Actions done by our Fathers both
in Peace and War, while they headed the Atheni ansand theirAllies:But,toourgreatmisfortune,^^f' w e can tell 'em no such thing of our seises: This,? '/{^* coversuswithShame:We blushforitbeforeourminidiy Children, and are forc'd tocast theblame uponvMuk our Fathers v who, after we. grew up, sufter'd us to A^frJif^
liveinSoftnessandLuxury,andinperniciousLi-"% J
(pentiousnels h while they were employing all their<,/their
CarefortheInterestofothers. Thisweincessantlychildren. >>;. ': -? '-? ? -? -? ? lemon-
? ? i86
Laches : Or, of Valour.
remonstrate to these Children, telling them that if they neglect themselves and disobey us, 'twill prove a discredit to them 5 whereas if they will take pains, they may quickly approve themselves to be worthy oftheName theybear. Theyanswer,they'll obey us^ and upon that account we wanted to know what they mould be taught, and what Educa tionwe should give'em. inordertotheirbestIm provement. SomeBodytoldus,therewasnothing more proper for a young Gentleman, than Fencing; andextoll'dtothevery HeavensthisMan whoper-
? form'd his Exercise before us just now, and press'd
usto come andfeehim. Accordingly we thought
it convenient to come and take you along with us
a s w e p a s s ' d -y n o t o n l y t h a t y o u m i g h t p a r t a k e o f
thePleasure,butlikewisethatyou mouldcommu nicatetousyourKnowledge? ,andthatwemight
all consult together upon the Care w e ought to have ofourChildren. AndthisisallIhadtofayto you. Now, 'tis your turn to aid us with your Counsel, in telling us whether you approve ot con demn the above-mention'd Exercise of Arms ? , and advising us what Occupation, what Instructions we should give our Children $ or, in fine, in giving us to know what Conduct you design to follow for
your own Children.
Nic. hyfimachus, I commend your Thought} I
a m very ready to join with you in this Deliberation; andI'llengagethatLacheswillbeasgladasIam to act a Part in the Conference.
Lac. You may engage forthat,Nicias. In my mind, allthatLyfimacbushassaidagainsthisFather a n d t h e F a t h e r o f M e l e / i a s , i s a d m i r a b l y w e l l l a i d -, not only against them, but against us and all those who embarkintheGovernmentofaState:For,as he said, we wave the Education of our Children and our Domestick Affairs, and mind 'em no more than if we had neither House nor Family. Lyfimacbus you have spoke admirably well \ but I'm surpris'd that you mould call us to consult with you upon
-" that
? ? Laches: Or, of Valour. 187
that Subject, and not Socrateswho isour Fellow Citizen-, and besides, bends all his Thoughts upon things relatingtotheEducation ofChildren,inpur suing the Sciences that are most useful to them, and finding out the most suitable Occupations.
Lyf. How doyoufay,Laches? WouldSocrates****P09*
apply himself to what concerns the Instruction of^ ^ f
YoUth? forlvbi- Lxc. I assure you, he would, Lyjimachus. tofipber,
JNic. AndIallureyouofthefame. For'tisnotthatmindd
four days sincehe gave me a Musick-Master forT-J^ rny Son, one Damon, brought up by Agaibolces -,^JJ;. who, besides all the Excellencies of his Art, is pos- sess'd of all the other Qualities that can be desir'd
in a Tutor for a Child of his Birth.
Lyf. Indeed, both Socrates, and you Nicias, and
Laches,mustpardonthisIgnoranceinmeandall othersofmyAge:Wearenotacquaintedwiththe young Folks, for we scarce stirabroad, by reason of our old Age ; But, Socrates, if you have any goodCounseltogivetome,whoamyourCountry man,praydoit:Ican saythat'tisyourDuty,for you are a Friend of our Family from Father to Son. Your Father Sophroniscus and I were always good Friends and Comerades from our Infancy; and our Friendship lasted till his very death without inter ruption. AtpresentitcomesintomyHead,thatI have heard these Children mention the name of So- crates a thousand times in their Interviews among
themselves,ofwhom they speakmuchGood-,and I never minded to ask of 'em if they spoke of So- crates the Son of Sophroniscus. But now, pray tellme Children, isthistheSocratesIhaveheard you speak of so often ?
Aristides andLhuadidesboth together. Yes,Fa ther, 'tis the lame.
Lyf. lam infinitelyglad ofthat. Take heart,
m y dear Socrates, you keep up the Reputation of
your deceasedFatheradmirablywell,whowasnotHewasan
only very well skill'd in his Art , but likewise a *>>&*>*. very
? ? ? 88
Laches:Or^ ofFakw.
verygoodMan. Youand1mustrenewourAncient Friendship, and henceforward your Interests shall be mine, andmineyours.
Lac. You doverywell,Lysimacbus-? donotlet him go: ForIhaveseen Occasions, in which he maintain'd not only the Reputation of his Father, butthatofhisCountry, (a)AttheDefeatofDe-
? Humheretiredalongwithme :AndIcanallureyou, if all the rest had done their Duty, as he did, our City had been admirably well supported , and had not met with that great Shock.
LyJ. This is a great Encomium, Socrates ; and by
whomisitgiven>ByPersonsthatareworthy to
be credited in all things, especially upon that Point Thatis,fe*forwhichtheycryyouup. 1assureyou, noBody m' canhearyourPraiseswithmorePleasurethanIdo.
Iam infinitelygladthatyouhavepurchasedsucha Reputation, and I list my seisin the Number of your greatest Well-wishers. And therefore pray come, without Ceremony, to see Us ; and live with
us:SinceyouareofourFamilyyououghttodoit. Let this Day be the Date of the renewing of our Ancient Friendship ; and from henceforward be fa miliar with us and these Children, to the end that youandtheymaykeepup ourFriendship, asaPa ternalPledge. Wehopeyou'llmakethatuseofit; a n d f o r o u r P a r t s w e w i l l n o t l u s t e r y o u t o f o r g e t it. But to return to our Subject ^ what do you fayI WhatthinkyouofthisExerciseofArms*Doesit deserve to be learned by young M e n >
Soc. Upon thatPoint,Lyjimacbus, Ishallendea vourtogiveyou thebestCouncilIam Masterof; and shall not rail to put all your Orders in Execution. But since I a m the youngest , and less experienced thananyofyou, 'tisbutjustthatIhearyouspeak first; that so, after I have heard you, I may give in
(<t)InthisBattle,Socratessav'dXinophon'sLife,who fell when his Horse was shot under him ; and Socrates being on foot , took him upon his Back , and carried him several Miles,
my
? ? Laches : Of, of Valom. i8#
my SentimentsifIdifferfromyou, andback them withforcibleReasons. Whydonotyouspeakthen JSsicias? Tis your turn toipeak first. '
Nk. IdonotrefusetotellmyThoughts. Inmy-*Vantgj\ Mind, thatExercise isvery proper for young Peo-nV*"**"* pie, andMeritstheirApplication:Forbesidesthat,Few"*
it diverts them from theAmusements that they com
monlypursue, when they'reidle-,itinures1'emto 'labour,, and of necessity renders them more vigorous andstrong. ThereisnobetterExercise;nonethat requires more strength and dexterity : There's none more suitable to a Person of Quality than this, and riding the great Horse , especially to those of our
Profession:AndinregardoftheWarswe areal- ) ready engaged in, and that are liketo come upon us,; we must reckon those only true and good Exercises thatareperformedwiththeArmsus'dinWar;for they are of admirable use in Battles,whether set Battles in Rank and File, or singleAttacks after the Ranks are broken ; whether we pursue an Enemy
that rallies from time to time, or upon a Retreat are put to it, to get clear of an obstinate Enemy,, thatpursuesuswithSwordinHand. Hewhoisac- * quainted with those Exercises, will never be afraid of one Man norseveraltogether;butwillstillget offclear. Besides,theseExerciseshavethiscom mendable Quality , that they inspire their Votaries with a truePassion foranothermore'serious Exercise : forIsupposeallthosewho give themselves toFen cing, breath nothing but the End they proposed in
g o i n g t o b e t a u g h t , v i z . B a t t l e s a n d F i g h t s ? , a n d w h e n
theycometobeengagedinthese, aresofullofAm bitionandsofondofGlory, that theycarefullyin struct themselves in all that belongs to the Art of War, and make it their Business to rife by degrees
tothehighestPostsintheArmy. For itiscertain and manifest, that nothing ismore desirable and more worthyoftheCareofagoodMan, thanthesedif ferentPostsoftheSword, andallthe Functionsof War, to which this Exercise of Arms leads, as a
Means
? ? jqo
Laches : Or, of Valour.
Means to the End. To all these Advantages, we shalladdonemore, which isnotasmallone. Tis thatthisArtofFencingmakesMen morevaliant, and more venturous in Engagements : And if we reckon up every thing, there's anotherAdvantage that isnottobedespis'd,viz. that itgivesMen a good Meen and agraceful Carriage, which in a publick Appearance renders them agreeable to their own Troops,andformidabletotheirEnemies. Sothat Iam of Opinion, Lysimachus, thatChildrenshould learn those Exercises, and have given the Reasons I goupon. IfLachesbeofanotherMind, Ishallbe glad to hear it.
JNicias'*e- Lack Indeed,Niciat,hemustbeaboldMan,that iogj/refn'd. fayS that any Science whatever is not worthy to be
learn'd : For it is very commendable to k n o w every thing,andifthisExerciseofArmsisaScience, as itsTeachersalledge, and asNicias fays, Iown it oughttobetaught. ButifitisnotaScience,and ifthe Fencing-Masters impose upon us by theirBra vado's ; or ifitisonly an inconsiderable Science, to what purposeshouldweamuseourselveswithit?
Imentionthis,becauseIam perswaded, TheExampleoftheLa- jfjtwereavervconsiderableScience,it
S S r S <<3ffi wouldneverhaveescap'dtheLacedemo-
said. mam, whospendtheirwholelite-time Theywerethemost jnenquiringaftersuchthings,asmay
warlikeveopleosailthe ref]der triemsuperior in War to their
l ^ X s Enemies' Nay, supposing it had esca-
ped the Lacedemonians ; these Fencing-
Masters could not have been ignorant so long, that
of all the Grecians, the Lacedemonians are the most
curious in what relates to Arms ; and that Masters
of any Reputation here, would make their Fortune
there, muchbetterthanelsewhere;justasTragical
PoetsofanyNotedohere. Forevery . asatyrualw yon onethathasayeinforTragedies,comes
$ % & X & toight hither with 'em. and does riionwas ofArms. not travel from City to City to publish his Performances ; whereas those valiant Champions
? ? Laches: Or,ofValour, ipi
Champions who teach Fencing, look upon Lace-? *sreat? - demon(a)asan inaccessibleTemplethattheydarelosyfirLa- notapproach;andrambleround aboutitteachingceemon*
theirArttoothers,particularlytotholewho ownFineMa- themselves inferiour to all their Neighbours mstTM *>>***& whatrelatestoWar. Inavior^Lysimachus^Ihavey*'/^? "' seenagreat many ofthoseMastersengag'd inhot^"0}
Actions,andIknow perfectlywhattheirHumourthosewho is5upon which'tis eafieto form ajustestimateofflighttheir theirMerit. ItseemsProvidencehaspurposelysoLelfmS-
ordefd it, that none of that Profession did ever ac quiretheleastReputation inWar. We seeseveralftncing-
ofother Professions,notonlysuccessfulintheway^s-n oftheirBusiness,butlikewisefamousinWar. Butwau"* these Men are unfortunate by a peculiar fort of Fatality. ForthisfameveryStesilem^whoexpos'd himself but now before this Crowd of Spectators,
and spoke so Magnificently of himself. I say, I have seen this fame Man make a farbetter show against his Will upon a better Occasion.
When the Ship he was in attack'd a Merchant-Man, he fought with a Pike headed with aSithe, that his Armsmightbeasremarkableashimselfwasamong theCombatants. AlltheProwessheshew'ddoes fcarce merit a relation : But the success of this warlike Stratagem, in clapping a Sithe on the Head ofaPike,isworthourattention. WhiletheFel lowwasfencingwithhisnew Arms,theywereun happily entangled in the Tackling of the Enemies Ship,andstuckthere. Hepull'dwithallhisforce togetitclear,butcouldnotobtainhisEnd. While his Ship kept close to the other, he follow'd it and kept his hold ; but when the Enemies Ship steer'd off, and was going to hawl him in, he suffer'd his
(a) He compares Lacedemon to the Temple of the Furies, tohich none durst approach ; for they had iuch a terrible Impression of these Goddesses, that they durst not either name 'en>>,orlookupon'em,orofferAddressestothem. These
Fencing-Masters were equally afraid of Lacedmon. A noble Elegy 1
Pike
? ? i$%
Laches : Or, ofValom.
Pike to flip by degrees through his Hands, till he hadonlyholdofitbythesmallend. TheEne my's Crew made Huzza's upon the pleasant Acci
dent : At last some Body having thrown a Stone that felljust at his Feet, he quit his beloved Arms,
and the Enemy redoubled their Shouts, when they saw the armed Sickle ? hanging upon the Tackling
oftheirShiplikeaTrophy. Itispossible,that,as Nicia* fays, itmay be a very considerable and use ful Science:ButItellyou whatIsaw:So that, asIsaidinthebeginning,ifitisaScience,itisan uselessone;andifitisnone,andifwe areonly inveigled by its fine Motto, then it does not deserve ourregard. Inaword,thosewho applythemfelves
tothatArt,areeitherCowardsorbrave
tf,eirAddress inspires Men. If Cowards, they are the more 'emwithsomeaffiance? infolent andtheirCowardice isOnly
butfor want of Courage , ' ? i tc>i_ u << theyC*ncarryonnotbitg the more exposd. Ifbrave,allthe
tsgorousty. World has their Eyes upon 'em : And
if they happen to be guilty of the least as we say that such false step, they must bear a thouiand tray* Ones are the Bui- Jests ^ Ra}Ueries . for th}s js not an
ties of the bcliool. This ? i-rr t>> r> n- ? /-? >> H"tionof-awardsdeferTM indifferentProfession;itexposes em to
to be remark'd. E n v y a t a f u r i o u s r a t e ; a n d i f t h e M a n that follows it, does not distinguish himself mightily by his Courage, he'll be ridicul'd without any possibility . of avoiding it. These are my ThoughtsofthatExercise. Itremainsthatyou
oblige Socrates to tell us,his Mind.
Lyf. Pray do Socrates-,for we want an Umpire
to decide the Difference. Had Nicias and Laches beenofoneOpinion,weshouldhavespar'dyouthe Trouble : But you see they are directly opposite. Sothatnow our businessistohearyour Judgment,
and see which of the two you fide with.
Soc. H o w now, Lyjimacbus^ are you for following
thegreatestNumber then?
Lyf. What can one do better ? ,
Soc. And you too, Melesias ? Were you to chuse
Exercises to be learn'd by your Son, would you rather
? ? Laches : Or, os Valour. 19^
rather be directed by the greatest Number, than by- one Man that has been well educated himself; and had excellent Masters ?
Mel. Formy part,Socrates^Iwouldbedirected
by thelatter.
Soc. You'd be more influenced by his Opinion,
than by that of us all four ?
Mel. PerhapsImight.
Soc. Becauseawise Judgmentoughttobeform'd'T>s**>>>-
from Knowledge, and not from the Multitude ? ltd&,***?
^/. Without doubt. ? J X
Soc. T h e first thing then, that w e are to enquire that ought into, is whether any of us is expert in the Thing *> <<*<<*? -
weconsultabout,ornot. Ifanyonebe,wemustmm**?
refer our selves to him, and leave the others -, if
not,wemustfeeforsomesuchManelsewhere. For
doyou,Melefiasand Lyjimachus^imaginethatthis
is a Business of small Consequence, and that you
run but an ordinary Risque ? Do not you de
ceive your selves, the Matter in hand relates to the
greatestGoodthatis. AlltheHappinessofFami-Ofwhat liesdependsupon theEducationofChildren:AndcVf'Va<^
HousesriseorsinkaccordingastheirChildrenare! ? ? rFi Vicious or Vertuous. ? drm ,-,.
Mel. You fay well.
Soc. So that one cannot be too Cautious and Prudent upon thisScore.
Mel. Most certainly.
Soc. How shouldwedothentotrywhichofus Four isnnost expert and best skill'd in Exercises ? Should not we presently pitch upon him who learn'd 'em best and follow'd 'em most, and had the best Masters ?
Mel. So Ithink.
Soc. And beforethat, should notwe endeavour to know the Thing it self that we would have our Children learn?
Mel. Howdoyousay>
Sc. Perhaps you'll understand me better inthis
manner: Merhinks, we did not at first agree upon Nn the
? ? jp4
Laches : Of, of Valour)
thenatureoftheThingwe areconsultingabout,in order,toknow whichofusismostdexterousatit, and was taught by the most masterly Hand.
Nic. How do you mean,Socrates;are notwe considering of Fencing, in order to know whether our Children ought to learn it, or not ?
Soc. Idonotfayotherwise. Butwhen aMan advises about a Remedy for the Eyes,and wants to know whether he should apply it or not ; do you think this Consultation relates more to the Remedy
than to the Eyes,to which 'tisto be applied ?
Nic. It relates most to the Eyes. Soc. AndwhenaManconsultswhatBitheshould
put upon his Horse, does not the Question relate more to the Horse than to the Bit ?
JV/V. Yes sure.
Soc. Inoneword,asoftenasaMan advisesa- bout a Thing with reference to another, (a) the direct Object of the Consultation is the Thing re- fer'dto,andnottothatwhichisonlymindedfor the fake of the other.
Nic. Itisnecessarily so.
Soc. Then we ought to examine well whether the M a n w e advise with is expert and skill'd in the Thingaboutwhichwe advise.
Nic. That's certain.
Soc. Atpresentwe areconsulting whatourChil
drenshouldlearn:So thatthe Questionturnsup
on the Children, and the Knowledge of their Souls isthe Business. ?
Nic. 'Tis just so.
Soc. And byConsequence,the Questionis,Whe
ther there is any of us experienc'd in the Conduct ofaSoul-,whoknowshowtomanageit,andhas been taught that Art by the best Masters >
(a) For Instance, when we think of purging a sick Per son,we considerofthePatientbeforewethinkoftheMe d i c i n e : A n d h a v i n g first d i s c o v e r s t h e S t a t e o f t h e P a t i e n t , then we think of a proper Medicine.
? -Lac.
? ? Laches: Or, ofValour: J9j
Lac. How, Socrates, did you never know any Peo ple that have become greater Proficients in some Sciences and Arts without any Master, than others with all the Masters that could be had ?
Soc. Yes, Laches-, I have known some : But tho' allthatsortofMen shouldbeproudoftellingyou that they are very Skilful, you would never intrust the least Affair to them, unless you saw 'em make, I do not fay one, but several elaborate and well done Performances.
Nic. Right, Socrates.
Soc. Since Lyfimachus and Melejias have call'd us to give our Advice of the Education of their Chil dren ; out of an ardent desire to form and dispose
their Minds to Vertue:We areoblig'd,O Nicks andLaches, ifwepretendtobeendow'dwiththe Capacity that's necessary for it,totell'em what Masters we have had, who were very good Men, and after having instructed several Scholars, form'd anddisposedourMindstoHonesty. Andifany,of us pretends to have had no Master, he must pro duce his Performances, and instance in some either- among the Athenians, or among Foreigners, whe ther Free-men or Slaves, who have been benefited by hisPrecepts, according to the Testimony ofall the World. If we can neither name our Masters norshewour Works,wemustsendourFriendsto fee for Advice elsewhere, and not expose our selves to just Reproach upon a Point of that importance, by corrupting their Children. For my part, Lyfi machusand Melejias,IownIneverhadaMatter for that Science, notwithstanding that from my youth I was passionately in love with it : But I had. not Money enough to reach the dear Fees of thole Sophisters who had boasted that they were the on ly Men that could benefit me :And by my own Ingenuity I have riot yet been able to find out thi Art. If Nicias and La:hes have compass'd it by
themselves, or have learn'd it of Masters, I shall think itno wonder:ForbeingricherthanI,they N n 2 could
? ? 196
Laches : Or, of Valour.
could afFord to have Masters * and being older than I,they may have learn'd itby themselves. And upon that Account I account 'em admirably well qua lified for instructing a young Gentleman : And be
sides,iftheyhadnotbeenvery wellassur'doftheir own Capacity, they would never have been so po sitive in determining what Exercises are useful and whatareuselesstotheYouth. So thatIsubmitto theminallThings. Whatamazesme,is,thatthey areoftwodifferentOpinions. However,sinceLa thesintreatedyoutodetainmeandobligeme to
speak ; pray suffer m e to intreat you in m y turn, not to suffer Laches and Nicias to be gone, but to p r e s s ' e m t o m a k e a n s w e r -, b y t e l l i n g t h e m t h a t S a - cratesknows nothing oftheseMatters,and isunca- pable to determine which of them has the better of it : For he had no Masters, and could not find out theArtby himself WhereforeNiciasandLaches, say you, pray tellus if ever you saw any excellent Man for the Education of Youth ? Did you learn thisArtfromanyBody,ordidyoufinditofyour selves? If you learn'd it, pray tell us who was your Master, and who they are that follow the fame Profeflion;totheendthatifthePublick Af fairs do not afford you so much leisure, we may go to them, and by Presents and Caresses oblige them to take Care of our Children aqd yours, and to pre vent their reflecting dishonour upon their Ancestors by their Vices. Ifyou found out this Art by your own Ingenuity, pray cite those you have instructed, who being Vicious before their coming to you, be came Vertuous under your Care. If you are but
yet beginning to teach, take Care that you do not make your firstEssay upon little base Souls, but up on your own Children and those of your best Friends. Tell us then what you can do, and what not. ThisLyjimacbus,iswhatIwouldhaveyouto askofthem:Do notletthemgowithoutgiving you an Answer.
Lys.
? ? Laches : Or, of Valour. 197
Lys. In m y mind Socrates speaks admirably well. Wherefore, my Friends, consider ofanswering all these Questions :,For you may assure your selves that in so doing you'll oblige me and Me/ejias ve
rymuch. Itoldyoubeforethatwecall'dforyour Advice, as fancying, that since you have Children as well as we, that will quickly be of that Age which requires a wife Education, you might have thought maturelyuponitbeforenow. So,ifyouarenot
b u s i e , p r a y d i s c o u r s e t h e M a t t e r w i t h S o c r a t e s -, f o r , as he said very well, this is the most important Af fair of our Life.
Nic. It feems,LyJimacbus, you have no knowledge of Socrates, otherwise than by his Father, and that you never frequented his Company : You never law
him, sure, but in his Infancy in the Temples or Pub- lick Assemblies, or when his Father brought him to your House : For since he came to be a Man, it seems you never had any Correspondence with
him.
Lys. What ground do you go upon for that,
Niciaf ?
Nic. I go upon this : That I perceive you are ig- ^ ciiaratter
norant that Socrates looks upon every Body as his "/Socra-
N e i g h b o u r ; a n d t h a t w h o e v e r c o n v e r s e s w i t h h i m , ^ ^ f w <ol heisasmuchoblig'dtohimasifhewerehisRela-Mm. tion : Tho1 at fillt he speaks only of indifferent
Things, yet at last he is oblig'd by the Thread of his Discourse to give him an Account of the Conduct ofhisLife,andtotellhim howhelives,andhas
liv'd. And when Socrates has once brought him that length, he does not part from him tillhe have sounded him to the bottom, and got an account of allhisgoodandevilActions. Iknow itbyExpe rience. So Iseethere'sanecessityofpassingthat
way,andIfindthatImy selfcannotgetoff. How ever,I am very glad ofit} and do always take a singularPleasure in discoursing with him. For 'tis no great harm for a Man to be advertis'd of his Faults:And afterthat,hecannot butbecome more
Nn3 wise
? ? 198 Laches: Or, of Valour.
wife and prudent, ifhe minds and loves the Admoi nition? ,andaccording to Solon's Maxim, iswilling
to be instructed, whatever his Age be, and is not oldAgt foolishlypeffaadedthatoldAgebringsWisdoma- doesnot jongwithit. Sothatitshallneitherseemnew, hrinsJ^ nor disagreeable to me, if Socrates puts m e to a
rtthit"* Trial:And indeedIwasawarefromthebeginning, that since he was here, 'twould not be our Chil dren,butourselvesthatwouldbeexamin'd. For my partIsubmit tohimwithallmy Heart. Itre mains that Laches should tell his Sentiments.
Lac. MySentimentsarevarious. SometimesI'm inone Humour and sometimes inanother. Some timesIlovenothingsomuch asdiscoursing,and at
7Y*only othertimesIcannotabideit. WhenImeetwitha
yaiuMe Man"thatspeakswellofVertueor,anyScience,and discourses, findhim aMan ofVeracity and worthy ofhisProfes sion,Iam charmedwithhim,andtakeanunexpreffible
Pleasure in rinding his Words and Actions all of a piece:SuchaManistometheonlyexcellentMu sician that makes a perfect Harmony, not with the
^fhfont" ^arP or Musical Instruments, but with the Sum tq- L<</L>>*J' talcs his Life. For all his Actions suit with his
Musician. Words, not according to the (a) Lydias Phrygian, or Ionian Tones, but according to the Dorian -y which is the only one that deserves the name of GrecianHarmony. WhensuchaMan speaks,Iam pverjoy'd and charm'd; and drink in his Words so
greedily, that every Body perceives m e to be fond of hisDiscourses. ButaMan thatactsthequite,contra
st,? TheGrecianshadfourMeasures orToneswhich they call'dHarmonies,andmultipliedtheseby joyningtheother several ways. The tydian was doleful and proper for Lamenta tions,the"Phrygianwas vehement andfitto raiseupthe Passi ons, the Ionian effeminate and soft, the DorUk was Masculine, andsoprefer'dbySocratesto,alltherest; Accordingly\Ari-
ffotlein the last Chapter of his Toliticks, fays, That all the W o r l d is a g r e e d , t h a t t h e D o r i c k w a s m o s t m a n l y a n d s m o o t h , and a fortofmedium between the others ;upon which Ac countitwasmoreproperandsuitableforChildren. "Plata absolutely condemns the Lydian and Ionian in the Third Book
6f his l\ep.
ry,
? ? Laches : Or, of Valours 199
ry, mortifies m e most cruelly-, and the more he seems
to speak well, the more aversion I have to his*Jar-Jl'eJ"e^
gon. IamnotyetacquainredwithSocratesbyhis^tback'd Words, but by hisActions Iam ;and thinkhimhysuitable worthy tospeakuponanySubject,anddiscoursewithMHons,de- all freedom. If he issuch a M a n as you represent h\m/ervei "? -
I a m willing to enter into a Conference with him. *tj? J?
Ishall beveryglad ifhe'll takethePainstoexa-andhatred.
mineme, andshallneverbeunwillingtolearn:For
Iam ofSoloesMind, thatwe oughttobelearning
inouroldAge. Iwouldonlyaddawordtohis^^
Maxim,whichIwishhehadadded,viz,. Thatwqpua}*rMe
shouldlearnofgood Men. Inearnest,youmustLearning<< grant me this, That a Teacher ought to be a good/ro">>? <"><*
Man,thatImaynotlearnofhimwithreluctancy,^"- andthatmy disrelishmaynotpassforStupidityand. Indocility. ForIdonotmatteritatall,ifmyMa
ster be younger than I, or has not yet gain'd a Repu tation,andthelike. So,Socrates$$you'llexamineHe,heais andinstructme,you shallfindmeverydocileandthu>>p"n submissive. I have always had a good Opinion ofSocrates'* you, since that day that you and Iescap'd a consi-^fTM** derable Danger, and you gave such Proof of your Z,ZlnoL- Vertue, as became a good Man. Tell me then,^er^'L. whatyouplease:And letnotmyAgebeanyhin
drance.