laches,-or-courage   

of the lesson: and when he has learned this, and his ambition is once
fired, he will go on to learn the complete art of the general. There
is no difficulty in seeing that the knowledge and practice of other
military arts will be honourable and valuable to a man; and this
lesson may be the beginning of them. Let me add a further advantage,
which is by no means a slight one,-that this science will make any man
a great deal more valiant and self-possessed in the field. And I will
not disdain to mention, what by some may he thought to be a small
matter;-he will make a better appearance at the right time; that is to
say, at the time when his appearance will strike terror into his
enemies. My opinion then, Lysimachus, is, as I say, that the youths
should be instructed in this art, and for the reasons which I have
given. But Laches may take a different view; and I shall be very glad
to hear what he has to say.
La. I should not like to maintain, Nicias, that any kind of knowledge
is not to be learned; for all knowledge appears to be a good: and if,
as Nicias and as the teachers of the art affirm, this use of arms is
really a species of knowledge, then it ought to be learned; but if
not, and if those who profess to teach it are deceivers only; or if it
be knowledge, but not of a valuable sort, then what is the use of
learning it? I say this, because I think that if it had been really
valuable, the Lacedaemonians, whose whole life is passed in finding
out and practising the arts which give them an advantage over other
nations in war, would have discovered this one. And even if they had
not, still these professors of the art would certainly not have failed
to discover that of all the Hellenes the Lacedaemonians have the
greatest interest in such matters, and that a master of the art who
was honoured among them would be sure to make his fortune among other
nations, just as a tragic poet would who is honoured among ourselves;
which is the reason why he who fancies that he can write a tragedy
does not go about itinerating in the neighbouring states, but rushes
straight, and exhibits at Athens; and this is natural. Whereas I
perceive that these fighters in armour regard Lacedaemon as a sacred
inviolable territory, which they do not touch with the point of their
foot; but they make a circuit of the neighbouring states, and would
rather exhibit to any others than to the Spartans; and particularly to
those who would themselves acknowledge that they are by no means
first-rate in the arts of war. Further, Lysimachus, I have encountered
a good many of these gentlemen in actual service, and have taken their
measure, which I can give you at once; for none of these masters of
fence have ever been distinguished in war,-there has been a sort of
fatality about them; while in all other arts the men of note have been
always those who have practised the art, they appear to be a most
unfortunate exception. For example, this very Stesilaus, whom you and
I have just witnessed exhibiting in all that crowd and making such
great professions of his powers, I have seen at another time making,
in sober truth, an involuntary exhibition of himself, which was a far
better spectacle. He was a marine on board a ship which struck a
transport vessel, and was armed with a weapon, half spear half scythe;
the singularity of this weapon was worthy of the singularity of the
man. To make a long story short, I will only tell you what happened to
this notable invention of the scythe-spear. He was fighting, and the
scythe was caught in the rigging of the other ship, and stuck fast;
and he tugged, but was unable to get his weapon free. The two ships
were passing one another. He first ran along his own ship holding on
to the spear; but as the other ship passed by and drew him after as he
was holding on, he let the spear slip through his hand until he
retained only the end of the handle. The people in the transport
clapped their hands, and laughed at his ridiculous figure; and when
some one threw a stone, which fell on the deck at his feet, and he
quitted of the scythe-spear, the crew of his own trireme also burst
out laughing; they could not refrain when they beheld the weapon
waving in the air, suspended from the transport. Now I do not deny
that there may be something in such an art, as Nicias asserts, but I