protagoras   

"good," but with "hard." Not, that the hard thing is to be truly good,

as though there were some truly good men, and there were others who

were good but not truly good (this would be a very simple observation,

and quite unworthy of Simonides); but you must suppose him to make a

trajection of the word "truly," construing the saying of Pittacus thus

(and let us imagine Pittacus to be speaking and Simonides answering

him): "O my friends," says Pittacus, "hard is it to be good," and

Simonides answers, "In that, Pittacus, you are mistaken; the

difficulty is not to be good, but on the one hand, to become good,

four-square in hands and feet and mind, without a flaw-that is hard

truly." This way of reading the passage accounts for the insertion

of (men) "on the one hand," and for the position at the end of the

clause of the word "truly," and all that follows shows this to be

the meaning. A great deal might be said in praise of the details of

the poem, which is a charming piece of workmanship, and very finished,

but such minutiae would be tedious. I should like, however, to point

out the general intention of the poem, which is certainly designed

in every part to be a refutation of the saying of Pittacus. For he

speaks in what follows a little further on as if he meant to argue

that although there is a difficulty in becoming good, yet this is

possible for a time, and only for a time. But having become good, to

remain in a good state and be good, as you, Pittacus, affirm, is not

possible, and is not granted to man; God only has this blessing;

"but man cannot help being bad when the force of circumstances

overpowers him." Now whom does the force of circumstance overpower

in the command of a vessel?-not the private individual, for he is

always overpowered; and as one who is already prostrate cannot be

overthrown, and only he who is standing upright but not he who is

prostrate can be laid prostrate, so the force of circumstances can

only overpower him who, at some time or other, has resources, and

not him who is at all times helpless. The descent of a great storm may

make the pilot helpless, or the severity of the season the