415c
ὑπερέβημεν, δέον αὐτὸ μετὰ τὴν ἀνδρείαν σκέψασθαι: δοκοῦμεν δέ μοι καὶ ἄλλα πολλὰ ὑπερβεβηκέναι. ἡ δ' οὖν δειλία τῆς ψυχῆς σημαίνει δεσμὸν εἶναι ἰσχυρόν: τὸ γὰρ “λίαν” ἰσχύς τίς ἐστιν. δεσμὸς οὖν ὁ λίαν καὶ ὁ μέγιστος τῆς ψυχῆς ἡ δειλία ἂν εἴη: ὥσπερ γε καὶ ἡ ἀπορία κακόν, καὶ πᾶν, ὡς ἔοικεν, ὅτι ἂν ἐμποδὼν ᾖ τῷ ἰέναι καὶ πορεύεσθαι. τοῦτ' οὖν φαίνεται τὸ κακῶς ἰέναι δηλοῦν, τὸ ἰσχομένως τε καὶ ἐμποδιζομένως πορεύεσθαι, ὃ δὴ ψυχὴ ὅταν ἔχῃ, κακίᾳ μεστὴ γίγνεται. εἰ δ' ἐπὶ τοιούτοις ἡ “κακία” ἐστὶν τοὔνομα, τοὐναντίον τούτου ἡ “ἀρετὴ” ἂν εἴη, σημαῖνον πρῶτον
415c
when we ought to have examined it after
(courage); and I fancy we passed over a good many other words. Now the meaning of
is “a strong bond of the soul”; for
(excessively) is, in a way, expressive of strength; so
would be the excessive or greatest bond (
) of the soul; and so, too,
(perplexity) is an evil, as is everything, apparently, which hinders motion and progress (
). This, then, seems to be the meaning of evil motion (
), that advance is halting and impeded; and the soul that is infected by it becomes filled with wickedness (
). If these are the reasons for the name of wickedness, virtue (
) would be the opposite of this; it would signify first ease of motion,