199e
μή, καὶ τἀγαθὰ πορίζεσθαι, ἐπισταμένῳ ὀρθῶς προσομιλεῖν;
Νικίας:
λέγειν τὶ ὦ Σώκρατές μοι δοκεῖς.
Σωκράτης:
οὐκ ἄρα, ὦ Νικία, μόριον ἀρετῆς ἂν εἴη τὸ νῦν σοι λεγόμενον, ἀλλὰ σύμπασα ἀρετή.
Νικίας:
ἔοικεν.
Σωκράτης:
καὶ μὴν ἔφαμέν γε τὴν ἀνδρείαν μόριον εἶναι ἓν τῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς.
Νικίας:
ἔφαμεν γάρ.
Σωκράτης:
τὸ δέ γε νῦν λεγόμενον οὐ φαίνεται.
Νικίας:
οὐκ ἔοικεν.
Σωκράτης:
οὐκ ἄρα ηὑρήκαμεν, ὦ Νικία, ἀνδρεία ὅτι ἔστιν.
Νικίας:
οὐ φαινόμεθα.
Λάχης:
καὶ μὴν ἔγωγε, ὦ φίλε Νικία, ᾤμην σε εὑρήσειν,
199e
as regards what is to be dreaded and what is not, and of procuring good things, owing to his knowledge of the right behaviour towards them?
Nicias:
I think, Socrates, there is something in what you say.
Socrates:
Hence what you now describe, Nicias, will be not a part but the whole of virtue.
Nicias:
Apparently.
Socrates:
But, you know, we said that courage is one of the parts of virtue.
Nicias:
Yes, we did.
Socrates:
And what we now describe is seen to be different.
Nicias:
So it seems.
Socrates:
Thus we have failed to discover, Nicias, what courage really is.
Nicias:
Evidently.
Laches:
And I, in fact, supposed, my dear Nicias, that you were going to discover it,