"Mary Renault - Greece 4 - The Last Of The Wine" - читать интересную книгу автора (Renault Mary)

taken in by Alkibiades themselves and want a scapegoat. But a man like Sokrates, who goes about all
day tripping people up and setting them right, can't afford to make a fool of himself. Do you know that
when Alkibiades was a youth he once used his teeth in a wrestling-bout, when he was losing? If that had
happened in Sparta, they would have beaten not only him, but his lover as well, for not teaching him to be
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a man.

I had not spirit enough even to rise to the Spartans. Look into the scent-shop, he said, and you will see
Sokrates' young men lolling about by the hour, word-splitting and discussing their souls; like Agathon,
who, if you mistook him for a girl, I should think would be delighted. — He is a crowned tragedian, I
said. Why laugh at a man who will be immortal, when no one remembers you or me? Have you seen
Sokrates in the scent-shop? I never have. — It will be some time, I should say, before we see him
anywhere. Ten knucklebones to one I'll lay you, that he doesn't show himself in the colonnade for a week
at least. Do you take me? — Yes. He noticed then that I had stopped scraping, and looked round. Pax,
he said smiling, or we shall be having to clean-off all over again.

Someone had said that Autolykos the athlete was wrestling in Taureas' palaestra, so we asked our tutors
if we could watch. They agreed to pass through but not to stop. We found that Autolykos had finished
his bout and was taking a rest; the place was full of people admiring his looks and waiting for him to
wrestle again. A statuary, or a painter, was sitting and making a sketch of him. He was used to all this
and took no notice of it. We were edging our way through the press, when from the other end came a
hush, and then the muttering of an angry crowd. My hands felt cold. I knew who had come in.

He was alone. It did not occur to me that he had not sought for company; I thought they had all deserted
him. Kriton, who had been watching the wrestling, came over at once to walk with him; and to
everyone's surprise, Autolykos himself saluted him, but being naked and covered with dust did not leave
the wrestling-ground. Everyone else drew away as he passed, or turned their backs; as he drew nearer, I
heard someone laugh.

As for me, I was neither brave enough to go forward, nor coward enough to go back. When others
withdrawing left me in sight of him, I could scarcely bring myself to look. The best I hoped for was to see
him staring them all out, as they say he did the enemy at Delion in the retreat. But as he passed me he
was saying as if conversing at home, But his contention is that the method can be taught, not the power of
apprehending it. If it were a question of mathematics . . .

I did not hear any more. As Midas was calling me, I turned to go: then I saw that Xenophon was
standing just behind. At first he did not see me, for he was following Sokrates with his eyes. I waited for
him to pay up his bet, for he was always a good loser. But still looking past me, he said, On the day
when the gods send me trouble and danger, may they send me also that man's courage.

On the way home, we climbed to the High City and looked out at the harbour. A ship was leaving; the
day being clear, we saw a blue device upon the sail. That will be theSalaminia, we said, with her blue
owl. She stood away quickly, making haste to Sicily.