[374a]
Socrates
And how is it in wrestling? Which is the better wrestler, he who is thrown voluntarily, or involuntarily?Hippias
He who is thrown voluntarily, as it seems.Socrates
But is it worse and more disgraceful in a wrestling match to be thrown or to throw one's opponent?Hippias
To be thrown.Socrates
In wrestling also, then, he who performs bad and disgraceful acts voluntarily is a better wrestler than he who performs them involuntarily.Hippias
So it seems.Socrates
And how is it in every other bodily exercise? Is not he who is the better man in respect to his body able to perform both kinds of acts, the strong and the weak, the disgraceful and the fine, [374b] so that whenever he performs bad acts of a bodily kind, he who is the better man in respect to his body does them voluntarily, but he who is worse does them involuntarily?Hippias
That seems to be the case in matters of strength also.Socrates
And how about grace, Hippias? Does not the better body take ugly and bad postures voluntarily, and the worse body involuntarily? Or what is your opinion?Hippias
That is my opinion.Socrates
Then ungracefulness when voluntary is associated with excellence of the body, [374c] but when involuntary with faultiness.Hippias
Apparently.Socrates
And what do you say about the voice? Which do you say is the better? That which sings out of tune voluntarily, or involuntarily?Hippias
That which does it voluntarily.Socrates
And that which does it involuntarily is the worse?Hippias
Yes.Socrates
Would you choose to possess good or bad things?Hippias
Good ones.Socrates
Would you, then, choose to possess feet that limp voluntarily, or involuntarily?Hippias
Voluntarily. [374d] Socrates
But is not a limp faultiness and ungracefulness of the feet?Hippias
Yes.Socrates
Well, is not dimness of sight faultiness of the eyes?Hippias
Yes.Socrates
Which eyes, then, would you choose to possess and live with? Those with which one would see dimly and incorrectly voluntarily, or involuntarily?Hippias
Those with which one would do so voluntarily.Socrates
Those parts, then, of yourself which voluntarily act badly you consider better than those which do so involuntarily?Hippias
Yes; that is, in matters of that sort.Socrates
Well, then, one statement embraces all alike, such as ears and nose and mouth and all the senses [374e] —that those which act badly involuntarily are undesirable because they are bad, and those which do so voluntarily are desirable because they are good.Hippias
I think so.Socrates
Well now, which instruments are better to have to do with, those with which a man does bad work voluntarily, or involuntarily? For instance, is a rudder better with which a man will involuntarily steer badly, or one with which he will do so voluntarily?Hippias
One with which he will do so voluntarily.Socrates
And is not the same true of a bow and a lyre and flutes and all the rest?Hippias
Quite true.
And how is it in wrestling? Which is the better wrestler, he who is thrown voluntarily, or involuntarily?Hippias
He who is thrown voluntarily, as it seems.Socrates
But is it worse and more disgraceful in a wrestling match to be thrown or to throw one's opponent?Hippias
To be thrown.Socrates
In wrestling also, then, he who performs bad and disgraceful acts voluntarily is a better wrestler than he who performs them involuntarily.Hippias
So it seems.Socrates
And how is it in every other bodily exercise? Is not he who is the better man in respect to his body able to perform both kinds of acts, the strong and the weak, the disgraceful and the fine, [374b] so that whenever he performs bad acts of a bodily kind, he who is the better man in respect to his body does them voluntarily, but he who is worse does them involuntarily?Hippias
That seems to be the case in matters of strength also.Socrates
And how about grace, Hippias? Does not the better body take ugly and bad postures voluntarily, and the worse body involuntarily? Or what is your opinion?Hippias
That is my opinion.Socrates
Then ungracefulness when voluntary is associated with excellence of the body, [374c] but when involuntary with faultiness.Hippias
Apparently.Socrates
And what do you say about the voice? Which do you say is the better? That which sings out of tune voluntarily, or involuntarily?Hippias
That which does it voluntarily.Socrates
And that which does it involuntarily is the worse?Hippias
Yes.Socrates
Would you choose to possess good or bad things?Hippias
Good ones.Socrates
Would you, then, choose to possess feet that limp voluntarily, or involuntarily?Hippias
Voluntarily. [374d] Socrates
But is not a limp faultiness and ungracefulness of the feet?Hippias
Yes.Socrates
Well, is not dimness of sight faultiness of the eyes?Hippias
Yes.Socrates
Which eyes, then, would you choose to possess and live with? Those with which one would see dimly and incorrectly voluntarily, or involuntarily?Hippias
Those with which one would do so voluntarily.Socrates
Those parts, then, of yourself which voluntarily act badly you consider better than those which do so involuntarily?Hippias
Yes; that is, in matters of that sort.Socrates
Well, then, one statement embraces all alike, such as ears and nose and mouth and all the senses [374e] —that those which act badly involuntarily are undesirable because they are bad, and those which do so voluntarily are desirable because they are good.Hippias
I think so.Socrates
Well now, which instruments are better to have to do with, those with which a man does bad work voluntarily, or involuntarily? For instance, is a rudder better with which a man will involuntarily steer badly, or one with which he will do so voluntarily?Hippias
One with which he will do so voluntarily.Socrates
And is not the same true of a bow and a lyre and flutes and all the rest?Hippias
Quite true.
