§218ΘΕΑΙ. δρᾶ τοίνυν, ὦ ξένε, οὕτω καὶ καθάπερ εἶπε Σωκράτης πᾶσιν κεχαρισμένος ἔσῃ.
THEAI. Do so then, stranger, and in this way you will please everyone, just as Socrates said.
ΞΕ. κινδυνεύει πρὸς μὲν ταῦτα οὐδὲν ἔτι λεκτέον εἶναι, Θεαίτητε· πρὸς δὲ σὲ ἤδη τὸ μετὰ τοῦτο, ὡς ἔοικε, γίγνοιτο ἂν ὁ λόγος.
STR. It seems that there is no longer any need to say anything about these things, Theaetetus; but now, as it appears, the discussion must be addressed to you.
ἂν δʼ ἄρα τι τῷ μήκει πονῶν ἄχθῃ, μὴ ἐμὲ αἰτιᾶσθαι τούτων, ἀλλὰ τούσδε τοὺς σοὺς ἑταίρους.
If, then, you get tired and vexed at the length, do not blame me for it, but these companions of yours.
ΘΕΑΙ. ἀλλʼ οἶμαι μὲν δὴ νῦν οὕτως οὐκ ἀπερεῖν· ἂν δʼ ἄρα τι τοιοῦτον γίγνηται, καὶ τόνδε παραληψόμεθα Σωκράτη, τὸν Σωκράτους μὲν ὁμώνυμον, ἐμὸν δὲ ἡλικιώτην καὶ συγγυμναστήν, ᾧ συνδιαπονεῖν μετʼ ἐμοῦ τὰ πολλὰ οὐκ ἄηθες.
THEAI. But I think indeed that I shall not give up in this way now; and if any such thing should happen, we shall also call in this Socrates here, the namesake of Socrates, who is my age and companion in the gymnasium, with whom it is not unusual for me to share the labor of most discussions.
ΞΕ. εὖ λέγεις, καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἰδίᾳ βουλεύσῃ προϊόντος τοῦ λόγου· κοινῇ δὲ μετʼ ἐμοῦ σοι συσκεπτέον ἀρχομένῳ πρῶτον, ὡς ἐμοὶ φαίνεται, νῦν ἀπὸ τοῦ σοφιστοῦ, ζητοῦντι καὶ ἐμφανίζοντι λόγῳ τί ποτʼ ἔστι.
STR. Well said, and you will consult about this privately as the discussion proceeds; but jointly with me, you must first investigate, as it seems to me, beginning now with the sophist, searching out and revealing by definition what he actually is.
νῦν γὰρ δὴ σύ τε κἀγὼ τούτου πέρι τοὔνομα μόνον ἔχομεν κοινῇ, τὸ δὲ ἔργον ἐφʼ ᾧ καλοῦμεν ἑκάτερος τάχʼ ἂν ἰδίᾳ παρʼ ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς ἔχοιμεν· δεῖ δὲ ἀεὶ παντὸς πέρι τὸ πρᾶγμα αὐτὸ μᾶλλον διὰ λόγων ἢ τοὔνομα μόνον συνωμολογῆσθαι χωρὶς λόγου.
For at present, you and I have only the name in common about him, but the activity for which we each call him might perhaps be held privately in our own minds; however, one must always agree upon the thing itself through discussion rather than upon the name alone without discussion.
τὸ δὲ φῦλον ὃ νῦν ἐπινοοῦμεν ζητεῖν οὐ πάντων ῥᾷστον συλλαβεῖν τί ποτʼ ἔστιν, ὁ σοφιστής·
Now, the class we are currently thinking of searching out, the sophist, is not the easiest of all to grasp what he actually is.
ὅσα δʼ αὖ τῶν μεγάλων δεῖ διαπονεῖσθαι καλῶς, περὶ τῶν τοιούτων δέδοκται πᾶσιν καὶ πάλαι τὸ πρότερον ἐν σμικροῖς καὶ ῥᾴοσιν αὐτὰ δεῖν μελετᾶν, πρὶν ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς μεγίστοις.
And indeed, whatever great things must be successfully labored through, it is resolved by everyone and of old that one must first practice them in small and easier matters before doing so in the greatest things themselves.
νῦν οὖν, ὦ Θεαίτητε, ἔγωγε καὶ νῷν οὕτω συμβουλεύω, χαλεπὸν καὶ δυσθήρευτον ἡγησαμένοις εἶναι τὸ τοῦ σοφιστοῦ γένος πρότερον ἐν ἄλλῳ ῥᾴονι τὴν μέθοδον αὐτοῦ προμελετᾶν, εἰ μὴ σύ ποθεν εὐπετεστέραν ἔχεις εἰπεῖν ἄλλην ὁδόν.
Now therefore, Theaetetus, since we think that the class of the sophist is difficult and hard to hunt down, I for my part advise the two of us to practice the method first on some other easier subject, unless you can suggest some other more convenient path from somewhere.
ΘΕΑΙ. ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἔχω.
THEAI. But I cannot.
ΞΕ. βούλει δῆτα περί τινος τῶν φαύλων μετιόντες πειραθῶμεν παράδειγμα αὐτὸ θέσθαι τοῦ μείζονος;
STR. Do you wish then that we should pursue some trifling thing and try to make it a pattern for the larger?
ΘΕΑΙ. ναί.
THEAI. Yes.
ΞΕ. τί δῆτα προταξαίμεθʼ ἂν εὔγνωστον μὲν καὶ σμικρόν, λόγον δὲ μηδενὸς ἐλάττονα ἔχον τῶν μειζόνων;
STR. What then might we propose that is easily known and small, yet has a definition no less important than those of the larger things?
οἷον ἀσπαλιευτής· ἆρʼ οὐ πᾶσί τε γνώριμον καὶ σπουδῆς οὐ πάνυ τι πολλῆς τινος ἐπάξιον;
For example, the angler; is he not familiar to everyone and not worthy of any very great study?
§219ΘΕΑΙ. οὕτως.
THEAI. Just so.
ΞΕ. μέθοδον μὴν αὐτὸν ἐλπίζω καὶ λόγον οὐκ ἀνεπιτήδειον ἡμῖν ἔχειν πρὸς ὃ βουλόμεθα.
STR. Indeed, I expect that he has a method and a definition not unsuited to our purpose.
ΘΕΑΙ. καλῶς ἂν ἔχοι.
THEAI. That would be fine.
ΞΕ. φέρε δή, τῇδε ἀρχώμεθα αὐτοῦ.
STR.
καί μοι λέγε·
Come then, let us begin with him in this way.
πότερον ὡς τεχνίτην αὐτὸν ἤ τινα ἄτεχνον, ἄλλην δὲ δύναμιν ἔχοντα θήσομεν;
And tell me: shall we set him down as a craftsman, or as some unskilled person who has another kind of capacity?
ΘΕΑΙ. ἥκιστά γε ἄτεχνον.
THEAI. By no means as unskilled.
ΞΕ. ἀλλὰ μὴν τῶν γε τεχνῶν πασῶν σχεδὸν εἴδη δύο.
STR. But indeed, of all arts, there are roughly two kinds.
ΘΕΑΙ. πῶς;
THEAI. How?
ΞΕ. γεωργία μὲν καὶ ὅση περὶ τὸ θνητὸν πᾶν σῶμα θεραπεία, τό τε αὖ περὶ τὸ σύνθετον καὶ πλαστόν, ὃ δὴ σκεῦος ὠνομάκαμεν, ἥ τε μιμητική, σύμπαντα ταῦτα δικαιότατʼ ἂν ἑνὶ προσαγορεύοιτʼ ἂν ὀνόματι.
STR. Agriculture, and all care concerning any mortal body, and also that concerning composite and fabricated things, which indeed we have named "vessels," and also the art of imitation; all these would most justly be addressed by a single name.
ΘΕΑΙ. πῶς καὶ τίνι;
THEAI. How and by what name?
ΞΕ. πᾶν ὅπερ ἂν μὴ πρότερόν τις ὂν ὕστερον εἰς οὐσίαν ἄγῃ, τὸν μὲν ἄγοντα ποιεῖν, τὸ δὲ ἀγόμενον ποιεῖσθαί πού φαμεν.
STR. Everything which someone brings into existence later, which did not exist before, we say that the one who brings it in "makes" it, and the thing brought in "is made." THEAI.
ΘΕΑΙ. ὀρθῶς.
Correct.
ΞΕ. τὰ δέ γε νυνδὴ ἃ διήλθομεν ἅπαντα εἶχεν εἰς τοῦτο τὴν αὑτῶν δύναμιν.
STR. And all the things we have just gone through had their capacity directed to this.
ΘΕΑΙ. εἶχε γὰρ οὖν.
THEAI. Yes, they indeed did.
ΞΕ. ποιητικὴν τοίνυν αὐτὰ συγκεφαλαιωσάμενοι προσείπωμεν.
STR. Let us then summarize and call them the productive art.
ΘΕΑΙ. ἔστω.
THEAI. So be it.
ΞΕ. τὸ δὴ μαθηματικὸν αὖ μετὰ τοῦτο εἶδος ὅλον καὶ τὸ τῆς γνωρίσεως τό τε χρηματιστικὸν καὶ ἀγωνιστικὸν καὶ θηρευτικόν, ἐπειδὴ δημιουργεῖ μὲν οὐδὲν τούτων, τὰ δὲ ὄντα καὶ γεγονότα τὰ μὲν χειροῦται λόγοις καὶ πράξεσι, τὰ δὲ τοῖς χειρουμένοις οὐκ ἐπιτρέπει, μάλιστʼ ἄν που διὰ ταῦτα συνάπαντα τὰ μέρη τέχνη τις κτητικὴ λεχθεῖσα ἂν διαπρέψειεν.
STR. On the other hand, the whole class of learning, of recognition, of acquisition, of combat, and of hunting; since none of these creates anything, but some subdue by words and deeds things that exist or have come into being, while others do not permit others to subdue them, all these parts taken together would most fittingly be distinguished if called an acquisitive art.
ΘΕΑΙ. ναί·
THEAI.
πρέποι γὰρ ἄν.
Yes, for that would be fitting.
ΞΕ. κτητικῆς δὴ καὶ ποιητικῆς συμπασῶν οὐσῶν τῶν τεχνῶν ἐν ποτέρᾳ τὴν ἀσπαλιευτικήν, ὦ Θεαίτητε, τιθῶμεν;
STR. Since all arts are either acquisitive or productive, Theaetetus, in which of the two shall we place the art of the angler?
ΘΕΑΙ. ἐν κτητικῇ που δῆλον.
THEAI. In the acquisitive, surely, that is clear.
ΞΕ. κτητικῆς δὲ ἆρʼ οὐ δύο εἴδη;
STR. And are there not two kinds of the acquisitive art?
τὸ μὲν ἑκόντων πρὸς ἑκόντας μεταβλητικὸν ὂν διά τε δωρεῶν καὶ μισθώσεων καὶ ἀγοράσεων, τὸ δὲ λοιπόν, ἢ κατʼ ἔργα ἢ κατὰ λόγους χειρούμενον σύμπαν, χειρωτικὸν ἂν εἴη;
The one being exchange between willing parties through gifts, hires, and purchases, while the other, subduing everything either by deeds or by words, would be a capturing art?
ΘΕΑΙ. φαίνεται γοῦν ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων.
THEAI. It seems so, at least from what has been said.
ΞΕ. τί δέ;
STR. What then?
τὴν χειρωτικὴν ἆρʼ οὐ διχῇ τμητέον;
Must we not divide the capturing art in two?
ΘΕΑΙ. πῇ;
THEAI. In what way?
ΞΕ. τὸ μὲν ἀναφανδὸν ὅλον ἀγωνιστικὸν θέντας, τὸ δὲ κρυφαῖον αὐτῆς πᾶν θηρευτικόν.
STR. By setting down the open part as competitive art, and all of its secret part as hunting art.
ΘΕΑΙ. ναί.
THEAI. Yes.
ΞΕ. τὴν δέ γε μὴν θηρευτικὴν ἄλογον τὸ μὴ οὐ τέμνειν διχῇ.
STR. But indeed, it is unreasonable not to divide the hunting art into two.
ΘΕΑΙ. λέγε ὅπῃ.
THEAI. Say in what way.
ΞΕ. τὸ μὲν ἀψύχου γένους διελομένους, τὸ δʼ ἐμψύχου.
STR. By dividing it into the class of the inanimate and that of the animate.
ΘΕΑΙ. τί μήν; εἴπερ ἔστον γε ἄμφω.
THEAI. Of course, since indeed both exist.