§226ΞΕ. οὐδὲν ἀλλʼ ἢ τὸ χρηματιστικὸν γένος, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἐριστικῆς ὂν τέχνης, τῆς ἀντιλογικῆς, τῆς ἀμφισβητητικῆς, τῆς μαχητικῆς, τῆς ἀγωνιστικῆς, τῆς κτητικῆς ἔστιν, ὡς ὁ λόγος αὖ μεμήνυκε νῦν, ὁ σοφιστής.
STR. Sophistry is, then, as it seems, nothing other than the money-making class of the eristic art, which is a part of controversial, disputatious, pugnacious, competitive, and acquisitive art, as the argument has now revealed to us once again.
ΘΕΑΙ. κομιδῇ μὲν οὖν.
THEAI. Entirely so.
ΞΕ. ὁρᾷς οὖν ὡς ἀληθῆ λέγεται τὸ ποικίλον εἶναι τοῦτο τὸ θηρίον καὶ τὸ λεγόμενον οὐ τῇ ἑτέρᾳ ληπτόν;
STR. Do you see then how true it is to say that this beast is complex, and, as the saying goes, "not to be caught with one hand"?
ΘΕΑΙ. οὐκοῦν ἀμφοῖν χρή.
THEAI. Then we must use both.
ΞΕ. χρὴ γὰρ οὖν, καὶ κατὰ δύναμίν γε οὕτω ποιητέον, τοιόνδε τι μεταθέοντας ἴχνος αὐτοῦ. καί μοι λέγε·
STR. Indeed we must, and we must do so as far as we can, following its track in this way.
τῶν οἰκετικῶν ὀνομάτων καλοῦμεν ἄττα που;
Tell me: do we call some of our household names by certain terms?
ΘΕΑΙ. καὶ πολλά·
THEAI. Yes, many.
ἀτὰρ ποῖα δὴ τῶν πολλῶν πυνθάνῃ;
But which of the many are you asking about?
ΞΕ. τὰ τοιάδε, οἷον διηθεῖν τε λέγομεν καὶ διαττᾶν καὶ βράττειν καὶ διακρίνειν.
STR. Such as when we speak of straining, sifting, winnowing, and separating.
ΘΕΑΙ. τί μήν;
THEAI. Certainly.
ΞΕ. καὶ πρός γε τούτοις ἔτι ξαίνειν, κατάγειν, κερκίζειν, καὶ μυρία ἐν ταῖς τέχναις ἄλλα τοιαῦτα ἐνόντα ἐπιστάμεθα. ἦ γάρ;
STR. And in addition to these, carding, spinning, weaving, and we know that there are thousands of other such processes in the arts. Isn't that so?
ΘΕΑΙ. τὸ ποῖον αὐτῶν πέρι βουληθεὶς δηλῶσαι παραδείγματα προθεὶς ταῦτα κατὰ πάντων ἤρου;
THEAI. With what intention regarding them did you ask about them all, putting forward these examples?
ΞΕ. διαιρετικά που τὰ λεχθέντα εἴρηται σύμπαντα.
STR. All the things mentioned are, I suppose, described as discriminative.
ΘΕΑΙ. ναί.
THEAI. Yes.
ΞΕ. κατὰ τὸν ἐμὸν τοίνυν λόγον ὡς περὶ ταῦτα μίαν οὖσαν ἐν ἅπασι τέχνην ἑνὸς ὀνόματος ἀξιώσομεν αὐτήν.
STR. According to my argument, then, let us deem them worthy of one name, as there is one art concerned with these in all of them.
ΘΕΑΙ. τίνα προσειπόντες;
THEAI. By calling it what?
ΞΕ. διακριτικήν.
STR. Discriminative.
ΘΕΑΙ. ἔστω.
THEAI. Let it be so.
ΞΕ. σκόπει δὴ ταύτης αὖ δύο ἄν πῃ δυνώμεθα κατιδεῖν εἴδη.
STR. Now let us consider if we can somehow discern two kinds of this art in turn.
ΘΕΑΙ. ταχεῖαν ὡς ἐμοὶ σκέψιν ἐπιτάττεις.
THEAI. You are imposing a rapid inquiry on me.
ΞΕ. καὶ μὴν ἔν γε ταῖς εἰρημέναις διακρίσεσι τὸ μὲν χεῖρον ἀπὸ βελτίονος ἀποχωρίζειν ἦν, τὸ δʼ ὅμοιον ἀφʼ ὁμοίου.
STR. And yet, in the separations mentioned, one was to split the worse from the better, and the other to split like from like.
ΘΕΑΙ. σχεδὸν οὕτω νῦν λεχθὲν φαίνεται.
THEAI. It appears almost so, now that you say it.
ΞΕ. τῆς μὲν τοίνυν ὄνομα οὐκ ἔχω λεγόμενον· τῆς δὲ καταλειπούσης μὲν τὸ βέλτιον διακρίσεως, τὸ δὲ χεῖρον ἀποβαλλούσης ἔχω.
STR. Now, for the former (separating like from like), I have no spoken name; but for the separation that leaves the better and casts away the worse, I do have one.
ΘΕΑΙ. λέγε τί.
THEAI. Tell me what it is.
ΞΕ. πᾶσα ἡ τοιαύτη διάκρισις, ὡς ἐγὼ συννοῶ, λέγεται παρὰ πάντων καθαρμός τις.
STR. All such separation, as I understand it, is called by everyone a kind of purification.
ΘΕΑΙ. λέγεται γὰρ οὖν.
THEAI. Yes, indeed it is.
ΞΕ. οὐκοῦν τό γε καθαρτικὸν εἶδος αὖ διπλοῦν ὂν πᾶς ἂν ἴδοι;
STR. Then would not anyone see that this purificatory kind is in turn twofold?
ΘΕΑΙ. ναί, κατὰ σχολήν γε ἴσως· οὐ μὴν ἔγωγε καθορῶ νῦν.
THEAI. Yes, perhaps at leisure; but I do not see it now.
ΞΕ. καὶ μὴν τά γε περὶ τὰ σώματα πολλὰ εἴδη καθάρσεων ἑνὶ περιλαβεῖν ὀνόματι προσήκει.
STR. And yet, the many kinds of purification concerned with bodies ought to be comprehended under one name.
ΘΕΑΙ. ποῖα καὶ τίνι;
THEAI. What kinds, and by what name?
§227ΞΕ. τά τε τῶν ζῴων, ὅσα ἐντὸς σωμάτων ὑπὸ γυμναστικῆς ἰατρικῆς τε ὀρθῶς διακρινόμενα καθαίρεται καὶ περὶ τἀκτός, εἰπεῖν μὲν φαῦλα, ὅσα βαλανευτικὴ παρέχεται· καὶ τῶν ἀψύχων σωμάτων, ὧν γναφευτικὴ καὶ σύμπασα κοσμητικὴ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν παρεχομένη κατὰ σμικρὰ πολλὰ καὶ γελοῖα δοκοῦντα ὀνόματα ἔσχεν.
STR. Those of living beings, namely all that is properly separated and purified within their bodies by gymnastics and medicine, and those on the outside, which are cheap to mention, such as are provided by the art of bathing; and of inanimate bodies, of which fulling and the whole art of decoration provide care, obtaining many small and seemingly ridiculous names.
ΘΕΑΙ. μάλα γε.
THEAI. Very much so.
ΞΕ. παντάπασι μὲν οὖν, ὦ Θεαίτητε.
STR. Entirely so, Theaetetus.
ἀλλὰ γὰρ τῇ τῶν λόγων μεθόδῳ σπογγιστικῆς ἢ φαρμακοποσίας οὐδὲν ἧττον οὐδέ τι μᾶλλον τυγχάνει μέλον εἰ τὸ μὲν σμικρά, τὸ δὲ μεγάλα ἡμᾶς ὠφελεῖ καθαῖρον.
But for the method of arguments, it does not care any less or any more about sponge-washing or drug-drinking, whether the purification benefits us in small or great ways.
τοῦ κτήσασθαι γὰρ ἕνεκα νοῦν πασῶν τεχνῶν τὸ συγγενὲς καὶ τὸ μὴ συγγενὲς κατανοεῖν πειρωμένη τιμᾷ πρὸς τοῦτο ἐξ ἴσου πάσας, καὶ θάτερα τῶν ἑτέρων κατὰ τὴν ὁμοιότητα οὐδὲν ἡγεῖται γελοιότερα, σεμνότερον δέ τι τὸν διὰ στρατηγικῆς ἢ φθειριστικῆς δηλοῦντα θηρευτικὴν οὐδὲν νενόμικεν, ἀλλʼ ὡς τὸ πολὺ χαυνότερον.
For the sake of acquiring intelligence, it tries to understand the kinship and non-kinship of all arts, honoring them all equally to this end; it does not consider one of them more ridiculous than another based on similarity, nor does it deem someone who explains the art of hunting through generalship any more dignified than one who does so through louse-catching, but rather regards him for the most part as vainer.
καὶ δὴ καὶ νῦν, ὅπερ ἤρου, τί προσεροῦμεν ὄνομα συμπάσας δυνάμεις ὅσαι σῶμα εἴτε ἔμψυχον εἴτε ἄψυχον εἰλήχασι καθαίρειν, οὐδὲν αὐτῇ διοίσει ποῖόν τι λεχθὲν εὐπρεπέστατον εἶναι δόξει·
And indeed now, regarding what you asked—what name we shall give to all the powers together which have been allotted to purify bodies, whether living or inanimate—it will make no difference to this method what sort of name is spoken or will seem most decorous.
μόνον ἐχέτω χωρὶς τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς καθάρσεων πάντα συνδῆσαν ὅσα ἄλλο τι καθαίρει.
Let it only keep separate from the purifications of the soul, binding together everything that purifies anything else.
τὸν γὰρ περὶ τὴν διάνοιαν καθαρμὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἐπικεχείρηκεν ἀφορίσασθαι τὰ νῦν, εἴ γε ὅπερ βούλεται μανθάνομεν.
For it has attempted now to set apart the purification concerning thought from the others, if indeed we understand what it wishes.
ΘΕΑΙ. ἀλλὰ μεμάθηκα, καὶ συγχωρῶ δύο μὲν εἴδη καθάρσεως, ἓν δὲ τὸ περὶ τὴν ψυχὴν εἶδος εἶναι, τοῦ περὶ τὸ σῶμα χωρὶς ὄν.
THEAI. I have indeed understood, and I agree that there are two kinds of purification, one being that of the soul, existing apart from that of the body.
ΞΕ. πάντων κάλλιστα.
STR. Best of all.
καί μοι τὸ μετὰ τοῦτο ἐπάκουε πειρώμενος αὖ τὸ λεχθὲν διχῇ τέμνειν.
And listen to me on what follows, trying in turn to cut what was said in two.
ΘΕΑΙ. καθʼ ὁποῖʼ ἂν ὑφηγῇ πειράσομαί σοι συντέμνειν.
THEAI. Wherever you lead, I will try to cut it with you.
ΞΕ. πονηρίαν ἕτερον ἀρετῆς ἐν ψυχῇ λέγομέν τι;
STR. Do we say that wickedness is something in the soul other than virtue?
ΘΕΑΙ. πῶς γὰρ οὔ;
THEAI. How could we not?
ΞΕ. καὶ μὴν καθαρμός γʼ ἦν τὸ λείπειν μὲν θάτερον, ἐκβάλλειν δὲ ὅσον ἂν ᾖ πού τι φλαῦρον.
STR. And indeed, purification was the leaving of one thing and casting out of whatever might be bad.
ΘΕΑΙ. ἦν γὰρ οὖν.
THEAI. It was indeed.
ΞΕ. καὶ ψυχῆς ἄρα, καθʼ ὅσον ἂν εὑρίσκωμεν κακίας ἀφαίρεσίν τινα, καθαρμὸν αὐτὸν λέγοντες ἐν μέλει φθεγξόμεθα.
STR. Therefore, for the soul too, insofar as we find some removal of vice, we shall speak in harmony if we call this very thing purification.
ΘΕΑΙ. καὶ μάλα γε.
THEAI. Very much so.
ΞΕ. δύο μὲν εἴδη κακίας περὶ ψυχὴν ῥητέον.
STR. We must say that there are two kinds of vice in the soul.
ΘΕΑΙ. ποῖα;
THEAI. What kinds are they?