Humanitext Reader

Plato · Statesman §265

Two Paths and Dividing Walking Animals by Horns and Breeding

Passage 5 of 34 · Greek

Summary

The Stranger presents two paths for dividing the husbandry of walking animals: an unequal but fast one, and a symmetrical but longer one, and upon Young Socrates' request, they agree to pursue both in turn. They proceed to narrow down the statesman's herd first by the presence of horns, and then by breeding compatibility (cross-breeding vs. pure-breeding).

§265ΞΕ. καὶ μὴν ἐφʼ ὅ γε μέρος ὥρμηκεν ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος, ἐπʼ ἐκεῖνο δύο τινὲ καθορᾶν ὁδὼ τεταμένα φαίνεται, τὴν μὲν θάττω, πρὸς μέγα μέρος σμικρὸν διαιρουμένην, τὴν δέ, ὅπερ ἐν τῷ πρόσθεν ἐλέγομεν ὅτι δεῖ μεσοτομεῖν ὡς μάλιστα, τοῦτʼ ἔχουσαν μᾶλλον, μακροτέραν γε μήν.
STRANGER: And indeed, toward that part to which our argument has hurried, two paths appear to lie stretched out, the one faster, dividing a small part against a large one, the other having more of this very thing which we were saying before—that one must halve things as much as possible—yet being longer.
ἔξεστιν οὖν ὁποτέραν ἂν βουληθῶμεν, ταύτην πορευθῆναι.
It is possible, then, for us to travel whichever of the two we wish.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. τί δέ;
YOUNG SOCRATES: What?
ἀμφοτέρας ἀδύνατον;
Is it impossible to go both?
ΞΕ. ἅμα γʼ, ὦ θαυμαστέ· ἐν μέρει γε μὴν δῆλον ὅτι δυνατόν.
STRANGER: At the same time, yes, my wonderful friend; but in turn, clearly it is possible.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. ἐν μέρει τοίνυν ἔγωγε ἀμφοτέρας αἱροῦμαι.
YOUNG SOCRATES: In turn, then, I choose both.
ΞΕ. ῥᾴδιον, ἐπειδὴ τὸ λοιπὸν βραχύ· κατʼ ἀρχὰς μὴν καὶ μεσοῦσιν ἅμα τῆς πορείας χαλεπὸν ἂν ἦν ἡμῖν τὸ πρόσταγμα.
STRANGER: That is easy, since what remains is short; however, at the beginning, and at the same time when we were in the middle of our journey, this command would have been difficult for us.
νῦν δʼ, ἐπειδὴ δοκεῖ ταύτῃ, τὴν μακροτέραν πρότερον ἴωμεν· νεαλέστεροι γὰρ ὄντες ῥᾷον αὐτὴν πορευσόμεθα.
But now, since it seems good this way, let us go by the longer one first; for being fresher, we shall travel it more easily.
τὴν δὲ δὴ διαίρεσιν ὅρα.
And look at the division.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. λέγε.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Speak.
ΞΕ. τὰ πεζὰ ἡμῖν τῶν ἡμέρων, ὅσαπερ ἀγελαῖα, διῃρημένα ἐστὶ φύσει δίχα.
STRANGER: The pedestrian ones among the tame animals, as many as are herd-animals, are divided by nature in two.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. τίνι;
YOUNG SOCRATES: By what?
ΞΕ. τῷ τῶν μὲν τὴν γένεσιν ἄκερων εἶναι, τῶν δὲ κερασφόρον.
STRANGER: By the fact that the birth of some is hornless, and of others horn-bearing.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. φαίνεται.
YOUNG SOCRATES: It appears so.
ΞΕ. τὴν δὴ πεζονομικὴν διελὼν ἀπόδος ἑκατέρῳ τῷ μέρει λόγῳ χρώμενος.
STRANGER: Now divide walking-animal husbandry and assign it to each of the two parts, using description.
ἂν γὰρ ὀνομάζειν αὐτὰ βουληθῇς, ἔσται σοι περιπεπλεγμένον μᾶλλον τοῦ δέοντος.
For if you wish to name them, it will be more entangled for you than is necessary.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. πῶς οὖν χρὴ λέγειν;
YOUNG SOCRATES: How then must we speak?
ΞΕ. ὧδε· τῆς πεζονομικῆς ἐπιστήμης δίχα διαιρεθείσης τὸ μόριον θάτερον ἐπὶ τῷ κερασφόρῳ μέρει τῷ τῆς ἀγέλης ἐπιτετάχθαι, τὸ δὲ ἕτερον ἐπὶ τῷ τῆς ἀκεράτου.
STRANGER: Thus: that, the walking-animal science having been divided in two, one part is assigned to the horn-bearing part of the herd, and the other to that of the hornless.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. ταῦτʼ ἔστω ταύτῃ λεχθέντα· πάντως γὰρ ἱκανῶς δεδήλωται.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Let these things be said in this way; for in any case it has been sufficiently shown.
ΞΕ. καὶ μὴν ὅ γε βασιλεὺς ἡμῖν αὖ καταφανὴς ὅτι κολοβὸν ἀγέλην τινὰ κεράτων νομεύει.
STRANGER: And indeed, our king in turn is clearly visible, that he shepherds a certain herd shorn of horns.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. πῶς γὰρ οὐ δῆλος;
YOUNG SOCRATES: For how is he not clear?
ΞΕ. ταύτην τοίνυν καταθραύσαντες τὸ γιγνόμενον αὐτῷ πειρώμεθα ἀποδοῦναι.
STRANGER: Let us then break this down and try to assign to him what belongs to him.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. πάνυ γε.
YOUNG SOCRATES: By all means.
ΞΕ. πότερον οὖν βούλει τῷ σχιστῷ τε καὶ τῷ καλουμένῳ μώνυχι διαιρεῖν αὐτὴν ἢ τῇ κοινογονίᾳ τε καὶ ἰδιογονίᾳ;
STRANGER: Do you wish, then, to divide it by the cloven-hoofed and the so-called solid-hoofed, or by cross-breeding and pure-breeding?
μανθάνεις γάρ που.
For surely you understand.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. τὸ ποῖον;
YOUNG SOCRATES: What kind of thing?
ΞΕ. ὅτι τὸ μὲν τῶν ἵππων καὶ ὄνων πέφυκεν ἐξ ἀλλήλων γεννᾶν.
STRANGER: That the race of horses and donkeys is of a nature to breed from one another.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. ναί.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Yes.
ΞΕ. τὸ δέ γε λοιπὸν ἔτι τῆς λείας ἀγέλης τῶν ἡμέρων ἀμιγὲς γένει πρὸς ἄλληλα.
STRANGER: But the rest of the smooth herd of tame animals is unmixed in its race with one another.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. πῶς δʼ οὔ;
YOUNG SOCRATES: How not?
ΞΕ. τί δʼ;
STRANGER: What then?
ὁ πολιτικὸς ἄρʼ ἐπιμέλειαν ἔχειν φαίνεται πότερα κοινογενοῦς φύσεως ἤ τινος ἰδιογενοῦς;
Does the statesman appear to have care of a cross-breeding nature or of a pure-breeding one?
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. δῆλον ὅτι τῆς ἀμείκτου.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Clearly of the unmixed.
ΞΕ. ταύτην δὴ δεῖ καθάπερ τὰ ἔμπροσθεν, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἡμᾶς δίχα διαστέλλειν.
STRANGER: This, then, it seems we must split in two, just like the previous ones.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. δεῖ γὰρ οὖν.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Indeed we must.

Notes

  1. 265aκαθορᾶν — An active infinitive from καθοράω dependent on φαίνεται. The main construction is 'two paths appear to be stretched out (φαίνεται... τεταμένα)', and καθορᾶν functions as a complementary or result infinitive indicating 'for us to descry' or 'visible to our view'.
  2. 265aπρὸς μέγα μέρος σμικρὸν διαιρουμένην — The preposition πρός here indicates proportion or comparison ('against', 'relative to'). The phrase describes an asymmetrical division where a small part is cut off while leaving a disproportionately large part, referring back to the bad method of division criticized in 262b-263e.
  3. 265cλόγῳ χρώμενος — Meaning 'using a description/definition'. This is a methodological instruction stating that instead of artificially coining a single technical noun, one should assign the parts using a descriptive phrase or definition (logos).
  4. 265cἐπιτετάχθαι — A perfect passive infinitive from ἐπιτάττω ('to assign', 'to station'). It forms part of the response to Young Socrates' question 'how then must we speak?', depending on the implied or expressed construction of obligation (χρή), or functioning as a declarative infinitive in indirect discourse.
  5. 265dὅ γε βασιλεὺς ἡμῖν αὖ καταφανὴς ὅτι... — An instance of anticipation (prolepsis), where 'ὁ βασιλεύς', which logically belongs as the subject of the subordinate 'ὅτι' clause, is pulled into the main clause as the subject of 'καταφανής'. Literally: 'the king is clear to us, that he shepherds...'.
  6. 265eτῆς λείας ἀγέλης — Genitive singular of the adjective λεῖος ('smooth', or by extension, 'hornless'). It is used here as a stylistic synonym for 'ἄκερος' ('hornless', introduced in 265b) to refer to the herd of hornless animals.

Cite this passage

Plato, Statesman §265. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0059.tlg008.humanitext-grc2:265

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