§279ΞΕ. πάλιν δὴ τὸν ἔμπροσθε λόγον ἀναληπτέον, ὡς ἐπειδὴ τῷ βασιλικῷ γένει τῆς περὶ τὰς πόλεις ἐπιμελείας ἀμφισβητοῦσι μυρίοι, δεῖ δὴ πάντας ἀποχωρίζειν τούτους καὶ μόνον ἐκεῖνον λείπειν καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο δὴ παραδείγματος ἔφαμεν δεῖν τινος ἡμῖν.
STRANGER: We must indeed take up again our previous discourse, since, as countless rivals dispute with the kingly class for the care of cities, we said we must separate all these and leave only the king, and for this purpose we said we needed some example.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. καὶ μάλα.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Absolutely.
ΞΕ. τί δῆτα παράδειγμά τις ἄν, ἔχον τὴν αὐτὴν πολιτικῇ πραγματείαν, σμικρότατον παραθέμενος ἱκανῶς ἂν εὕροι τὸ ζητούμενον;
STRANGER: What example then, having the same occupation as the political art, yet being very small, could one set alongside to sufficiently find what is sought?
βούλει πρὸς Διός, ὦ Σώκρατες, εἰ μή τι πρόχειρον ἕτερον ἔχομεν, ἀλλʼ οὖν τήν γε ὑφαντικὴν προελώμεθα;
By Zeus, Socrates, if we have no other ready at hand, shall we choose weaving?
καὶ ταύτην, εἰ δοκεῖ, μὴ πᾶσαν;
And this, if you agree, not the whole of it?
ἀποχρήσει γὰρ ἴσως ἡ περὶ τὰ ἐκ τῶν ἐρίων ὑφάσματα· τάχα γὰρ ἂν ἡμῖν καὶ τοῦτο τὸ μέρος αὐτῆς μαρτυρήσειε προαιρεθὲν ὃ βουλόμεθα.
For the part concerned with woolen garments will probably be sufficient; for perhaps even this part of it, having been chosen, will testify to what we want.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. τί γὰρ οὔ;
YOUNG SOCRATES: Why not indeed?
ΞΕ. τί δῆτα οὐ, καθάπερ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθε τέμνοντες μέρη μερῶν ἕκαστον διῃρούμεθα, καὶ νῦν περὶ ὑφαντικὴν ταὐτὸν τοῦτʼ ἐδράσαμεν, καὶ κατὰ δύναμιν ὅτι μάλιστα διὰ βραχέων ταχὺ πάντʼ ἐπελθόντες πάλιν ἤλθομεν ἐπὶ τὸ νῦν χρήσιμον;
STRANGER: Why then, just as in the previous discussion we divided each part, cutting parts from parts, did we not do this same thing now concerning weaving, and, running through all of them as briefly and quickly as possible, come back again to what is useful now?
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. πῶς λέγεις;
YOUNG SOCRATES: How do you mean?
ΞΕ. αὐτὴν τὴν διέξοδον ἀπόκρισίν σοι ποιήσομαι.
STRANGER: I shall make the journey itself my answer to you.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. κάλλιστʼ εἶπες.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Very well said.
ΞΕ. ἔστι τοίνυν πάντα ἡμῖν ὁπόσα δημιουργοῦμεν καὶ κτώμεθα, τὰ μὲν ἕνεκα τοῦ ποιεῖν τι, τὰ δὲ τοῦ μὴ πάσχειν ἀμυντήρια· καὶ τῶν ἀμυντηρίων τὰ μὲν ἀλεξιφάρμακα καὶ θεῖα καὶ ἀνθρώπινα, τὰ δὲ προβλήματα· τῶν δὲ προβλημάτων τὰ μὲν πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον ὁπλίσματα, τὰ δὲ φράγματα· καὶ τῶν φραγμάτων τὰ μὲν παραπετάσματα, τὰ δὲ πρὸς χειμῶνας καὶ καύματα ἀλεξητήρια· τῶν δὲ ἀλεξητηρίων τὰ μὲν στεγάσματα, τὰ δὲ σκεπάσματα· καὶ τῶν σκεπασμάτων ὑποπετάσματα μὲν ἄλλα, περικαλύμματα δὲ ἕτερα· περικαλυμμάτων δὲ τὰ μὲν ὁλόσχιστα, σύνθετα δὲ ἕτερα· τῶν δὲ συνθέτων τὰ μὲν τρητά, τὰ δὲ ἄνευ τρήσεως συνδετά· καὶ τῶν ἀτρήτων τὰ μὲν νεύρινα φυτῶν ἐκ γῆς, τὰ δὲ τρίχινα· τῶν δὲ τριχίνων τὰ μὲν ὕδασι καὶ γῇ κολλητά, τὰ δὲ αὐτὰ αὑτοῖς συνδετά.
STRANGER: Now, all things that we make and acquire are, on the one hand, for the purpose of doing something, and on the other, defenses against suffering harm; and of defenses, some are antidotes, both divine and human, and others are barriers; and of barriers, some are armaments for war, and others are protections; and of protections, some are screens, and others are shelters against cold and heat; and of shelters, some are roofs, and others are coverings; and of coverings, some are under-sheets, and others are wraps; and of wraps, some are undivided, and others are composite; and of composite wraps, some are stitched, and others are bound together without stitching; and of those without stitching, some are made of plant fibers from the earth, and others of hair; and of those made of hair, some are cemented with water and earth, and others are bound together by themselves.
τούτοισι δὴ τοῖς ἐκ τῶν ἑαυτοῖς συνδουμένων ἐργασθεῖσιν ἀμυντηρίοις καὶ σκεπάσμασι τὸ μὲν ὄνομα ἱμάτια ἐκαλέσαμεν· τὴν δὲ τῶν ἱματίων μάλιστα ἐπιμελουμένην τέχνην, ὥσπερ τότε τὴν τῆς πόλεως πολιτικὴν εἴπομεν, οὕτω καὶ νῦν ταύτην προσείπωμεν ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πράγματος ἱματιουργικήν;
To these defenses and coverings made from things bound together by themselves, we gave the name "clothes"; and the art that takes the greatest care of clothes, just as we then called that of the city "political," shall we now call "clothes-making," from the thing itself?
φῶμεν δὲ καὶ ὑφαντικήν, ὅσον ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν ἱματίων ἐργασίᾳ μέγιστον ἦν μόριον, μηδὲν διαφέρειν πλὴν ὀνόματι ταύτης τῆς ἱματιουργικῆς, καθάπερ κἀκεῖ τότε τὴν βασιλικὴν τῆς πολιτικῆς;
And shall we say that weaving also, which was the greatest part in the making of clothes, differs in nothing but name from this clothes-making, just as we did then with the kingly and the political art?
§280ΝΕ. ΣΩ. ὀρθότατά γε.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Entirely correct indeed.
ΞΕ. τὸ μετὰ τοῦτο δὴ συλλογισώμεθα ὅτι τὴν ἱματίων ὑφαντικὴν οὕτω ῥηθεῖσάν τις τάχʼ ἂν ἱκανῶς εἰρῆσθαι δόξειεν, μὴ δυνάμενος συννοεῖν ὅτι τῶν μὲν ἐγγὺς συνεργῶν οὔπω διώρισται, πολλῶν δὲ ἑτέρων συγγενῶν ἀπεμερίσθη.
STRANGER: After this, let us reason that someone might think that the weaving of clothes, being thus described, has been sufficiently explained, because he cannot understand that it has not yet been distinguished from its near helpers, and has been separated from many other kindred arts.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. ποίων, εἰπέ, συγγενῶν;
YOUNG SOCRATES: What kindred arts, tell me?
ΞΕ. οὐχ ἕσπου τοῖς λεχθεῖσιν, ὡς φαίνῃ· πάλιν οὖν ἔοικεν ἐπανιτέον ἀρχόμενον ἀπὸ τελευτῆς.
STRANGER: You did not follow what was said, as it appears; so we must, it seems, go back again, starting from the end.
εἰ γὰρ συννοεῖς τὴν οἰκειότητα, τὴν μὲν διετέμομεν ἀπʼ αὐτῆς νυνδή, τὴν τῶν στρωμάτων σύνθεσιν περιβολῇ χωρίζοντες καὶ ὑποβολῇ.
For if you understand the kinship, we have just now cut off one from it, separating the making of bedding by coverlets and under-sheets.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. μανθάνω.
YOUNG SOCRATES: I understand.
ΞΕ. καὶ μὴν τὴν ἐκ τῶν λίνων καὶ σπάρτων καὶ πάντων ὁπόσα φυτῶν ἄρτι νεῦρα κατὰ λόγον εἴπομεν, δημιουργίαν πᾶσαν ἀφείλομεν· τήν τε αὖ πιλητικὴν ἀφωρισάμεθα καὶ τὴν τρήσει καὶ ῥαφῇ χρωμένην σύνθεσιν, ἧς ἡ πλείστη σκυτοτομική.
STRANGER: And indeed, we removed all the work made from flax and broom, and all those plant fibers we just now spoke of; and we also set apart the art of felting, and the composition that uses stitching and sewing, of which the greatest part is shoemaking.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. πάνυ μὲν οὖν.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Absolutely.
ΞΕ. καὶ τοίνυν τὴν τῶν ὁλοσχίστων σκεπασμάτων θεραπείαν δερματουργικὴν καὶ τὰς τῶν στεγασμάτων, ὅσαι τε ἐν οἰκοδομικῇ καὶ ὅλῃ τεκτονικῇ καὶ ἐν ἄλλαις τέχναις ῥευμάτων στεκτικαὶ γίγνονται, συμπάσας ἀφείλομεν, ὅσαι τε περὶ τὰς κλοπὰς καὶ τὰς βίᾳ πράξεις διακωλυτικὰ ἔργα παρέχονται τέχναι φραγμάτων, περί τε γένεσιν ἐπιθηματουργίας οὖσαι καὶ τὰς τῶν θυρωμάτων πήξεις, γομφωτικῆς ἀπονεμηθεῖσαι μόρια τέχνης· τήν τε ὁπλοποιικὴν ἀπετεμόμεθα, μεγάλης καὶ παντοίας τῆς προβληματουργικῆς τμῆμα οὖσαν δυνάμεως· καὶ δὴ καὶ τὴν μαγευτικὴν τὴν περὶ τὰ ἀλεξιφάρμακα κατʼ ἀρχὰς εὐθὺς διωρισάμεθα σύμπασαν, καὶ λελοίπαμεν, ὡς δόξαιμεν ἄν, αὐτὴν τὴν ζητηθεῖσαν ἀμυντικὴν χειμώνων, ἐρεοῦ προβλήματος ἐργαστικήν, ὄνομα δὲ ὑφαντικὴν λεχθεῖσαν.
STRANGER: And we also removed the care of undivided coverings, which is leather-working, and all those arts concerned with roofs, such as in building and carpentry as a whole and in other arts that stop drafts; and we also removed all those arts of barriers that provide works to prevent theft and acts of violence, being concerned with making lids and fixing doors, which are assigned as parts of the joiner's art; and we cut off the armor-making art, which is a section of the great and manifold power of barrier-making; and indeed, we also distinguished the whole art of magic concerning antidotes at the very beginning, and we have left, as we might seem, the very art we sought, which is defensive against cold, the maker of a woolen barrier, called by the name of weaving.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. ἔοικε γὰρ οὖν.
YOUNG SOCRATES: It seems so indeed.