§290ΞΕ. τί δέ;
STRANGER: And what of this?
τῶν ἐλευθέρων ὅσοι τοῖς νυνδὴ ῥηθεῖσιν εἰς ὑπηρετικὴν ἑκόντες αὑτοὺς τάττουσι, τά τε γεωργίας καὶ τὰ τῶν ἄλλων τεχνῶν ἔργα διακομίζοντες ἐπʼ ἀλλήλους καὶ ἀνισοῦντες, οἱ μὲν κατʼ ἀγοράς, οἱ δὲ πόλιν ἐκ πόλεως ἀλλάττοντες κατὰ θάλατταν καὶ πεζῇ, νόμισμά τε πρὸς τὰ ἄλλα καὶ αὐτὸ πρὸς αὑτὸ διαμείβοντες, οὓς ἀργυραμοιβούς τε καὶ ἐμπόρους καὶ ναυκλήρους καὶ καπήλους ἐπωνομάκαμεν, μῶν τῆς πολιτικῆς ἀμφισβητήσουσί τι;
Those of free men who voluntarily rank themselves in the service of the things just now mentioned, conveying to one another and equalizing the products of agriculture and of the other arts—some exchanging them in the markets, others changing from city to city by sea and land, bartering money for other things and money for money itself—those whom we have named money-changers and merchants, shipowners, and retailers, will they dispute at all with statesmanship?
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. τάχʼ ἂν ἴσως τῆς γε τῶν ἐμπορευτικῶν.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Perhaps, indeed, they might do so regarding the art of commerce.
ΞΕ. ἀλλʼ οὐ μὴν οὕς γε ὁρῶμεν μισθωτοὺς καὶ θῆτας πᾶσιν ἑτοιμότατα ὑπηρετοῦντας, μή ποτε βασιλικῆς μεταποιουμένους εὕρωμεν.
STRANGER: But surely, those whom we see as hired laborers and serfs, serving everyone most readily, we shall never find claiming the kingly art.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. πῶς γάρ;
YOUNG SOCRATES: How indeed?
ΞΕ. τί δὲ ἄρα τοὺς τὰ τοιάδε διακονοῦντας ἡμῖν ἑκάστοτε;
STRANGER: But what then of those who perform such services for us on each occasion?
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. τὰ ποῖα εἶπες καὶ τίνας;
YOUNG SOCRATES: What sort do you mean, and whom?
ΞΕ. ὧν τὸ κηρυκικὸν ἔθνος, ὅσοι τε περὶ γράμματα σοφοὶ γίγνονται πολλάκις ὑπηρετήσαντες, καὶ πόλλʼ ἄττα ἕτερα περὶ τὰς ἀρχὰς διαπονεῖσθαί τινες ἕτεροι πάνδεινοι, τί τούτους αὖ λέξομεν;
STRANGER: The race of heralds, and all those who become skilled in writing after having often served, and certain other very clever men who labor at many other things around the government offices—what shall we call these in turn?
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. ὅπερ εἶπες νῦν, ὑπηρέτας, ἀλλʼ οὐκ αὐτοὺς ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν ἄρχοντας.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Just what you said now: servants, but not themselves rulers in the cities.
ΞΕ. ἀλλὰ οὐ μὴν οἶμαί γε ἐνύπνιον ἰδὼν εἶπον ταύτῃ πῃ φανήσεσθαι τοὺς διαφερόντως ἀμφισβητοῦντας τῆς πολιτικῆς.
STRANGER: But surely I do not think I spoke having seen a dream, when I said that those who dispute outstandingly with statesmanship would appear somewhere here.
καίτοι σφόδρα γε ἄτοπον ἂν εἶναι δόξειε τὸ ζητεῖν τούτους ἐν ὑπηρετικῇ μοίρᾳ τινί.
And yet it would seem highly absurd to search for them in some portion of service.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. κομιδῇ μὲν οὖν.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Absolutely.
ΞΕ. ἔτι δὴ προσμείξωμεν ἐγγύτερον ἐπὶ τοὺς μήπω βεβασανισμένους.
STRANGER: Let us approach still closer to those who have not yet been examined.
εἰσὶ δὲ οἵ τε περὶ μαντικὴν ἔχοντές τινος ἐπιστήμης διακόνου μόριον· ἑρμηνευταὶ γάρ που νομίζονται παρὰ θεῶν ἀνθρώποις.
There are those concerned with prophecy, having a portion of a certain serving science; for they are considered, I suppose, interpreters from gods to men.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. ναί.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Yes.
ΞΕ. καὶ μὴν καὶ τὸ τῶν ἱερέων αὖ γένος, ὡς τὸ νόμιμόν φησι, παρὰ μὲν ἡμῶν δωρεὰς θεοῖς διὰ θυσιῶν ἐπιστῆμόν ἐστι κατὰ νοῦν ἐκείνοις δωρεῖσθαι, παρὰ δὲ ἐκείνων ἡμῖν εὐχαῖς κτῆσιν ἀγαθῶν αἰτήσασθαι· ταῦτα δὲ διακόνου τέχνης ἐστί που μόρια ἀμφότερα.
STRANGER: And furthermore, the class of priests in turn, as the custom says, is skilled in presenting, in accordance with their mind, gifts to the gods from us through sacrifices, and in asking from them the acquisition of good things for us by prayers; and both of these are parts, surely, of a serving art.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. φαίνεται γοῦν.
YOUNG SOCRATES: They appear so, at any rate.
ΞΕ. ἤδη τοίνυν μοι δοκοῦμεν οἷόν γέ τινος ἴχνους ἐφʼ ὃ πορευόμεθα προσάπτεσθαι.
STRANGER: Now, therefore, we seem to be touching upon some track of what we are pursuing.
τὸ γὰρ δὴ τῶν ἱερέων σχῆμα καὶ τὸ τῶν μάντεων εὖ μάλα φρονήματος πληροῦται καὶ δόξαν σεμνὴν λαμβάνει διὰ τὸ μέγεθος τῶν ἐγχειρημάτων, ὥστε περὶ μὲν Αἴγυπτον οὐδʼ ἔξεστι βασιλέα χωρὶς ἱερατικῆς ἄρχειν, ἀλλʼ ἐὰν ἄρα καὶ τύχῃ πρότερον ἐξ ἄλλου γένους βιασάμενος, ὕστερον ἀναγκαῖον εἰς τοῦτο εἰστελεῖσθαι αὐτὸν τὸ γένος· ἔτι δὲ καὶ τῶν Ἑλλήνων πολλαχοῦ ταῖς μεγίσταις ἀρχαῖς τὰ μέγιστα τῶν περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα θύματα εὕροι τις ἂν προσταττόμενα θύειν.
For the dignity of priests and that of prophets is indeed filled with pride and receives a solemn reputation because of the greatness of their undertakings, so that in Egypt it is not even permitted for a king to rule without the priestly office, but even if he happens to have previously forced his way from another class, it is afterwards necessary for him to be initiated into this class; and further, in many places among the Greeks, one would find the greatest of such sacrifices assigned to the highest offices to perform.
καὶ δὴ καὶ παρʼ ὑμῖν οὐχ ἥκιστα δῆλον ὃ λέγω· τῷ γὰρ λαχόντι βασιλεῖ φασιν τῇδε τὰ σεμνότατα καὶ μάλιστα πάτρια τῶν ἀρχαίων θυσιῶν ἀποδεδόσθαι.
And indeed, what I say is not least clear among you; for they say that to the king chosen by lot, the most solemn and traditional of the ancient sacrifices here have been assigned.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. καὶ πάνυ γε.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Quite so.