§293ΝΕ. ΣΩ. ῥᾴστη μεντἂν οὕτω γʼ εἴη πασῶν τῶν τεχνῶν·
YOUNG SOCRATES: In that case, it would indeed be the easiest of all arts.
ἴσμεν γὰρ ὅτι χιλίων ἀνδρῶν ἄκροι πεττευταὶ τοσοῦτοι πρὸς τοὺς ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις Ἕλλησιν οὐκ ἂν γένοιντό ποτε, μή τι δὴ βασιλῆς γε.
For we know that, out of a thousand men, so many top board-game players would never arise in comparison with those in the rest of Greece, let alone kings.
δεῖ γὰρ δὴ τόν γε τὴν βασιλικὴν ἔχοντα ἐπιστήμην, ἄν τʼ ἄρχῃ καὶ ἐὰν μή, κατὰ τὸν ἔμπροσθε λόγον ὅμως βασιλικὸν προσαγορεύεσθαι.
For indeed, the one who possesses the kingly science, whether he rules or not, must nevertheless be called king, according to our previous argument.
ΞΕ. καλῶς ἀπεμνημόνευσας.
STRANGER: You have remembered well.
ἑπόμενον δὲ οἶμαι τούτῳ τὴν μὲν ὀρθὴν ἀρχὴν περὶ ἕνα τινὰ καὶ δύο καὶ παντάπασιν ὀλίγους δεῖ ζητεῖν, ὅταν ὀρθὴ γίγνηται.
And following on this, I think we must seek the correct rule in some one, or two, or altogether few men, whenever it becomes correct.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. τί μήν;
YOUNG SOCRATES: Of course.
ΞΕ. τούτους δέ γε, ἐάντε ἑκόντων ἄντʼ ἀκόντων ἄρχωσιν, ἐάντε κατὰ γράμματα ἐάντε ἄνευ γραμμάτων, καὶ ἐὰν πλουτοῦντες ἢ πενόμενοι, νομιστέον, ὥσπερ νῦν ἡγούμεθα, κατὰ τέχνην ἡντινοῦν ἀρχὴν ἄρχοντας.
STRANGER: And these, whether they rule over willing or unwilling subjects, whether according to written rules or without written rules, and whether being rich or poor, must be considered, as we now believe, to be ruling according to some art.
τοὺς ἰατροὺς δὲ οὐχ ἥκιστα νενομίκαμεν, ἐάντε ἑκόντας ἐάντε ἄκοντας ἡμᾶς ἰῶνται, τέμνοντες ἢ κάοντες ἤ τινα ἄλλην ἀλγηδόνα προσάπτοντες, καὶ ἐὰν κατὰ γράμματα ἢ χωρὶς γραμμάτων, καὶ ἐὰν πένητες ὄντες ἢ πλούσιοι, πάντως οὐδὲν ἧττον ἰατρούς φαμεν, ἕωσπερ ἂν ἐπιστατοῦντες τέχνῃ, καθαίροντες εἴτε ἄλλως ἰσχναίνοντες εἴτε καὶ αὐξάνοντες, ἂν μόνον ἐπʼ ἀγαθῷ τῷ τῶν σωμάτων, βελτίω ποιοῦντες ἐκ χειρόνων, σῴζωσιν οἱ θεραπεύοντες ἕκαστοι τὰ θεραπευόμενα·
We do not least of all believe this about doctors, whether they cure us with our will or against our will, by cutting or burning or applying some other pain, and whether according to written rules or without written rules, and whether being poor or rich, we say they are doctors nonetheless, as long as they direct by art, purging or otherwise making us thin or making us grow, if only they preserve the bodies for their good, making them better from worse, as long as they, curing them, preserve each of the patients.
ταύτῃ θήσομεν, ὡς οἶμαι, καὶ οὐκ ἄλλῃ, τοῦτον ὅρον ὀρθὸν εἶναι μόνον ἰατρικῆς καὶ ἄλλης ἡστινοσοῦν ἀρχῆς.
In this way, I think, and in no other, we shall lay down that this alone is the correct limit of medicine and of any other rule whatsoever.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. κομιδῇ μὲν οὖν.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Quite so.
ΞΕ. ἀναγκαῖον δὴ καὶ πολιτειῶν, ὡς ἔοικε, ταύτην ὀρθὴν διαφερόντως εἶναι καὶ μόνην πολιτείαν, ἐν ᾗ τις ἂν εὑρίσκοι τοὺς ἄρχοντας ἀληθῶς ἐπιστήμονας καὶ οὐ δοκοῦντας μόνον, ἐάντε κατὰ νόμους ἐάντε ἄνευ νόμων ἄρχωσι, καὶ ἑκόντων ἢ ἀκόντων, καὶ πενόμενοι ἢ πλουτοῦντες, τούτων ὑπολογιστέον οὐδὲν οὐδαμῶς εἶναι κατʼ οὐδεμίαν ὀρθότητα.
STRANGER: Then it is necessary, as it seems, that among constitutions also, this is preeminently correct and the only constitution, in which one would find the rulers truly knowledgeable and not merely seeming to be, whether they rule according to laws or without laws, and over willing or unwilling subjects, and being poor or rich; none of these things must be taken into account in any way according to any correctness.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. καλῶς.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Correct.
ΞΕ. καὶ ἐάντε γε ἀποκτεινύντες τινὰς ἢ καὶ ἐκβάλλοντες καθαίρωσιν ἐπʼ ἀγαθῷ τὴν πόλιν, εἴτε καὶ ἀποικίας οἷον σμήνη μελιττῶν ἐκπέμποντές ποι σμικροτέραν ποιῶσιν, ἤ τινας ἐπεισαγόμενοί ποθεν ἄλλους ἔξωθεν πολίτας ποιοῦντες αὐτὴν αὔξωσιν, ἕωσπερ ἂν ἐπιστήμῃ καὶ τῷ δικαίῳ προσχρώμενοι σῴζοντες ἐκ χείρονος βελτίω ποιῶσι κατὰ δύναμιν, ταύτην τότε καὶ κατὰ τοὺς τοιούτους ὅρους ἡμῖν μόνην ὀρθὴν πολιτείαν εἶναι ῥητέον·
STRANGER: And whether they purge the city for its good by killing or banishing some, or make it smaller by sending out colonies like swarms of bees somewhere, or make it larger by introducing some other citizens from outside, as long as they preserve it by applying science and justice, making it better from worse as far as possible, then and according to such limits we must say this alone is the correct constitution.
ὅσας δʼ ἄλλας λέγομεν, οὐ γνησίας οὐδʼ ὄντως οὔσας λεκτέον, ἀλλὰ μεμιμημένας ταύτην, ἃς μὲν ὡς εὐνόμους λέγομεν, ἐπὶ τὰ καλλίω, τὰς δὲ ἄλλας ἐπὶ τὰ αἰσχίονα.
And as for all the other constitutions we speak of, we must say they are not genuine nor truly existing, but have imitated this one; those we call law-abiding have imitated it for the better, and the others for the worse.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. τὰ μὲν ἄλλα, ὦ ξένε, μετρίως ἔοικεν εἰρῆσθαι· τὸ δὲ καὶ ἄνευ νόμων δεῖν ἄρχειν χαλεπώτερον ἀκούειν ἐρρήθη.
YOUNG SOCRATES: The rest, Stranger, seems to have been spoken reasonably; but that rule must be exercised even without laws was spoken as something rather difficult to hear.