§294ΞΕ. μικρόν γε ἔφθης με ἐρόμενος, ὦ Σώκρατες.
STRANGER: You have anticipated me by a little in asking, Socrates.
ἔμελλον γάρ σε διερωτήσειν ταῦτα πότερον ἀποδέχῃ πάντα, ἤ τι καὶ δυσχεραίνεις τῶν λεχθέντων· νῦν δʼ ἤδη φανερὸν ὅτι τοῦτο βουλησόμεθα τὸ περὶ τῆς τῶν ἄνευ νόμων ἀρχόντων ὀρθότητος διελθεῖν ἡμᾶς.
For I was about to question you on these matters, whether you accept all that has been said, or whether you are displeased with any of it; but now it is already clear that we shall want to discuss this, concerning the correctness of those who rule without laws.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. πῶς γὰρ οὔ;
YOUNG SOCRATES: How indeed not?
ΞΕ. τρόπον τινὰ μέντοι δῆλον ὅτι τῆς βασιλικῆς ἐστιν ἡ νομοθετική· τὸ δʼ ἄριστον οὐ τοὺς νόμους ἐστὶν ἰσχύειν ἀλλʼ ἄνδρα τὸν μετὰ φρονήσεως βασιλικόν.
STRANGER: In a certain way, however, it is clear that legislation belongs to the kingly art; but the best is not for the laws to have power, but for a kingly man with wisdom.
οἶσθʼ ὅπῃ;
Do you know in what way?
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. πῇ δὴ λέγεις;
YOUNG SOCRATES: In what way do you mean?
ΞΕ. ὅτι νόμος οὐκ ἄν ποτε δύναιτο τό τε ἄριστον καὶ τὸ δικαιότατον ἀκριβῶς πᾶσιν ἅμα περιλαβὼν τὸ βέλτιστον ἐπιτάττειν·
STRANGER: Because a law could never, by grasping accurately what is best and most just for all at once, enjoin what is best.
αἱ γὰρ ἀνομοιότητες τῶν τε ἀνθρώπων καὶ τῶν πράξεων καὶ τὸ μηδέποτε μηδὲν ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν ἡσυχίαν ἄγειν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων οὐδὲν ἐῶσιν ἁπλοῦν ἐν οὐδενὶ περὶ ἁπάντων καὶ ἐπὶ πάντα τὸν χρόνον ἀποφαίνεσθαι τέχνην οὐδʼ ἡντινοῦν.
For the dissimilarities of both men and actions, and the fact that absolutely nothing, so to speak, of human affairs ever remains at rest, allow no art whatsoever to declare anything simple in any matter concerning all cases and for all time.
ταῦτα δὴ συγχωροῦμέν που;
Do we agree on this, I suppose?
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. τί μήν;
YOUNG SOCRATES: Of course.
ΞΕ. τὸν δέ γε νόμον ὁρῶμεν σχεδὸν ἐπʼ αὐτὸ τοῦτο συντείνοντα, ὥσπερ τινὰ ἄνθρωπον αὐθάδη καὶ ἀμαθῆ καὶ μηδένα μηδὲν ἐῶντα ποιεῖν παρὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ τάξιν, μηδʼ ἐπερωτᾶν μηδένα, μηδʼ ἄν τι νέον ἄρα τῳ συμβαίνῃ βέλτιον παρὰ τὸν λόγον ὃν αὐτὸς ἐπέταξεν.
STRANGER: But we see the law tending almost toward this very thing, like some self-willed and ignorant man who allows no one to do anything contrary to his own order, nor to ask any questions, not even if some new thing should happen to turn out better for someone contrary to the rule he himself enjoined.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. ἀληθῆ· ποιεῖ γὰρ ἀτεχνῶς καθάπερ εἴρηκας νῦν ὁ νόμος ἡμῖν ἑκάστοις.
YOUNG SOCRATES: True; for the law does simply just as you have now said to each of us.
ΞΕ. οὐκοῦν ἀδύνατον εὖ ἔχειν πρὸς τὰ μηδέποτε ἁπλᾶ τὸ διὰ παντὸς γιγνόμενον ἁπλοῦν;
STRANGER: Therefore, is it not impossible for that which is always simple to be well off in relation to things that are never simple?
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. κινδυνεύει.
YOUNG SOCRATES: It seems so.
ΞΕ. διὰ τί δή ποτʼ οὖν ἀναγκαῖον νομοθετεῖν, ἐπειδήπερ οὐκ ὀρθότατον ὁ νόμος;
STRANGER: Why on earth then is it necessary to legislate, since the law is not the most correct thing?
ἀνευρετέον τούτου τὴν αἰτίαν.
We must find the cause of this.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. τί μήν;
YOUNG SOCRATES: Of course.
ΞΕ. οὐκοῦν καὶ παρʼ ὑμῖν εἰσί τινες οἷαι καὶ ἐν ἄλλαις πόλεσιν ἁθρόων ἀνθρώπων ἀσκήσεις, εἴτε πρὸς δρόμον εἴτε πρὸς ἄλλο τι, φιλονικίας ἕνεκα;
STRANGER: Are there not, then, also among you, as in other cities, certain trainings of men in groups, whether for running or for something else, for the sake of competition?
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. καὶ πάνυ γε πολλαί.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Yes, indeed, very many.
ΞΕ. φέρε νῦν ἀναλάβωμεν πάλιν μνήμῃ τὰς τῶν τέχνῃ γυμναζόντων ἐπιτάξεις ἐν ταῖς τοιαύταις ἀρχαῖς.
STRANGER: Come now, let us recall to memory the instructions of those who train by art in such undertakings.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. τὸ ποῖον;
YOUNG SOCRATES: What kind of thing?
ΞΕ. ὅτι λεπτουργεῖν οὐκ ἐγχωρεῖν ἡγοῦνται καθʼ ἕνα ἕκαστον, τῷ σώματι τὸ προσῆκον ἑκάστῳ προστάττοντες, ἀλλὰ παχύτερον οἴονται δεῖν ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ καὶ ἐπὶ πολλοὺς τὴν τοῦ λυσιτελοῦντος τοῖς σώμασι ποιεῖσθαι τάξιν.
STRANGER: That they believe it is not possible to go into details for each individual, prescribing what is fitting for each one's body, but they think they must make the order of what is beneficial to bodies more roughly, as a general rule and for the many.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. καλῶς.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Fine.
ΞΕ. διὸ δή γε καὶ ἴσους πόνους νῦν διδόντες ἁθρόοις ἅμα μὲν ἐξορμῶσιν, ἅμα δὲ καὶ καταπαύουσι δρόμου καὶ πάλης καὶ πάντων τῶν κατὰ τὰ σώματα πόνων.
STRANGER: Therefore, indeed, giving equal tasks to them in groups, they start them off together and stop them together from running, wrestling, and all the bodily exercises.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. ἔστι ταῦτα.
YOUNG SOCRATES: That is so.
§295ΞΕ. καὶ τὸν νομοθέτην τοίνυν ἡγώμεθα, τὸν ταῖσιν ἀγέλαις ἐπιστατήσοντα τοῦ δικαίου πέρι καὶ τῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλους συμβολαίων, μή ποθʼ ἱκανὸν γενήσεσθαι πᾶσιν ἁθρόοις προστάττοντα ἀκριβῶς ἑνὶ ἑκάστῳ τὸ προσῆκον ἀποδιδόναι.
STRANGER: And so let us think of the legislator also, who is to oversee the herds regarding justice and contracts with one another, that he will never be capable, while prescribing for all in groups, of rendering accurately to each single individual what is fitting.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. τὸ γοῦν εἰκός.
YOUNG SOCRATES: That is indeed likely.
ΞΕ. ἀλλὰ τὸ τοῖς πολλοῖς γε οἶμαι καὶ ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ καί πως οὑτωσὶ παχυτέρως ἑκάστοις τὸν νόμον θήσει, καὶ ἐν γράμμασιν ἀποδιδοὺς καὶ ἐν ἀγραμμάτοις, πατρίοις δὲ ἔθεσι νομοθετῶν.
STRANGER: But, I think, he will lay down the law for each rather more roughly, for the majority and as a general rule, whether rendering it in written letters or in unwritten ancestral customs when legislating.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. ὀρθῶς.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Correct.
ΞΕ. ὀρθῶς μέντοι.
STRANGER: Correct, indeed.
πῶς γὰρ ἄν τις ἱκανὸς γένοιτʼ ἄν ποτε, ὦ Σώκρατες, ὥστε διὰ βίου ἀεὶ παρακαθήμενος ἑκάστῳ διʼ ἀκριβείας προστάττειν τὸ προσῆκον;
For how, Socrates, could anyone ever become capable of sitting beside each individual all through life and prescribing with accuracy what is fitting?
ἐπεὶ τοῦτʼ ἂν δυνατὸς ὤν, ὡς οἶμαι, τῶν τὴν βασιλικὴν ὁστισοῦν ὄντως ἐπιστήμην εἰληφότων σχολῇ ποτʼ ἂν ἑαυτῷ θεῖτʼ ἐμποδίσματα γράφων τοὺς λεχθέντας τούτους νόμους.
Since, if any of those who have truly acquired the kingly science were capable of this, I think he would hardly ever put obstacles in his own way by writing down these laws we have spoken of.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. ἐκ τῶν νῦν γοῦν, ὦ ξένε, εἰρημένων.
YOUNG SOCRATES: From what has now been said, at least, Stranger.
ΞΕ. μᾶλλον δέ γε, ὦ βέλτιστε, ἐκ τῶν μελλόντων ῥηθήσεσθαι.
STRANGER: But even more, my excellent friend, from what is about to be said.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. τίνων δή;
YOUNG SOCRATES: Of what kind of things?
ΞΕ. τῶν τοιῶνδε.
STRANGER: Of the following kind.
εἴπωμεν γὰρ δὴ πρός γε ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἰατρὸν μέλλοντα ἢ καί τινα γυμναστικὸν ἀποδημεῖν καὶ ἀπέσεσθαι τῶν θεραπευομένων συχνόν, ὡς οἴοιτο, χρόνον, μὴ μνημονεύσειν οἰηθέντα τὰ προσταχθέντα τοὺς γυμναζομένους ἢ τοὺς κάμνοντας, ὑπομνήματα γράφειν ἂν ἐθέλειν αὐτοῖς, ἢ πῶς;
For let us say to ourselves that a doctor or some trainer is about to travel abroad and be away from his patients for what he thinks will be a considerable time, and thinking that the trainees or the sick will not remember the prescriptions, would he not want to write down reminders for them, or how?
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. οὕτως.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Yes, indeed.
ΞΕ. τί δʼ εἰ παρὰ δόξαν ἐλάττω χρόνον ἀποδημήσας ἔλθοι πάλιν;
STRANGER: And what if, having been away for a shorter time than expected, he should come back?
ἆρʼ οὐκ ἂν παρʼ ἐκεῖνα τὰ γράμματα τολμήσειεν ἄλλʼ ὑποθέσθαι, συμβαινόντων ἄλλων βελτιόνων τοῖς κάμνουσι διὰ πνεύματα ἤ τι καὶ ἄλλο παρὰ τὴν ἐλπίδα τῶν ἐκ Διὸς ἑτέρως πως τῶν εἰωθότων γενόμενα, καρτερῶν δʼ ἂν ἡγοῖτο δεῖν μὴ ἐκβαίνειν τἀρχαῖά ποτε νομοθετηθέντα μήτε αὐτὸν προστάττοντα ἄλλα μήτε τὸν κάμνοντα ἕτερα τολμῶντα παρὰ τὰ γραφέντα δρᾶν, ὡς ταῦτα ὄντα ἰατρικὰ καὶ ὑγιεινά, τὰ δὲ ἑτέρως γιγνόμενα νοσώδη τε καὶ οὐκ ἔντεχνα·
Would he not dare to prescribe other things contrary to those written documents, if other better things should happen for the sick, due to winds or some other change contrary to expectation in the things from Zeus turning out otherwise than usual? Or would he think he must endure and not depart from what was originally laid down, neither himself prescribing other things, nor the sick man daring to do other than what was written, on the ground that these written rules are medical and healthy, while things turning out otherwise are diseased and unscientific?
ἢ πᾶν τὸ τοιοῦτον ἔν γε ἐπιστήμῃ συμβαῖνον καὶ ἀληθεῖ τέχνῃ περὶ ἅπαντα παντάπασι γέλως ἂν ὁ μέγιστος γίγνοιτο τῶν τοιούτων νομοθετημάτων;
Or in the case of science and true art in all matters, would any such occurrence and such legislation altogether become the greatest laughing-stock?
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. παντάπασι μὲν οὖν.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Most certainly.