§300ΞΕ. τί δὲ τόδε;
STRANGER: But what about this?
εἰ κατὰ συγγράμματα μὲν ἀναγκάζοιμεν ἕκαστον γίγνεσθαι τῶν εἰρημένων καὶ τοῖς συγγράμμασιν ἡμῶν ἐπιστατεῖν τὸν χειροτονηθέντα ἢ λαχόντα ἐκ τύχης, οὗτος δὲ μηδὲν φροντίζων τῶν γραμμάτων ἢ κέρδους ἕνεκέν τινος ἢ χάριτος ἰδίας παρὰ ταῦτʼ ἐπιχειροῖ δρᾶν ἕτερα, μηδὲν γιγνώσκων, ἆρα οὐ τοῦ κακοῦ τοῦ πρόσθεν μεῖζον ἂν ἔτι τοῦτο γίγνοιτο κακόν;
If we should compel each of the aforementioned to happen according to the written rules, and the one chosen by lot or by hand-vote to oversee our written rules, but this person, caring nothing for the writings, either for some gain or personal favor, should attempt to act otherwise, contrary to these, knowing nothing, would not this become an even greater evil than the former evil?
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. ἀληθέστατά.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Most true.
ΞΕ. παρὰ γὰρ οἶμαι τοὺς νόμους τοὺς ἐκ πείρας πολλῆς κειμένους καί τινων συμβούλων ἕκαστα χαριέντως συμβουλευσάντων καὶ πεισάντων θέσθαι τὸ πλῆθος, ὁ παρὰ ταῦτα τολμῶν δρᾶν, ἁμαρτήματος ἁμάρτημα πολλαπλάσιον ἀπεργαζόμενος, ἀνατρέποι πᾶσαν ἂν πρᾶξιν ἔτι μειζόνως τῶν συγγραμμάτων.
STRANGER: For, I suppose, he who dares to act contrary to those laws established from much experience, and after certain advisors have beautifully advised and persuaded the multitude to establish them, would commit a transgression many times worse than the original error, and would overturn every action even more than the written rules.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. πῶς δʼ οὐ μέλλει;
YOUNG SOCRATES: How indeed could he not?
ΞΕ. διὰ ταῦτα δὴ τοῖς περὶ ὁτουοῦν νόμους καὶ συγγράμματα τιθεμένοις δεύτερος πλοῦς τὸ παρὰ ταῦτα μήτε ἕνα μήτε πλῆθος μηδὲν μηδέποτε ἐᾶν δρᾶν μηδʼ ὁτιοῦν.
STRANGER: For this reason, then, for those who establish laws and written rules about anything whatever, the second-best voyage is never to permit anyone, whether one or a multitude, to do anything at all contrary to these.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. ὀρθῶς.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Correct.
ΞΕ. οὐκοῦν μιμήματα μὲν ἂν ἑκάστων ταῦτα εἴη τῆς ἀληθείας, τὰ παρὰ τῶν εἰδότων εἰς δύναμιν εἶναι γεγραμμένα;
STRANGER: Would not these, then, be imitations of the truth in each case, namely, those things written by those who know as far as possible?
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. πῶς δʼ οὔ;
YOUNG SOCRATES: How indeed could they not be?
ΞΕ. καὶ μὴν τόν γε εἰδότα ἔφαμεν, τὸν ὄντως πολιτικόν, εἰ μεμνήμεθα, ποιήσειν τῇ τέχνῃ πολλὰ εἰς τὴν αὑτοῦ πρᾶξιν τῶν γραμμάτων οὐδὲν φροντίζοντα, ὁπόταν ἄλλʼ αὐτῷ βελτίω δόξῃ παρὰ τὰ γεγραμμένα ὑφʼ αὑτοῦ καὶ ἐπεσταλμένα ἀποῦσίν τισιν.
STRANGER: And yet we said, if we remember, that the man who knows, the truly political man, would by his art perform many things in his own practice, caring nothing for the written rules, whenever other things appeared better to him contrary to what had been written by himself and prescribed to certain people who are absent.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. ἔφαμεν γάρ.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Yes, we said that.
ΞΕ. οὐκοῦν ἀνὴρ ὁστισοῦν εἷς ἢ πλῆθος ὁτιοῦν, οἷς ἂν νόμοι κείμενοι τυγχάνωσι, παρὰ ταῦτα ὅτι ἂν ἐπιχειρήσωσι ποιεῖν ὡς βέλτιον ἕτερον ὄν, ταὐτὸν δρῶσι κατὰ δύναμιν ὅπερ ὁ ἀληθινὸς ἐκεῖνος;
STRANGER: Therefore, if any single man whatever, or any multitude whatever, for whom laws happen to be established, should attempt to do anything contrary to these as if something else were better, do they not do, to the best of their ability, the very same thing which that true statesman does?
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. πάνυ μὲν οὖν.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Yes, entirely so.
ΞΕ. ἆρʼ οὖν εἰ μὲν ἀνεπιστήμονες ὄντες τὸ τοιοῦτον δρῷεν, μιμεῖσθαι μὲν ἂν ἐπιχειροῖεν τὸ ἀληθές, μιμοῖντʼ ἂν μέντοι παγκάκως· εἰ δʼ ἔντεχνοι, τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι μίμημα ἀλλʼ αὐτὸ τὸ ἀληθέστατον ἐκεῖνο;
STRANGER: If, then, they should do such a thing being without knowledge, they would indeed attempt to imitate the truth, but they would imitate it most wretchedly; whereas if they possessed the art, this would no longer be an imitation but that very truth itself?
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. πάντως που.
YOUNG SOCRATES: By all means.
ΞΕ. καὶ μὴν ἔμπροσθέ γε ὡμολογημένον ἡμῖν κεῖται μηδὲν πλῆθος μηδʼ ἡντινοῦν δυνατὸν εἶναι λαβεῖν τέχνην.
STRANGER: And yet we have agreed and established before that no multitude of any kind is capable of acquiring an art.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. κεῖται γὰρ οὖν.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Yes, that is established.
ΞΕ. οὐκοῦν εἰ μὲν ἔστι βασιλική τις τέχνη, τὸ τῶν πλουσίων πλῆθος καὶ ὁ σύμπας δῆμος οὐκ ἄν ποτε λάβοι τὴν πολιτικὴν ταύτην ἐπιστήμην.
STRANGER: Therefore, if there is a certain kingly art, the multitude of the rich and the whole populace could never acquire this political science.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. πῶς γὰρ ἄν;
YOUNG SOCRATES: For how indeed could they?
§301ΞΕ. δεῖ δὴ τὰς τοιαύτας γε ὡς ἔοικε πολιτείας, εἰ μέλλουσι καλῶς τὴν ἀληθινὴν ἐκείνην τὴν τοῦ ἑνὸς μετὰ τέχνης ἄρχοντος πολιτείαν εἰς δύναμιν μιμήσεσθαι, μηδέποτε κειμένων αὐτοῖς τῶν νόμων μηδὲν ποιεῖν παρὰ τὰ γεγραμμένα καὶ πάτρια ἔθη.
STRANGER: It is necessary, then, as it seems, for such constitutions, if they are to imitate as far as possible that true constitution of the one who rules with art, never to do anything contrary to the written rules and ancestral customs, once the laws have been established for them.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. κάλλιστʼ εἴρηκας.
YOUNG SOCRATES: You have spoken most beautifully.
ΞΕ. ὅταν ἄρα οἱ πλούσιοι ταύτην μιμῶνται, τότε ἀριστοκρατίαν καλοῦμεν τὴν τοιαύτην πολιτείαν· ὁπόταν δὲ τῶν νόμων μὴ φροντίζωσιν, ὀλιγαρχίαν.
STRANGER: When, therefore, the rich imitate this, we call such a constitution an aristocracy; but when they care nothing for the laws, an oligarchy.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. κινδυνεύει.
YOUNG SOCRATES: It seems so.
ΞΕ. καὶ μὴν ὁπόταν αὖθις εἷς ἄρχῃ κατὰ νόμους, μιμούμενος τὸν ἐπιστήμονα, βασιλέα καλοῦμεν, οὐ διορίζοντες ὀνόματι τὸν μετʼ ἐπιστήμης ἢ δόξης κατὰ νόμους μοναρχοῦντα.
STRANGER: And furthermore, when on the other hand one man rules according to the laws, imitating the one who has knowledge, we call him a king, not distinguishing by name the one who rules as a monarch with knowledge or with opinion according to the laws.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. κινδυνεύομεν.
YOUNG SOCRATES: We seem to do so.
ΞΕ. οὐκοῦν κἄν τις ἄρα ἐπιστήμων ὄντως ὢν εἷς ἄρχῃ, πάντως τό γε ὄνομα ταὐτὸν βασιλεὺς καὶ οὐδὲν ἕτερον προσρηθήσεται· διʼ ἃ δὴ τὰ πέντε ὀνόματα τῶν νῦν λεγομένων πολιτειῶν ἓν μόνον γέγονεν.
STRANGER: Therefore, even if someone who is truly knowledgeable rules as a monarch, he will certainly be called by the same name, "king," and nothing else; because of which indeed the five names of the constitutions now spoken of have become only one.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. ἔοικε γοῦν.
YOUNG SOCRATES: So it seems, at least.
ΞΕ. τί δʼ ὅταν μήτε κατὰ νόμους μήτε κατὰ ἔθη πράττῃ τις εἷς ἄρχων, προσποιῆται δὲ ὥσπερ ὁ ἐπιστήμων ὡς ἄρα παρὰ τὰ γεγραμμένα τό γε βέλτιστον ποιητέον, ᾖ δέ τις ἐπιθυμία καὶ ἄγνοια τούτου τοῦ μιμήματος ἡγουμένη, μῶν οὐ τότε τὸν τοιοῦτον ἕκαστον τύραννον κλητέον;
STRANGER: But what when one ruler acts neither according to the laws nor according to the customs, and pretends, like the man of knowledge, that indeed the best thing must be done contrary to the written rules, but some desire and ignorance lead this imitation—must we not then call every such person a tyrant?
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. τί μήν;
YOUNG SOCRATES: Of course.
ΞΕ. οὕτω δὴ τύραννός τε γέγονε, φαμέν, καὶ βασιλεὺς καὶ ὀλιγαρχία καὶ ἀριστοκρατία καὶ δημοκρατία, δυσχερανάντων τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸν ἕνα ἐκεῖνον μόναρχον, καὶ ἀπιστησάντων μηδένα τῆς τοιαύτης ἀρχῆς ἄξιον ἂν γενέσθαι ποτέ, ὥστε ἐθέλειν καὶ δυνατὸν εἶναι μετʼ ἀρετῆς καὶ ἐπιστήμης ἄρχοντα τὰ δίκαια καὶ ὅσια διανέμειν ὀρθῶς πᾶσιν, λωβᾶσθαι δὲ καὶ ἀποκτεινύναι καὶ κακοῦν ὃν ἂν βουληθῇ ἑκάστοτε ἡμῶν· ἐπεὶ γενόμενόν γʼ ἂν οἷον λέγομεν ἀγαπᾶσθαί τε ἂν καὶ οἰκεῖν διακυβερνῶντα εὐδαιμόνως ὀρθὴν ἀκριβῶς μόνον πολιτείαν.
STRANGER: Thus indeed have come to be, we say, tyrant and king, and oligarchy, aristocracy, and democracy, because men grew disgruntled with that one monarch, and disbelieved that anyone would ever be worthy of such rule, so as to be both willing and able to rule with virtue and knowledge and to distribute what is just and holy correctly to all, but thought that he would abuse, kill, and mistreat whichever of us he wished on any occasion; since if such a man as we describe were to appear, he would be loved and would dwell there, steering happily and accurately the only correct constitution.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. πῶς δʼ οὔ;
YOUNG SOCRATES: How indeed could he not?
ΞΕ. νῦν δέ γε ὁπότε οὐκ ἔστι γιγνόμενος, ὡς δή φαμεν, ἐν ταῖς πόλεσι βασιλεὺς οἷος ἐν σμήνεσιν ἐμφύεται, τό τε σῶμα εὐθὺς καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν διαφέρων εἷς, δεῖ δὴ συνελθόντας συγγράμματα γράφειν, ὡς ἔοικεν, μεταθέοντας τὰ τῆς ἀληθεστάτης πολιτείας ἴχνη.
STRANGER: But as it is, since there is no king arising in cities in the way one is born in beehives, outstanding from the start both in body and soul as one, we must indeed come together and write written rules, as it seems, pursuing the tracks of the truest constitution.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. κινδυνεύει.
YOUNG SOCRATES: It seems so.