§309ΞΕ. ταὐτὸν δή μοι τοῦθʼ ἡ βασιλικὴ φαίνεται πᾶσι τοῖς κατὰ νόμον παιδευταῖς καὶ τροφεῦσιν, τὴν τῆς ἐπιστατικῆς αὐτὴ δύναμιν ἔχουσα, οὐκ ἐπιτρέψειν ἀσκεῖν ὅτι μή τις πρὸς τὴν αὑτῆς σύγκρασιν ἀπεργαζόμενος ἦθός τι πρέπον ἀποτελεῖ, ταῦτα δὲ μόνα παρακελεύεσθαι παιδεύειν·
STRANGER: This very same thing, indeed, the kingly art appears to me to do to all the educators and nurturers according to law; possessing herself the power of superintendence, she will not permit them to train in anything except what, by working toward her own mixture, produces some fitting character, and she commands them to teach only these things.
καὶ τοὺς μὲν μὴ δυναμένους κοινωνεῖν ἤθους ἀνδρείου καὶ σώφρονος ὅσα τε ἄλλα ἐστὶ τείνοντα πρὸς ἀρετήν, ἀλλʼ εἰς ἀθεότητα καὶ ὕβριν καὶ ἀδικίαν ὑπὸ κακῆς βίᾳ φύσεως ἀπωθουμένους, θανάτοις τε ἐκβάλλει καὶ φυγαῖς καὶ ταῖς μεγίσταις κολάζουσα ἀτιμίαις.
And those who are unable to share in a courageous and temperate character, and in all other things that tend toward virtue, but are forced by the violence of an evil nature into godlessness, insolence, and injustice, she casts out by putting them to death and sending them into exile, and by punishing them with the greatest dishonors.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. λέγεται γοῦν πως οὕτως.
YOUNG SOCRATES: At any rate, it is said somewhat in this way.
ΞΕ. τοὺς δὲ ἐν ἀμαθίᾳ τε αὖ καὶ ταπεινότητι πολλῇ κυλινδουμένους εἰς τὸ δουλικὸν ὑποζεύγνυσι γένος.
STRANGER: But those who in turn wallow in ignorance and great baseness, she yokes into the slavish class.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. ὀρθότατα.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Most rightly.
ΞΕ. τοὺς λοιποὺς τοίνυν, ὅσων αἱ φύσεις ἐπὶ τὸ γενναῖον ἱκαναὶ παιδείας τυγχάνουσαι καθίστασθαι καὶ δέξασθαι μετὰ τέχνης σύμμειξιν πρὸς ἀλλήλας, τούτων τὰς μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν μᾶλλον συντεινούσας, οἷον στημονοφυὲς νομίσασʼ αὐτῶν εἶναι τὸ στερεὸν ἦθος, τὰς δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ κόσμιον πίονί τε καὶ μαλακῷ καὶ κατὰ τὴν εἰκόνα κροκώδει διανήματι προσχρωμένας, ἐναντία δὲ τεινούσας ἀλλήλαις, πειρᾶται τοιόνδε τινὰ τρόπον συνδεῖν καὶ συμπλέκειν.
STRANGER: As for the rest, then, whose natures, when they obtain education, are capable of being brought to nobility and of accepting a mixture with each other with art—of these, those natures tending more toward courage, regarding their solid character as warp-like, and those tending toward orderliness, making use of a rich, soft, and, according to the image, woof-like thread, though tending in opposite directions from each other, she tries to bind and weave together in some such manner.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. ποῖον δή;
YOUNG SOCRATES: What sort of manner indeed?
ΞΕ. πρῶτον μὲν κατὰ τὸ συγγενὲς τὸ ἀειγενὲς ὂν τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτῶν μέρος θείῳ συναρμοσαμένη δεσμῷ, μετὰ δὲ τὸ θεῖον τὸ ζῳογενὲς αὐτῶν αὖθις ἀνθρωπίνοις.
STRANGER: First, by joining together the ever-born part of their soul, which is akin, with a divine bond, and after the divine part, in turn, their animal-born part with human bonds.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. πῶς τοῦτʼ εἶπες αὖ;
YOUNG SOCRATES: How did you say this again?
ΞΕ. τὴν τῶν καλῶν καὶ δικαίων πέρι καὶ ἀγαθῶν καὶ τῶν τούτοις ἐναντίων ὄντως οὖσαν ἀληθῆ δόξαν μετὰ βεβαιώσεως, ὁπόταν ἐν ψυχαῖς ἐγγίγνηται, θείαν φημὶ ἐν δαιμονίῳ γίγνεσθαι γένει.
STRANGER: I say that the truly existing true opinion with confirmation concerning beautiful, just, and good things, and their opposites, whenever it arises in souls, becomes divine in a daemonic class.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. πρέπει γοῦν οὕτω.
YOUNG SOCRATES: It is fitting, at any rate, so.
ΞΕ. τὸν δὴ πολιτικὸν καὶ τὸν ἀγαθὸν νομοθέτην ἆρʼ ἴσμεν ὅτι προσήκει μόνον δυνατὸν εἶναι τῇ τῆς βασιλικῆς μούσῃ τοῦτο αὐτὸ ἐμποιεῖν τοῖς ὀρθῶς μεταλαβοῦσι παιδείας, οὓς ἐλέγομεν νυνδή;
STRANGER: Do we then know that it belongs only to the statesman and the good lawgiver to be able, by the muse of the kingly art, to implant this very thing in those who have rightly partaken of education, whom we were mentioning just now?
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. τὸ γοῦν εἰκός.
YOUNG SOCRATES: At any rate, that is likely.
ΞΕ. ὃς δʼ ἂν δρᾶν γε, ὦ Σώκρατες, ἀδυνατῇ τὸ τοιοῦτον, μηδέποτε τοῖς νῦν ζητουμένοις ὀνόμασιν αὐτὸν προσαγορεύωμεν.
STRANGER: But whoever is unable to do such a thing, Socrates, let us never address him by the names now being sought.
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. ὀρθότατα.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Most rightly.
ΞΕ. τί οὖν;
STRANGER: What then?
ἀνδρεία ψυχὴ λαμβανομένη τῆς τοιαύτης ἀληθείας ἆρʼ οὐχ ἡμεροῦται καὶ τῶν δικαίων μάλιστα οὕτω κοινωνεῖν ἂν ἐθελήσειεν, μὴ μεταλαβοῦσα δὲ ἀποκλινεῖ μᾶλλον πρὸς θηριώδη τινὰ φύσιν;
Does not a courageous soul, when it takes hold of such truth, become civilized, and would it not in this way especially wish to share in just things, whereas if it does not partake of it, it will incline rather toward a certain wild nature?
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. πῶς δʼ οὔ;
YOUNG SOCRATES: How could it not?
ΞΕ. τί δὲ τὸ τῆς κοσμίας φύσεως;
STRANGER: And what about the orderly nature?
ἆρʼ οὐ τούτων μὲν μεταλαβὸν τῶν δοξῶν ὄντως σῶφρον καὶ φρόνιμον, ὥς γε ἐν πολιτείᾳ, γίγνεται, μὴ κοινωνῆσαν δὲ ὧν λέγομεν ἐπονείδιστόν τινα εὐηθείας δικαιότατα λαμβάνει φήμην;
Does it not, by partaking of these opinions, become truly temperate and wise, at least in a state, while if it does not share in what we say, it most justly receives a certain disgraceful reputation for silliness?
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. πάνυ μὲν οὖν.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Quite so.
ΞΕ. οὐκοῦν συμπλοκὴν καὶ δεσμὸν τοῦτον τοῖς μὲν κακοῖς πρὸς σφᾶς αὐτοὺς καὶ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς πρὸς τοὺς κακοὺς μηδέποτε μόνιμον φῶμεν γίγνεσθαι, μηδέ τινα ἐπιστήμην αὐτῷ σπουδῇ πρὸς τοὺς τοιούτους ἂν χρῆσθαί ποτε;
STRANGER: Therefore, shall we say that this interweaving and bond never becomes lasting for the bad with themselves, or for the good with the bad, and that no science would ever seriously use it for such people?
ΝΕ. ΣΩ. πῶς γάρ;
YOUNG SOCRATES: For how indeed?