§150οὐκοῦν ἐστόν γέ τινε τούτω εἴδη, τό τε μέγεθος καὶ ἡ σμικρότης;
Are there not, then, these two forms, greatness and smallness?
οὐ γὰρ ἄν που μὴ ὄντε γε ἐναντίω τε ἀλλήλοιν εἴτην καὶ ἐν τοῖς οὖσιν ἐγγιγνοίσθην.
For if they did not exist, they would surely not be opposite to each other, nor would they arise in existing things.
πῶς γὰρ ἄν;
For how could they?
εἰ ἄρα ἐν τῷ ἑνὶ σμικρότης ἐγγίγνεται, ἤτοι ἐν ὅλῳ ἂν ἢ ἐν μέρει αὐτοῦ ἐνείη.
If, then, smallness arises in the one, it must be either in the whole or in a part of it.
ἀνάγκη.
Necessary.
τί δʼ εἰ ἐν ὅλῳ ἐγγίγνοιτο;
But what if it should arise in the whole?
οὐχὶ ἢ ἐξ ἴσου ἂν τῷ ἑνὶ διʼ ὅλου αὐτοῦ τεταμένη εἴη ἢ περιέχουσα αὐτό;
Would it not either be co-extended with the one throughout the whole of it, or else contain it?
δῆλον δή.
Clearly so.
ἆρʼ οὖν οὐκ ἐξ ἴσου μὲν οὖσα ἡ σμικρότης τῷ ἑνὶ ἴση ἂν αὐτῷ εἴη, περιέχουσα δὲ μείζων;
And if smallness is co-extended with the one, would it not be equal to it, and if containing it, greater?
πῶς δʼ οὔ;
How could it not be?
δυνατὸν οὖν σμικρότητα ἴσην τῳ εἶναι ἢ μείζω τινός, καὶ πράττειν τὰ μεγέθους τε καὶ ἰσότητος, ἀλλὰ μὴ τὰ ἑαυτῆς;
Is it possible, then, for smallness to be equal to or greater than something, and to perform the functions of greatness and equality, but not its own?
ἀδύνατον.
Impossible.
ἐν μὲν ὅλῳ ἄρα τῷ ἑνὶ οὐκ ἂν εἴη σμικρότης, ἀλλʼ εἴπερ, ἐν μέρει.
Then smallness would not be in the whole of the one, but, if at all, in a part.
ναί.
Yes.
οὐδέ γε ἐν παντὶ αὖ τῷ μέρει· εἰ δὲ μή, ταὐτὰ ποιήσει ἅπερ πρὸς τὸ ὅλον· ἴση ἔσται ἢ μείζων τοῦ μέρους ἐν ᾧ ἂν ἀεὶ ἐνῇ.
And again, not in the whole of the part either; otherwise it will do the same as in the case of the whole: it will be equal to or greater than the part in which it may from time to time be.
ἀνάγκη.
Necessary.
οὐδενί ποτε ἄρα ἐνέσται τῶν ὄντων σμικρότης, μήτʼ ἐν μέρει μήτʼ ἐν ὅλῳ ἐγγιγνομένη· οὐδέ τι ἔσται σμικρὸν πλὴν αὐτῆς σμικρότητος.
Therefore, smallness will never be in any of existing things, arising neither in a part nor in the whole; nor will anything be small except smallness itself.
οὐκ ἔοικεν.
It does not seem so.
οὐδʼ ἄρα μέγεθος ἐνέσται ἐν αὐτῷ· μεῖζον γὰρ ἄν τι εἴη ἄλλο καὶ πλὴν αὐτοῦ μεγέθους, ἐκεῖνο ἐν ᾧ τὸ μέγεθος ἐνείη, καὶ ταῦτα σμικροῦ αὐτῷ οὐκ ὄντος, οὗ ἀνάγκη ὑπερέχειν, ἐάνπερ ᾖ μέγα· τοῦτο δὲ ἀδύνατον, ἐπειδὴ σμικρότης οὐδαμοῦ ἔνι.
Therefore, greatness will not be in it either; for there would be something else greater besides greatness itself, namely, that in which the greatness was, and this too though there is no smallness in it, which it must exceed if it is to be great; but this is impossible, since smallness is nowhere.
ἀληθῆ.
True.
ἀλλὰ μὴν αὐτὸ μέγεθος οὐκ ἄλλου μεῖζον ἢ αὐτῆς σμικρότητος, οὐδὲ σμικρότης ἄλλου ἔλαττον ἢ αὐτοῦ μεγέθους.
But indeed, greatness itself is greater than nothing else than smallness itself, and smallness is less than nothing else than greatness itself.
οὐ γάρ.
Indeed.
οὔτε ἄρα τὰ ἄλλα μείζω τοῦ ἑνὸς οὐδὲ ἐλάττω, μήτε μέγεθος μήτε σμικρότητα ἔχοντα, οὔτε αὐτὼ τούτω πρὸς τὸ ἓν ἔχετον τὴν δύναμιν τὴν τοῦ ὑπερέχειν καὶ ὑπερέχεσθαι, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἀλλήλω, οὔτε αὖ τὸ ἓν τούτοιν οὐδὲ τῶν ἄλλων μεῖζον ἂν οὐδʼ ἔλαττον εἴη, μήτε μέγεθος μήτε σμικρότητα ἔχον.
Therefore, the others are neither greater nor less than the one, since they have neither greatness nor smallness, nor do these two themselves have their power of exceeding and being exceeded in relation to the one, but in relation to each other; nor again would the one be greater or less than these two or the others, having neither greatness nor smallness.
οὔκουν φαίνεταί γε.
It certainly does not appear so.
ἆρʼ οὖν, εἰ μήτε μεῖζον μήτε ἔλαττον τὸ ἓν τῶν ἄλλων, ἀνάγκη αὐτὸ ἐκείνων μήτε ὑπερέχειν μήτε ὑπερέχεσθαι;
If, then, the one is neither greater nor less than the others, must it neither exceed them nor be exceeded by them?
ἀνάγκη.
Necessary.
οὐκοῦν τό γε μήτε ὑπερέχον μήτε ὑπερεχόμενον πολλὴ ἀνάγκη ἐξ ἴσου εἶναι, ἐξ ἴσου δὲ ὂν ἴσον εἶναι.
And must that which neither exceeds nor is exceeded be on equal terms, and being on equal terms, be equal?
πῶς γὰρ οὔ;
How indeed could it not be?
καὶ μὴν καὶ αὐτό γε τὸ ἓν πρὸς ἑαυτὸ οὕτως ἂν ἔχοι· μήτε μέγεθος ἐν ἑαυτῷ μήτε σμικρότητα ἔχον οὔτʼ ἂν ὑπερέχοιτο οὔτʼ ἂν ὑπερέχοι ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλʼ ἐξ ἴσου ὂν ἴσον ἂν εἴη ἑαυτῷ.
And indeed, the one itself would also be in this relation to itself: having neither greatness nor smallness in itself, it would neither be exceeded by itself nor exceed itself, but being on equal terms, would be equal to itself.
πάνυ μὲν οὖν.
Quite so.
τὸ ἓν ἄρα ἑαυτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἴσον ἂν εἴη.
Therefore, the one would be equal both to itself and to the others.
φαίνεται.
It appears so.