§154πᾶσιν ἄρα τοῖς ἄλλοις τὴν αὐτὴν ἡλικίαν ἴσχει τὸ ἕν· ὥστʼ εἰ μὴ παρὰ φύσιν πέφυκεν αὐτὸ τὸ ἕν, οὔτε πρότερον οὔτε ὕστερον τῶν ἄλλων γεγονὸς ἂν εἴη, ἀλλʼ ἅμα.
Therefore, the one has the same age as all the others; so that if indeed the one itself is not constituted contrary to nature, it would have become neither prior nor posterior to the others, but at the same time.
καὶ κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν λόγον τὸ ἓν τῶν ἄλλων οὔτε πρεσβύτερον οὔτε νεώτερον ἂν εἴη, οὐδὲ τἆλλα τοῦ ἑνός· κατὰ δὲ τὸν πρόσθεν πρεσβύτερόν τε καὶ νεώτερον, καὶ τἆλλα ἐκείνου ὡσαύτως.
And according to this argument, the one would be neither older nor younger than the others, nor the others than the one; but according to the former argument, it would be both older and younger, and the others in like manner than it.
πάνυ μὲν οὖν.
Entirely so.
ἔστι μὲν δὴ οὕτως ἔχον τε καὶ γεγονός.
Indeed, it is so and has become so.
ἀλλὰ τί αὖ περὶ τοῦ γίγνεσθαι αὐτὸ πρεσβύτερόν τε καὶ νεώτερον τῶν ἄλλων καὶ τἆλλα τοῦ ἑνός, καὶ μήτε νεώτερον μήτε πρεσβύτερον γίγνεσθαι;
But what again about its becoming older and younger than the others, and the others than the one, and becoming neither younger nor older?
ἆρα ὥσπερ περὶ τοῦ εἶναι, οὕτω καὶ περὶ τοῦ γίγνεσθαι ἔχει, ἢ ἑτέρως;
Does it hold in the case of becoming just as in the case of being, or otherwise?
οὐκ ἔχω λέγειν.
I cannot say.
ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ τοσόνδε γε· εἰ καὶ ἔστιν πρεσβύτερον ἕτερον ἑτέρου, γίγνεσθαί γε αὐτὸ πρεσβύτερον ἔτι ἢ ὡς τὸ πρῶτον εὐθὺς γενόμενον διήνεγκε τῇ ἡλικίᾳ οὐκ ἂν ἔτι δύναιτο, οὐδʼ αὖ τὸ νεώτερον ὂν ἔτι νεώτερον γίγνεσθαι· ἀνίσοις γὰρ ἴσα προστιθέμενα, χρόνῳ τε καὶ ἄλλῳ ὁτῳοῦν, ἴσῳ ποιεῖ διαφέρειν ἀεὶ ὅσῳπερ ἂν τὸ πρῶτον διενέγκῃ.
But I can say at least this much: even if one thing is older than another, it could no longer become still older than the difference in age which distinguished them immediately when first they became, nor again could that which is younger become still younger; for equals added to unequals, whether of time or of any other thing whatsoever, make them always differ by the same amount as they differed at first.
πῶς γὰρ οὔ;
How indeed could it not be?
οὐκ ἄρα τό γε ὂν τοῦ ὄντος γίγνοιτʼ ἄν ποτε πρεσβύτερον οὐδὲ νεώτερον, εἴπερ ἴσῳ διαφέρει ἀεὶ τὴν ἡλικίαν· ἀλλʼ ἔστι καὶ γέγονε πρεσβύτερον, τὸ δὲ νεώτερον, γίγνεται δʼ οὔ.
Therefore, that which is would never become older or younger than that which is, if indeed it always differs by an equal amount of age; but it is and has become older, and the other younger, but it does not become so.
ἀληθῆ.
True.
καὶ τὸ ἓν ἄρα ὂν τῶν ἄλλων ὄντων οὔτε πρεσβύτερόν ποτε οὔτε νεώτερον γίγνεται.
And therefore the one, being, never becomes either older or younger than the other things, which are.
οὐ γὰρ οὖν.
Indeed not.
ὅρα δὲ εἰ τῇδε πρεσβύτερα καὶ νεώτερα γίγνεται.
But see whether they become older and younger in this way.
πῇ δή;
In what way?
ἧι τό τε ἓν τῶν ἄλλων ἐφάνη πρεσβύτερον καὶ τἆλλα τοῦ ἑνός.
In that the one appeared older than the others, and the others than the one.
τί οὖν;
What then?
ὅταν τὸ ἓν τῶν ἄλλων πρεσβύτερον ᾖ, πλείω που χρόνον γέγονεν ἢ τὰ ἄλλα.
When the one is older than the others, it has become, I suppose, for a longer time than the others.
ναί.
Yes.
πάλιν δὴ σκόπει· ἐὰν πλέονι καὶ ἐλάττονι χρόνῳ προστιθῶμεν τὸν ἴσον χρόνον, ἆρα τῷ ἴσῳ μορίῳ διοίσει τὸ πλέον τοῦ ἐλάττονος ἢ σμικροτέρῳ;
Consider again: if we add equal time to a longer and a shorter time, would the longer differ from the shorter by an equal fraction, or by a smaller one?
σμικροτέρῳ.
By a smaller one.
οὐκ ἄρα ἔσται, ὅτιπερ τὸ πρῶτον ἦν πρὸς τἆλλα ἡλικίᾳ διαφέρον τὸ ἕν, τοῦτο καὶ εἰς τὸ ἔπειτα, ἀλλὰ ἴσον λαμβάνον χρόνον τοῖς ἄλλοις ἔλαττον ἀεὶ τῇ ἡλικίᾳ διοίσει αὐτῶν ἢ πρότερον·
Therefore, that which at first was the difference in age of the one compared to the others will not remain the same hereafter, but since it receives equal time with the others, it will always differ from them in age by a smaller amount than before.
ἢ οὔ;
Is it not so?
ναί.
Yes.
οὐκοῦν τό γε ἔλαττον διαφέρον ἡλικίᾳ πρός τι ἢ πρότερον νεώτερον γίγνοιτʼ ἂν ἢ ἐν τῷ πρόσθεν πρὸς ἐκεῖνα πρὸς ἃ ἦν πρεσβύτερον πρότερον;
Is it not then that that which differs in age from something by a smaller amount than before would become younger than before in relation to those things in comparison with which it was previously older?
νεώτερον.
Younger.
εἰ δὲ ἐκεῖνο νεώτερον, οὐκ ἐκεῖνα αὖ τὰ ἄλλα πρὸς τὸ ἓν πρεσβύτερα ἢ πρότερον;
And if that is becoming younger, are not those other things in turn becoming older than before in relation to the one?
πάνυ γε.
Quite so.