§164ἀλλὰ μὴν οὐδʼ ἔστι γε αὐτῷ τι τῶν ὄντων· ἤδη γὰρ ἂν τούτου μετέχον οὐσίας μετέχοι.
And indeed, none of the things that are belongs to it; for if it participated in this, it would already participate in substance.
δῆλον.
Clear.
οὔτε ἄρα μέγεθος οὔτε σμικρότης οὔτε ἰσότης αὐτῷ ἔστιν.
Therefore, neither greatness, nor smallness, nor equality belongs to it.
οὐ γάρ.
Indeed not.
οὐδὲ μὴν ὁμοιότης γε οὐδὲ ἑτεροιότης οὔτε πρὸς αὑτὸ οὔτε πρὸς τἆλλα εἴη ἂν αὐτῷ.
Nor indeed would similarity or difference, either towards itself or towards other things, belong to it.
οὐ φαίνεται.
It does not appear so.
τί δέ;
But what?
τἆλλα ἔσθʼ ὅπως ἂν εἴη αὐτῷ, εἰ μηδὲν αὐτῷ δεῖ εἶναι;
Is there any way that other things could belong to it, if nothing must belong to it?
οὐκ ἔστιν.
There is not.
οὔτε ἄρα ὅμοια οὔτε ἀνόμοια οὔτε ταὐτὰ οὔθʼ ἕτερά ἐστιν αὐτῷ τὰ ἄλλα.
Therefore, the other things are neither like, nor unlike, nor same, nor different in relation to it.
οὐ γάρ.
Indeed not.
τί δέ;
But what?
τὸ ἐκείνου ἢ τὸ ἐκείνῳ ἢ τὸ τὶ ἢ τὸ τοῦτο ἢ τὸ τούτου ἢ ἄλλου ἢ ἄλλῳ ἢ ποτὲ ἢ ἔπειτα ἢ νῦν ἢ ἐπιστήμη ἢ δόξα ἢ αἴσθησις ἢ λόγος ἢ ὄνομα ἢ ἄλλο ὁτιοῦν τῶν ὄντων περὶ τὸ μὴ ὂν ἔσται;
Will "of that," "to that," "something," "this," "of this," "of another," "to another," "at some time," or "hereafter," "now," "knowledge," "opinion," "perception," "account," "name," or anything else of the things that are, be concerning the non-being one?
οὐκ ἔσται.
It will not be.
οὕτω δὴ ἓν οὐκ ὂν οὐκ ἔχει πως οὐδαμῇ.
Thus, indeed, the non-being one does not have any condition in any way.
οὔκουν δὴ ἔοικέν γε οὐδαμῇ ἔχειν. ἔτι δὴ λέγωμεν, ἓν εἰ μὴ ἔστι, τἆλλα τί χρὴ πεπονθέναι.
Indeed, it does not seem to have any condition in any way.Let us speak further, if the one is not, what the other things must undergo.
λέγωμεν γάρ.
Yes, let us speak.
ἄλλα μέν που δεῖ αὐτὰ εἶναι· εἰ γὰρ μηδὲ ἄλλα ἐστίν, οὐκ ἂν περὶ τῶν ἄλλων λέγοιτο. οὕτω.
Surely they must be "others"; for if they are not even "others," nothing would be said about "the others." So it is.
εἰ δὲ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὁ λόγος, τά γε ἄλλα ἕτερά ἐστιν. ἢ οὐκ ἐπὶ τῷ αὐτῷ καλεῖς τό τε ἄλλο καὶ τὸ ἕτερον;
And if the talk is about "the others," the others are "different." Or do you not call "other" and "different" by the same name?
ἔγωγε.
I do.
ἕτερον δέ γέ πού φαμεν τὸ ἕτερον εἶναι ἑτέρου, καὶ τὸ ἄλλο δὴ ἄλλο εἶναι ἄλλου;
But we say, do we not, that "the different" is different from another "different," and "the other" is other than another "other"?
ναί.
Yes.
καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἄρα, εἰ μέλλει ἄλλα εἶναι, ἔστι τι οὗ ἄλλα ἔσται. ἀνάγκη.
And for the others, therefore, if they are to be "others," there is something of which they will be "others." Necessary.
τί δὴ οὖν ἂν εἴη;
What then could it be?
τοῦ μὲν γὰρ ἑνὸς οὐκ ἔσται ἄλλα, μὴ ὄντος γε.
For they will not be "others" of the one, since it is not.
οὐ γάρ.
Indeed not.
ἀλλήλων ἄρα ἐστί· τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἔτι λείπεται, ἢ μηδενὸς εἶναι ἄλλοις.
They are, then, "others" of one another; for this is still left for them, or else they would be "others" of nothing.
ὀρθῶς.
Correct.
κατὰ πλήθη ἄρα ἕκαστα ἀλλήλων ἄλλα ἐστί· κατὰ ἓν γὰρ οὐκ ἂν οἷά τε εἴη, μὴ ὄντος ἑνός.
Therefore, they are "others" of one another in respect of multitudes; for they could not be so in respect of "one," since the one is not.
ἀλλʼ ἕκαστος, ὡς ἔοικεν, ὁ ὄγκος αὐτῶν ἄπειρός ἐστι πλήθει, κἂν τὸ σμικρότατον δοκοῦν εἶναι λάβῃ τις, ὥσπερ ὄναρ ἐν ὕπνῳ φαίνεται ἐξαίφνης ἀντὶ ἑνὸς δόξαντος εἶναι πολλὰ καὶ ἀντὶ σμικροτάτου παμμέγεθες πρὸς τὰ κερματιζόμενα ἐξ αὐτοῦ.
Rather, each mass of them, as it seems, is infinite in multitude, and even if one takes what seems to be the smallest, just as a dream in sleep, it suddenly appears to be many instead of seeming to be one, and instead of the smallest, very large in comparison to the things that are minced from it.
ὀρθότατα.
Most correct.
τοιούτων δὴ ὄγκων ἄλλα ἀλλήλων ἂν εἴη τἆλλα, εἰ ἑνὸς μὴ ὄντος ἄλλα ἐστίν.
Of such masses, then, the others would be "others" of one another, if the others are when the one is not.
κομιδῇ μὲν οὖν.
Quite so.
οὐκοῦν πολλοὶ ὄγκοι ἔσονται, εἷς ἕκαστος φαινόμενος, ὢν δὲ οὔ, εἴπερ ἓν μὴ ἔσται;
Therefore, there will be many masses, each appearing to be one, but not being so, if indeed the one will not be?
οὕτω.
So it is.
καὶ ἀριθμὸς δὲ εἶναι αὐτῶν δόξει, εἴπερ καὶ ἓν ἕκαστον, πολλῶν ὄντων.
And there will seem to be a number of them, if indeed each is one, when there are many.
πάνυ γε.
Quite so.
καὶ τὰ μὲν δὴ ἄρτια, τὰ δὲ περιττὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς ὄντα οὐκ ἀληθῶς φαίνεται, εἴπερ ἓν μὴ ἔσται.
And even the even and the odd among them, though appearing to be, do not truly appear, if indeed the one will not be.
οὐ γὰρ οὖν.
Certainly not.