§26ΣΩ. ἆρα οὐκ ἐν μὲν νόσοις ἡ τούτων ὀρθὴ κοινωνία τὴν ὑγιείας φύσιν ἐγέννησεν;
SOCRATES: Did not, then, in diseases, the right communion of these produce the nature of health?
ΠΡΩ. παντάπασι μὲν οὖν.
PROTARCHUS: Absolutely so.
ΣΩ. ἐν δὲ ὀξεῖ καὶ βαρεῖ καὶ ταχεῖ καὶ βραδεῖ, ἀπείροις οὖσιν, ἆρʼ οὐ ταὐτὰ ταῦτα· ἅμα πέρας τε ἀπηργάσατο καὶ μουσικὴν σύμπασαν τελεώτατα συνεστήσατο;
SOCRATES: And in the high and low, the swift and slow, which are unlimited, did not these same things produce limit and at the same time most perfectly compose all music?
ΠΡΩ. κάλλιστά γε.
PROTARCHUS: Most excellently indeed.
ΣΩ. καὶ μὴν ἔν γε χειμῶσιν καὶ πνίγεσιν ἐγγενομένη τὸ μὲν πολὺ λίαν καὶ ἄπειρον ἀφείλετο, τὸ δὲ ἔμμετρον καὶ ἅμα σύμμετρον ἀπηργάσατο.
SOCRATES: Furthermore, by being present in winter-cold and stifling-heat, it removed what was too much and unlimited, and produced what is moderate and at the same time harmonious.
ΠΡΩ. τί μήν;
PROTARCHUS: Of course.
ΣΩ. οὐκοῦν ἐκ τούτων ὧραί τε καὶ ὅσα καλὰ πάντα ἡμῖν γέγονε, τῶν τε ἀπείρων καὶ τῶν πέρας ἐχόντων συμμειχθέντων;
SOCRATES: Therefore, from these, as the unlimited and those having limit are mixed together, have not seasons and all beautiful things come to be for us?
ΠΡΩ. πῶς δʼ οὔ;
PROTARCHUS: How could they not?
ΣΩ. καὶ ἄλλα γε δὴ μυρία ἐπιλείπω λέγων, οἷον μεθʼ ὑγιείας κάλλος καὶ ἰσχύν, καὶ ἐν ψυχαῖς αὖ πάμπολλα ἕτερα καὶ πάγκαλα.
SOCRATES: And indeed I leave out countless other things in speaking, such as beauty and strength along with health, and again in souls very many other and beautiful things.
ὕβριν γάρ που καὶ σύμπασαν πάντων πονηρίαν αὕτη κατιδοῦσα ἡ θεός, ὦ καλὲ Φίληβε, πέρας οὔτε ἡδονῶν οὐδὲν οὔτε πλησμονῶν ἐνὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς, νόμον καὶ τάξιν πέρας ἔχοντʼ ἔθετο·
For this goddess, I suppose, looking down upon arrogance and the total wickedness of all, since there was no limit in them of pleasures or of satieties, established law and order which have limit.
καὶ σὺ μὲν ἀποκναῖσαι φῂς αὐτήν, ἐγὼ δὲ τοὐναντίον ἀποσῶσαι λέγω.
And you say that she ruins them, but I, on the contrary, say that she saves them.
σοὶ δέ, ὦ Πρώταρχε, πῶς φαίνεται;
How does it appear to you, Protarchus?
ΠΡΩ. καὶ μάλα, ὦ Σώκρατες, ἔμοιγε κατὰ νοῦν.
PROTARCHUS: Very much so, Socrates; it is entirely to my mind.
ΣΩ. οὐκοῦν τὰ μὲν δὴ τρία ταῦτα εἴρηκα, εἰ συννοεῖς.
SOCRATES: Then I have spoken of these three, if you understand.
ΠΡΩ. ἀλλʼ οἶμαι κατανοεῖν· ἓν μὲν γάρ μοι δοκεῖς τὸ ἄπειρον λέγειν, ἓν δὲ καὶ δεύτερον τὸ πέρας ἐν τοῖς οὖσι· τρίτον δὲ οὐ σφόδρα κατέχω τί βούλει φράζειν.
PROTARCHUS: Yes, I think I understand; for you seem to me to speak of the unlimited as one, and again of the limit in things that are as a second; but as for the third, I do not quite grasp what you wish to explain.
ΣΩ. τὸ γὰρ πλῆθός σε, ὦ θαυμάσιε, ἐξέπληξε τῆς τοῦ τρίτου γενέσεως· καίτοι πολλά γε καὶ τὸ ἄπειρον παρέσχετο γένη, ὅμως δʼ ἐπισφραγισθέντα τῷ τοῦ μᾶλλον καὶ ἐναντίου γένει ἓν ἐφάνη.
SOCRATES: Because the multitude, my wonderful friend, of the generation of the third astounded you; and yet the unlimited also presented many kinds, but nevertheless, by being stamped with the kind of "the more and its opposite," they appeared as one.
ΠΡΩ. ἀληθῆ.
PROTARCHUS: True.
ΣΩ. καὶ μὴν τό γε πέρας οὔτε πολλὰ εἶχεν, οὔτʼ ἐδυσκολαίνομεν ὡς οὐκ ἦν ἓν φύσει.
SOCRATES: And indeed the limit neither had many things, nor did we feel uneasy as if it were not one by nature.
ΠΡΩ. πῶς γὰρ ἄν;
PROTARCHUS: For how could we?
ΣΩ. οὐδαμῶς.
SOCRATES: In no way.
ἀλλὰ τρίτον φάθι με λέγειν, ἓν τοῦτο τιθέντα τὸ τούτων ἔκγονον ἅπαν, γένεσιν εἰς οὐσίαν ἐκ τῶν μετὰ τοῦ πέρατος ἀπειργασμένων μέτρων.
But say that I am speaking of the third, positing this one thing as the entire offspring of these, a generation into being from the measures achieved together with the limit.
ΠΡΩ. ἔμαθον.
PROTARCHUS: I understand.
ΣΩ. ἀλλὰ δὴ πρὸς τρισὶ τέταρτόν τι τότε ἔφαμεν εἶναι γένος σκεπτέον· κοινὴ δʼ ἡ σκέψις.
SOCRATES: But now, in addition to the three, we must consider that fourth kind which we then said there was; and the consideration is common.
ὅρα γὰρ εἴ σοι δοκεῖ ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι πάντα τὰ γιγνόμενα διά τινα αἰτίαν γίγνεσθαι.
For see if it seems necessary to you that all things that come to be, come to be through some cause.
ΠΡΩ. ἔμοιγε· πῶς γὰρ ἂν χωρὶς τούτου γίγνοιτο;
PROTARCHUS: To me indeed; for how could it come to be without this?
ΣΩ. οὐκοῦν ἡ τοῦ ποιοῦντος φύσις οὐδὲν πλὴν ὀνόματι τῆς αἰτίας διαφέρει, τὸ δὲ ποιοῦν καὶ τὸ αἴτιον ὀρθῶς ἂν εἴη λεγόμενον ἕν;
SOCRATES: Therefore, the nature of that which makes differs in nothing except in name from the cause, and that which makes and the cause would be rightly called one?
ΠΡΩ. ὀρθῶς.
PROTARCHUS: Rightly.