260–261
Stranger
Str. Retail dealers receive and sell over again the productions of others, which have generally been sold before.
Younger Socrates
Y. Soc. Certainly.
Stranger
Str. And in like manner heralds receive the purposes of others in the form of orders, and then give the orders a second time to others.
Younger Socrates
Y. Soc. Very true.
20
Stranger
Str. Shall we, then, join the art of the king in the same class with the art of the interpreter, the boatswain, the prophet, the herald, and many other kindred arts, all of which involve giving orders? Or, as we just now made a comparison of functions, shall we now by comparison make a name also—since the class of those who issue orders of their own is virtually nameless—and assign kings to the science of giving orders of one’s own, disregarding all the rest and leaving to someone else the task of naming them? For the object of our present quest is the ruler, not his opposite.
Younger Socrates
Y. Soc. Quite right.
Stranger
Str. Then since a reasonable distinction between this class and the rest has been made, by distinguishing the commands given as one’s own or another’s, shall we again divide this class, if there is in it any further line of section?
Younger Socrates
Y. Soc. Certainly.
Stranger
Str. I think there is one; please help me in making the section.
Younger Socrates
Y. Soc. On what line?
5
Stranger
Str. Take the case of all those whom we conceive of as rulers who give commands: shall we not find that they all issue commands for the sake of producing something?
Younger Socrates
Y. Soc. Of course.
Stranger
Str. Furthermore it is not at all difficult to divide all that is produced into two classes.
