ich Plato's mind is occupied. He
treats them more slightly, partly because the dialogue is shorter, and
also because the discussion of them is perpetually crossed by the other
interest of dialectic, which has begun to absorb him.

The plan of the Politicus or Statesman may be briefly sketched as
follows: (1) By a process of division and subdivision we discover the
true herdsman or king of men. But before we can rightly distinguish him
from his rivals, we must view him, (2) as he is presented to us in a
famous ancient tale: the tale will also enable us to distinguish the
divine from the human herdsman or shepherd: (3) and besides our fable,
we must have an example; for our example we will select the art of
weaving, which will have to be distinguished from the kindred arts;
and then, following this pattern, we will separate the king from his
subordinates or competitors. (4) But are we not exceeding all due
limits; and is there not a measure of all arts and sciences, to which
the art of discourse must conform? There is; but before we can apply
this measure, we must know what is the aim of discourse: and our
discourse only aims at the dialectical improvement of ourselves and
others.--Having made our apology, we return once more to the king or
statesman, and proceed to contrast him with pretenders in the same
line with him, under their various forms of government. (5) His
characteristic is, that he alone has science, which is superior to law
and written enactments; these do but spring out of the necessities of
mankind, when they are in despair of finding the true king. (6) The
sciences which are most akin to the royal are the sciences of the
general, the judge, the orator, which minister to him, but even these
are subordinate to him. (7) Fixed principles are implanted by education,
and the king or statesman completes the political web by marrying
together dissimilar natures, the courageous and the temperate, the bold
and the gentle, who are the warp and the woof of society.

The outline may be filled up as follows:--

SOCRATES: I have reason to thank you, Theodorus, for the acquaintance of
Theaetetus and the Stranger.

THEODORUS: And you will have three times as much reason to thank me
when they have delineated the Statesman and Philosopher, as well as the
Sophist.

SOCRATES: Does the great geometrician apply the same measure to all
three? Are they not divided by an interval which no geometrical ratio
can express?

T