第9章
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  Theonewasshowntobeinitselfwhichwasawhole?

  True。

  Andalsoinotherthings?

  Yes。

  Insofarasitisinotherthingsitwouldtouchotherthings,butinsofarasitisinitselfitwouldbedebarredfromtouchingthem,andwouldtouchitselfonly。

  Clearly。

  Thentheinferenceisthatitwouldtouchboth?

  Itwould。

  Butwhatdoyousaytoanewpointofview?Mustnotthatwhichistotouchanotherbenexttothatwhichitistotouch,andoccupytheplacenearesttothatinwhichwhatittouchesissituated?

  True。

  Thentheone,ifitistotouchitself,oughttobesituatednexttoitself,andoccupytheplacenexttothatinwhichitselfis?

  Itought。

  Andthatwouldrequirethattheoneshouldbetwo,andbeintwoplacesatonce,andthis,whileitisone,willneverhappen。

  No。

  Thentheonecannottouchitselfanymorethanitcanbetwo?

  Itcannot。

  Neithercanittouchothers。

  Whynot?

  Thereasonis,thatwhateveristotouchanothermustbeinseparationfrom,andnextto,thatwhichitistotouch,andnothirdthingcanbebetweenthem。

  True。

  Twothings,then,attheleastatenecessarytomakecontactpossible?

  Theyare。

  Andiftothetwoathirdbeaddedindueorder,thenumberoftermswillbethree,andthecontactstwo?

  Yes。

  Andeveryadditionaltermmakesoneadditionalcontact,whenceitfollowsthatthecontactsareonelessinnumberthantheterms;thefirsttwotermsexceededthenumberofcontactsbyone,andthewholenumberoftermsexceedsthewholenumberofcontactsbyoneinlikemanner;andforeveryonewhichisafterwardsaddedtothenumberofterms,onecontactisaddedtothecontacts。

  True。

  Whateveristhewholenumberofthings,thecontactswillbealwaysoneless。

  True。

  Butiftherebeonlyone,andnottwo,therewillbenocontact?

  Howcantherebe?

  Anddowenotsaythattheothersbeingotherthantheonearenotoneandhavenopartintheone?

  True。

  Thentheyhavenonumber,iftheyhavenooneinthem?

  Ofcoursenot。

  Thentheothersareneitheronenortwo,noraretheycalledbythenameofanynumber?

  No。

  One,then,aloneisone,andtwodonotexist?

  Clearlynot。

  Andiftherearenottwo,thereisnocontact?

  Thereisnot。

  Thenneitherdoestheonetouchtheothers,northeotherstheone,ifthereisnocontact?

  Certainlynot。

  Forallwhichreasonstheonetouchesanddoesnottouchitselfandtheothers?

  True。

  Further—istheoneequalandunequaltoitselfandothers?

  Howdoyoumean?

  Iftheoneweregreaterorlessthantheothers,ortheothersgreaterorlessthantheone,theywouldnotbegreaterorlessthaneachotherinvirtueoftheirbeingtheoneandtheothers;but,ifinadditiontotheirbeingwhattheyaretheyhadequality,theywouldbeequaltooneanother,oriftheonehadsmallnessandtheothersgreatness,ortheonehadgreatnessandtheotherssmallness—whicheverkindhadgreatnesswouldbegreater,andwhicheverhadsmallnesswouldbesmaller?

  Certainly。

  Thentherearetwosuchideasasgreatnessandsmallness;foriftheywerenottheycouldnotbeopposedtoeachotherandbepresentinthatwhichis。

  Howcouldthey?

  If,then,smallnessispresentintheoneitwillbepresenteitherinthewholeorinapartofthewhole?

  Certainly。

  Supposethefirst;itwillbeeitherco—equalandco—extensivewiththewholeone,orwillcontaintheone?

  Clearly。

  Ifitbeco—extensivewiththeoneitwillbecoequalwiththeone,orifcontainingtheoneitwillbegreaterthantheone?

  Ofcourse。

  Butcansmallnessbeequaltoanythingorgreaterthananything,andhavethefunctionsofgreatnessandequalityandnotitsownfunctions?

  Impossible。

  Thensmallnesscannotbeinthewholeofone,but,ifatall,inapartonly?

  Yes。

  Andsurelynotinallofapart,forthenthedifficultyofthewholewillrecur;itwillbeequaltoorgreaterthananypartinwhichitis。

  Certainly。

  Thensmallnesswillnotbeinanything,whetherinawholeorinapart;norwilltherebeanythingsmallbutactualsmallness。

  True。

  Neitherwillgreatnessbeintheone,forifgreatnessbeinanythingtherewillbesomethinggreaterotherandbesidesgreatnessitself,namely,thatinwhichgreatnessis;andthistoowhenthesmallitselfisnotthere,whichtheone,ifitisgreat,mustexceed;

  this,however,isimpossible,seeingthatsmallnessiswhollyabsent。

  True。

  Butabsolutegreatnessisonlygreaterthanabsolutesmallness,andsmallnessisonlysmallerthanabsolutegreatness。

  Verytrue。

  Thenotherthingsnotgreaterorlessthantheone,iftheyhaveneithergreatnessnorsmallness;norhavegreatnessorsmallnessanypowerofexceedingorbeingexceededinrelationtotheone,butonlyinrelationtooneanother;norwilltheonebegreaterorlessthanthemorothers,ifithasneithergreatnessnorsmallness。

  Clearlynot。

  Theniftheoneisneithergreaternorlessthantheothers,itcannoteitherexceedorbeexceededbythem?

  Certainlynot。

  Andthatwhichneitherexceedsnorisexceeded,mustbeonanequality;andbeingonanequality,mustbeequal。

  Ofcourse。

  Andthiswillbetruealsooftherelationoftheonetoitself;

  havingneithergreatnessnorsmallnessinitself,itwillneitherexceednorbeexceededbyitself,butwillbeonanequalitywithandequaltoitself。

  Certainly。

  Thentheonewillbeequaltobothitselfandtheothers?

  Clearlyso。

  Andyettheone,beingitselfinitself,willalsosurroundandbewithoutitself;and,ascontainingitself,willbegreaterthanitself;and,ascontainedinitself,willbeless;andwillthusbegreaterandlessthanitself。

  Itwill。

  Nowtherecannotpossiblybeanythingwhichisnotincludedintheoneandtheothers?

  Ofcoursenot。

  But,surely,thatwhichismustalwaysbesomewhere?

  Yes。

  Butthatwhichisinanythingwillbeless,andthatinwhichitiswillbegreater;innootherwaycanonethingbeinanother。

  True。

  Andsincethereisnothingotherorbesidestheoneandtheothers,andtheymustbeinsomething,musttheynotbeinoneanother,theoneintheothersandtheothersintheone,iftheyaretobeanywhere?

  Thatisclear。

  Butinasmuchastheoneisintheothers,theotherswillbegreaterthantheone,becausetheycontaintheone,whichwillbelessthantheothers,becauseitiscontainedinthem;andinasmuchastheothersareintheone,theoneonthesameprinciplewillbegreaterthantheothers,andtheotherslessthantheone。

  True。

  Theone,then,willbeequaltoandgreaterandlessthanitselfandtheothers?

  Clearly。

  Andifitbegreaterandlessandequal,itwillbeofequalandmoreandlessmeasuresordivisionsthanitselfandtheothers,andifofmeasures,alsoofparts?

  Ofcourse。

  Andifofequalandmoreandlessmeasuresordivisions,itwillbeinnumbermoreorlessthanitselfandtheothers,andlikewiseequalinnumbertoitselfandtotheothers?

  Howisthat?

  Itwillbeofmoremeasuresthanthosethingswhichitexceeds,andofasmanypartsasmeasures;andsowiththattowhichitisequal,andthatthanwhichitisless。

  True。

  Andbeinggreaterandlessthanitself,andequaltoitself,itwillbeofequalmeasureswithitselfandofmoreandfewermeasuresthanitself;andifofmeasuresthenalsoofparts?

  Itwill。

  Andbeingofequalpartswithitself,itwillbenumericallyequaltoitself;andbeingofmoreparts,more,andbeingofless,lessthanitself?

  Certainly。

  Andthesamewillholdofitsrelationtootherthings;inasmuchasitisgreaterthanthem,itwillbemoreinnumberthanthem;andinasmuchasitissmaller,itwillbelessinnumber;andinasmuchasitisequalinsizetootherthings,itwillbeequaltotheminnumber。

  Certainly。

  Oncemorethen,aswouldappear,theonewillbeinnumberbothequaltoandmoreandlessthanbothitselfandallotherthings。

  Itwill。

  Doestheonealsopartakeoftime?Andisitanddoesitbecomeolderandyoungerthanitselfandothers,andagain,neitheryoungernorolderthanitselfandothers,byvirtueofparticipationintime?

  Howdoyoumean?

  Ifoneis,beingmustbepredicatedofit?

  Yes。

  Buttobe(einai)isonlyparticipationofbeinginpresenttime,andtohavebeenistheparticipationofbeingatapasttime,andtobeabouttobeistheparticipationofbeingatafuturetime?

  Verytrue。

  Thentheone,sinceitpartakesofbeing,partakesoftime?

  Certainly。

  Andisnottimealwaysmovingforward?

  Yes。

  Thentheoneisalwaysbecomingolderthanitself,sinceitmovesforwardintime?

  Certainly。

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