Young Socrates: Certainly not.
Stranger: This too, is evident, that the king cannot do much with his hands, or with his whole body, towards the maintenance of his empire, compared with what he does by the intelligence and strength of his mind.
Young Socrates: Clearly not.
Stranger: Then, shall we say that the king has a greater affinity to knowledge than to manual arts and to practical life in general?
Young Socrates: Certainly he has.
Stranger: Then we may put all together as one and the same—statesmanship and the statesman—the kingly science and the king.
Young Socrates: Clearly.
Stranger: And now we shall only be proceeding in due order if we go on to divide the sphere of knowledge?
Young Socrates: Very good.
Stranger: Think whether you can find any joint or parting in knowledge.
Young Socrates: Tell me of what sort.
Stranger: Such as this: You may remember that we made an art of calculation?
Young Socrates: Yes.
Stranger: Which was, unmistakeably, one of the arts of knowledge?
Young Socrates: Certainly.
Stranger: And to this art of calculation which discerns the differences of numbers shall we assign any other function except to pass judgment on their differences?
Young Socrates: How could we?
Stranger: You know that the master-builder does not work himself, but is the ruler of workmen?
Young Socrates: Yes.
Stranger: He contributes knowledge, not manual labour?
Young Socrates: True.
Stranger: And may therefore be justly said to share in theoretical science?
Young Socrates: Quite true.
Stranger: But he ought not, like the calculator, to regard his functions as at an end when he has formed a judgment;—he must assign to the individual workmen their appropriate task until they have completed the work.
Young Socrates: True.