parmenides   

consequences to the many in relation to themselves and to the one, and

to the one in relation to itself and the many, on the hypothesis of

the being of the many, but also what will be the consequences to the

one and the many in their relation to themselves and to each other, on

the opposite hypothesis. Or, again, if likeness is or is not, what

will be the consequences in either of these cases to the subjects of

the hypothesis, and to other things, in relation both to themselves

and to one another, and so of unlikeness; and the same holds good of

motion and rest, of generation and destruction, and even of being

and not-being. In a word, when you suppose anything to be or not to

be, or to be in any way affected, you must look at the consequences in

relation to the thing itself, and to any other things which you

choose-to each of them singly, to more than one, and to all; and so of

other things, you must look at them in relation to themselves and to

anything else which you suppose either to be or not to be, if you

would train yourself perfectly and see the real truth.

That, Parmenides, is a tremendous business of which you speak, and I

do not quite understand you; will you take some hypothesis and go

through the steps?-then I shall apprehend you better.

That, Socrates, is a serious task to impose on a man of my years.

Then will you, Zeno? said Socrates.

Zeno answered with a smile:-Let us make our petition to Parmenides

himself, who is quite right in saying that you are hardly aware of the

extent of the task which you are imposing on him; and if there were

more of us I should not ask him, for these are not subjects which

any one, especially at his age, can well speak of before a large

audience; most people are not aware that this round-about progress

through all things is the only way in which the mind can attain

truth and wisdom. And therefore, Parmenides, I join in the request

of Socrates, that I may hear the process again which I have not

heard for a long time.

When Zeno had thus spoken, Pythodorus, according to Antiphon's