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worse than craftsmen, who, the better they are, the more accurately and perfectly they produce their proper works, both small and great, with a single art; but that God, being wise, and willing to care, and being able, and indeed being able to care for things more easily, is in no way able to care for small things, like someone lazy or cowardly who is idle because of 6.46 the labor." Then he adds: "Let us by no means accept such an opinion about God, O stranger; for in no way would one think a thought that is neither pious nor true." And again after a little: "For every physician and every skilled craftsman works on everything for the sake of the whole, aiming at the common good; he makes the part for the sake of the whole, and not the whole for the sake of the part. But you are vexed, not knowing how that which is best for you contributes 6.47 to the whole." And after many turns of phrase he added: "And the same argument would apply for you concerning those whom, having seen them become great from small beginnings after committing impious acts or some such thing, you thought had become fortunate from being wretched, and as if in mirrors you supposed you had observed in their deeds the neglect of all the gods, not knowing their contribution, how it ever contributes to the 6.48 whole." Through all these things he showed the justice of providence, and how each of the things that happen is established for the benefit of the whole. For the whole has not come into being for the sake of the smallest part, but the parts complete the harmony of the whole; nor was the whole body formed for the sake of one joint of one finger, but for the sake of the body both the fingers and their joints were fitted together. 6.49 Since, then, the nature of men has become mortal, and being mortal is in need of many things, both farming and planting and sailing, and moreover the arts of building and smithing and weaving and leatherworking and shipbuilding and the others that contribute to the necessary care of the body, very reasonably the guardian of the universe allotted poverty to some, and wealth to others, so that some might provide the materials, 6.50 and others hands skilled in the arts. The ruler of the universe made those who are proud of their wealth dependent on poverty through need. For they need not only bakers and cooks and wine-pourers, but also builders and farmers and wool-workers and shoemakers, and the ambitious need painters and sculptors and others who make the houses of the wealthy more splendid; and again, the manual laborers need the wealthy who both supply money and buy the things created by 6.51 them. Those who are displeased and annoyed at this difference, because we have not all shared in the same things, should also blame painters, because they do not paint with one color, but embellish their pictures with various ones; and they should accuse lyre-makers, and indeed the musicians themselves, because the strings do not all produce an equal sound, but the highest one one sound, and the lowest one another, and one has a sharp note, another a low one, and another has a middle 6.52 sound. It would be fitting for them also to be indignant with geometers, because they do not show one shape to those learning the science of lines, but triangles and squares and crescents and circles and trapezoids and countless other things besides those mentioned. Let them also find fault with those who teach the science of arithmetic, because some numbers are even, others odd, some evenly-odd, others oddly-even, and some are cubes, and others cube-cubes. 6.53 But if the forms of numbers and the variety of shapes and the difference of strings and the manifold kinds of colors are necessary, why on earth are you displeased that you have not all become Croesuses and Midases and Dariuses? For you wish for nothing else, in desiring this equality, than for the entire human race to be utterly destroyed by famine and want of necessities 6.54. For who would have endured, when all have a share of equal honor, to undertake the labor for the service of his neighbor or to plow the earth and to sow and the

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δημιουργῶν φαυλότερον, οἳ τὰ προσήκοντα αὐτοῖς ἔργα, ὅσῳπερ ἂν ἀμείνους ὦσι, τοσούτῳ ἀκριβέστερα καὶ τελεώτερα μιᾷ τέχνῃ σμικρὰ καὶ μεγάλα ἀπεργάζονται· τὸν δὲ θεόν, ὄντα τε σοφόν, βουλόμενόν τε ἐπιμελεῖσθαι, δυνατὸν εἶναι, καὶ δυνάμενον μὲν ῥᾷον ἐπιμεληθῆναι, σμικρῶν δὲ ὄντων μηδαμῇ ἐπιμελεῖσθαι δυνατὸν εἶναι, καθάπερ ἀργὸν ἢ δειλόν τινα διὰ 6.46 πόνους ῥᾳθυμοῦντα." Ἔπειτα ἐπιφέρει· "Μηδαμῶς δόξαν τοιαύτην περὶ θεοῦ, ὦ ξένε, ἀποδεχώμεθα· οὐδαμῇ γὰρ οὔτε ὅσιον οὔτε ἀληθὲς τὸ διανόημα διανοοῖτ' ἄν." Καὶ πάλιν μετ' ὀλίγα· "Πᾶς γὰρ ἰατρὸς καὶ πᾶς ἔντεχνος δημιουργὸς παντὸς μὲν ἕνεκα πάντα ἐργάζεται πρὸς τὸ κοινῇ ξυντεῖνον βέλτιον· μέρος μὲν εἵνεκεν ὅλου, καὶ οὐχ ὅλον εἵνεκεν μέρους ἀπεργάζεται· σὺ δ' ἀγανακτεῖς, ἀγνοῶν ὅπῃ τὸ περὶ σὲ ἄριστον τῷ παντὶ ξυμβαί 6.47 νει." Καὶ μετὰ πλείστους λόγων ἑλιγμοὺς ἐπήγαγεν· "Ὁ αὐ τὸς δὲ λόγος σοι καὶ περὶ ἐκείνων ἂν εἴη, τῶν οὓς σὺ κατιδὼν ἐκ σμικρῶν μεγάλους γεγονότας ἀνοσιουργήσαντας ἤ τι τοιοῦτο πράξαντας ᾠήθης ἐξ ἀθλίων εὐδαίμονας γεγονέναι, καὶ ὡς ἐν κατόπτροις αὐτῶν ταῖς πράξεσιν ἡγήσω καθεωρακέναι τὴν πάντων ἀμέλειαν θεῶν, οὐκ εἰδὼς αὐτῶν τὴν ξυντέλειαν, ὅπῃ πώποτε τῷ 6.48 παντὶ ξυμβάλλεται." ∆ιὰ δὴ τούτων ἁπάντων καὶ τῆς προνοίας τὸ δίκαιον ἔδειξε, καὶ ὡς ἕκαστον τῶν γινομένων τῷ παντὶ καθέστηκε ξύμφορον. Οὐ γὰρ τοῦ σμικροτάτου γε μορίου χάριν τὸ ὅλον γεγένηται, ἀλλὰ τὰ μόρια ξυμπληροῖ τὴν τοῦ παντὸς ἁρμονίαν· οὐδὲ διὰ μίαν δακτύλου ἑνὸς σκυταλίδα ὅλον διεπλάσθη τὸ σῶμα, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ σῶμα καὶ οἱ δάκτυλοι καὶ αἱ τούτων ξυνηρμόσθησαν σκυταλίδες. 6.49 Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν θνητὴ μὲν γέγονε τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ φύσις, θνητὴ δὲ οὖσα πολλῶν ἐστιν ἐνδεής, καὶ γεωργίας καὶ φυτουργίας καὶ ναυτιλίας, καὶ μέντοι καὶ οἰκοδομικῆς καὶ χαλκευτικῆς καὶ ὑφαντικῆς καὶ σκυτοτομικῆς καὶ ναυπηγικῆς τέχνης καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὅσαι ξυνεργοῦσι πρὸς τὴν ἀναγκαίαν τοῦ σώματος θερα πείαν, μάλα γε εἰκότως ὁ τοῦ παντὸς κηδεμὼν τοῖς μὲν πενίαν, τοῖς δὲ ξυνεκλήρωσε πλοῦτον, ἵνα οἱ μὲν τὰς ὕλας παρέχωσιν, 6.50 οἱ δὲ τὰς χεῖρας ἠσκημένας πρὸς τὰς τέχνας. Ἐξήρτησε δὲ τῆς πενίας διὰ τῆς χρείας τοὺς ἐπὶ πλούτῳ βρενθυομένους τῶν ὅλων ὁ πρύτανις. ∆έονται γὰρ οὐκ ἀρτοποιῶν οὐδὲ ὀψοποιῶν μόνον καὶ οἰνοχόων, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἰκοδόμων καὶ γεωργῶν καὶ ταλασιουργῶν καὶ σκυτέων, οἱ δέ γε φιλότιμοι καὶ ζωγράφων καὶ πλαστουργῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων, οἳ περιφανεστέρας ἀποφαίνουσι τῶν πλουτούντων τὰς οἰκίας· δέονται δ' αὖ πάλιν καὶ οἱ χειρώνακτες τῶν εὐπόρων καὶ χρήματα χορηγούντων καὶ ὠνουμένων τὰ παρ' ἐκείνων δη 6.51 μιουργούμενα. Οἱ δὲ τήνδε τὴν διαφορὰν δυσχεραίνοντες καὶ χαλεπαίνοντες, ὅτι μὴ πάντες τῶν αὐτῶν μετεσχήκαμεν, ἐγκα λείτωσαν καὶ τοῖς ζωγράφοις, ὅτι μὴ ἑνὶ χρώματι γράφουσιν, ἀλλ' ἐκ διαφόρων τὰς εἰκόνας δαιδάλλουσι· κατηγορείτωσαν δὲ καὶ τῶν λυροποιῶν, καὶ μέντοι καὶ αὐτῶν γε τῶν μουσικῶν, ὅτι μὴ ἴσην ἀφιᾶσιν ἅπασαι ἠχὴν αἱ χορδαί, ἀλλ' ἄλλην μὲν ἡ νήτη, ἄλλην δὲ ἡ ὑπάτη, καὶ ἡ μὲν ὀξεῖαν, ἡ δὲ βαρεῖαν, ἡ δὲ μέσον 6.52 ἔχει τὸν φθόγγον. Νεμεσᾶν δὲ αὐτοὺς προσῆκε καὶ τοῖς γεωμέ τραις, ὅτι οὐχ ἓν τοῖς τὴν γραμμικὴν μανθάνουσιν ἐπιστήμην ἐπιδεικνύουσι σχῆμα, ἀλλὰ τρίγωνα καὶ τετράγωνα καὶ μηνοειδῆ καὶ κύκλους καὶ τραπέζια καὶ ἄλλα ἄττα τῶν εἰρημένων πολ λαπλάσια. Ἐπιμεμφέσθωσαν δὲ καὶ τοῖς τὴν ἀριθμητικὴν διδά σκουσιν ἐπιστήμην, ὅτι τῶν ἀριθμῶν οἱ μέν εἰσιν ἄρτιοι, οἱ δὲ περιττοί, οἱ δὲ ἀρτιοπέριττοι, οἱ δὲ περισσάρτιοι, καὶ οἱ μὲν κύβοι, οἱ δὲ κυβεπίκυβοι. 6.53 Εἰ δὲ ἀναγκαῖαι καὶ τῶν ἀριθμῶν αἱ ἰδέαι καὶ τῶν σχημάτων τὸ ποικίλον καὶ τῶν χορδῶν τὸ διάφορον καὶ τὰ παντοδαπὰ τῶν χρωμάτων γένη, τί δήποτε δυσχεραίνετε, ὅτι μὴ πάντες Κροῖσοι καὶ Μῖδαι καὶ ∆αρεῖοι γεγένησθε; οὐδὲν γὰρ ἕτερον βούλεσθε, τήνδε τὴν ἰσότητα ποθοῦντες, ἢ λιμῷ καὶ σπάνει τῶν ἀναγκαίων 6.54 ἄρδην ἅπαν ἀφανισθῆναι τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸ γένος. Τίς γὰρ ἠνέσχετο ἄν, ἰσοτιμίας πάντων μετειληχότων, τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ πέλας θεραπείας ἀναδέξασθαι πόνον ἢ ἀρόσαι γῆν καὶ σπεῖραι καὶ τοὺς