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[318a]

Socrates
He is the best man to pasture1 the human herd of the body?2

Companion
Yes.

Socrates
And who is the best man to pasture a flock of sheep? What is his name?

Companion
A shepherd.

Socrates
Then the shepherd's laws are best for sheep.

Companion
Yes.

Socrates
And the herdsman's for oxen.

Companion
Yes.

Socrates
And whose laws are best for the souls of men? The king's, are they not? Say if you agree.

Companion
I do.


1 Here νόμος is connected with a special use of νέμειν — “find appropriate pasture for” —derived from its original meaning of “apportion.”

2 The awkward imagery of this sentence obviously cannot have come from Plato's mind or hand.

Plato. Plato in Twelve Volumes, Vol. 9 translated by W.R.M. Lamb. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1925.

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