Page - 1398 - in The Complete Plato

that the same principle applies equally to all human things? Cleinias. To what are you referring? Athenian. I was going to say that man never legislates, but accidents of all sorts, which legislate for us in all sorts of ways. The violence of war and the hard necessity of poverty are constantly overturning governments and changing laws. And the power of discase has often caused innovations in the state, when there have been pestilences, or when there has been a succession of bad seasons continuing during many years. Any one who sees all this, naturally rushes to the conclusion of which I was speaking, that no mortal legislates in anything, but that in human affairs chance is almost everything. And this may be said of the arts of the sailor, and the pilot, and the physician, and the general, and may seem to be well said; and yet there is another thing which may be said with equal truth of all of them. Cleinias. What is it? Athenian. That God governs all things, and that chance and opportunity co– operate with him in the government of human affairs. There is, however, a third and less extreme view, that art should be there also; for I should say that in a storm there must surely be a great advantage in having the aid of the pilot’s art. You would agree? Cleinias. Yes. Athenian. And does not a like principle apply to legislation as well as to other things: even supposing all the conditions to be favourable which are needed for the happiness of the state, yet the true legislator must from time to time appear on the scene? Cleinias. Most true. Athenian. In each case the artist would be able to pray rightly for certain conditions, and if these were granted by fortune, he would then only require to exercise his art? Cleinias. Certainly. Athenian. And all the other artists just now mentioned, if they were bidden to offer up each their special prayer, would do so? Cleinias. Of course. Athenian. And the legislator would do likewise? Cleinias. I believe that he would. Athenian. “Come, legislator,” we will say to him; “what are the conditions which you require in a state before you can organize it?” How ought he to 1398