bering the teaching of its father and maker as best it could. Now, in the beginning this was
achieved more precisely, but in the end it was more vague. And the cause of this was the
bodily aspect of the combination, the ancient companion of its nature, which had partaken
of much disorder before it arrived in the present world. For it has acquired all that is good
from its maker, whereas anything that is troublesome or unjust in the universe it retains
from that previous condition, and it engenders this in the living beings. When it nurtures
the creatures within itself in company with the helmsman, the baseness it generates is minor,
while the good is enormous. However, once it is separated from him, it always deals with
everything excellently, during the time closest to the letting go, but with the advance of
time and the onset of forgetfulness in itself, the ancient condition of disharmony also exerts
more power over it and comes to full bloom towards the end of that era. Then, mixing a
little good with a considerable blend of its opposite, it gets to the point at which both itself
and whatever is within it are in danger of destruction. Therefore, at that stage, the god who
had once put it in order, discerning the difficulties it is in – concerned lest it be storm-tossed
by tribulations, break apart, and sink beneath the boundless ocean of diversity – takes his
seat once more at its helm, and having reversed the diseases and weaknesses from the former
revolution when it was subject to itself, brings order, sets it right, and renders it immortal
and unageing.
Now, although that concludes all there is to be said, it is sufficient, for the aspect
that concerns the presentation of the king, to take note of the earlier part of the account.
For once the universe had turned its course once more to the present process of generation,
the direction of ageing stood still once more, and new processes opposite to the previous
ones were imposed. Those creatures who were just on the point of vanishing due to their
smallness grew larger, while the bodies that were new-born from the earth with grey hair,
died once more and went back down into the earth. And everything else changed, imitating
and following along with the tendencies of the universe. And, indeed, in the case of con-
ception, birth and nurture, their imitation was of necessity in conformity with all else. For
it was no longer possible in earth for living beings to be brought forth through the agency
of artificers other than themselves. Rather, just as the universe had been directed to be the
independent ruler of its own course, so too, on the same basis, its parts were directed to
come forth, be born and develop as best they could, under similar guidance.
The entire account was initiated for a purpose, and we have now attained it. Now, in
the case of the other animals, it would be a complex and lengthy process to recount in each
case what they changed from and what caused the change. However, in the case of human
beings it would be shorter and more appropriate. For when we became bereft of the care of
the daimon who had acquired and tended us, most of the animals whose natures are trou-
blesome turned wild and preyed upon the humans, who had themselves become weak and
unprotected, and in those early years were still devoid of ingenuity or skill, seeing that their
spontaneous food source had failed them and they did not yet know how to provide for
themselves because they had no compelling need to do so previously. They were facing
enormous difficulties on account of all these issues. Hence, those gifts from the gods,
described of old, have been bestowed upon us, along with the necessity for teaching and
instruction: fire from Prometheus, skills from Hephaestus and his fellow artisan, seeds and
plants in turn from other gods. And everything else that has helped the organisation of
human life has arisen from these. When, as we said just now, the care of the gods for human-
ity had failed, they had to maintain guidance and care of themselves by means of them-
selves, just like the entire world, which we are imitating and following through all time as
we live and grow, now in this manner, then in that other manner. So let that be the end of
273 c
273 d
273 e
274 a
274 b
274 c
274 d
274 e
270 | STATESMAN – 273c–274e