s in us or in the concrete will never admit the small or
admit of being exceeded: instead of this, one of two things will happen,
either the greater will fly or retire before the opposite, which is the
less, or at the approach of the less has already ceased to exist; but
will not, if allowing or admitting of smallness, be changed by that;
even as I, having received and admitted smallness when compared with
Simmias, remain just as I was, and am the same small person. And as the
idea of greatness cannot condescend ever to be or become small, in like
manner the smallness in us cannot be or become great; nor can any other
opposite which remains the same ever be or become its own opposite, but
either passes away or perishes in the change.

That, replied Cebes, is quite my notion.

Hereupon one of the company, though I do not exactly remember which of
them, said: In heaven's name, is not this the direct contrary of what
was admitted before--that out of the greater came the less and out of
the less the greater, and that opposites were simply generated from
opposites; but now this principle seems to be utterly denied.

Socrates inclined his head to the speaker and listened. I like your
courage, he said, in reminding us of this. But you do not observe that
there is a difference in the two cases. For then we were speaking of
opposites in the concrete, and now of the essential opposite which, as
is affirmed, neither in us nor in nature can ever be at variance with
itself: then, my friend, we were speaking of things in which opposites
are inherent and which are called after them, but now about the
opposites which are inherent in them and which give their name to them;
and these essential opposites will never, as we maintain, admit of
generation into or out of one another. At the same time, turning to
Cebes, he said: Are you at all disconcerted, Cebes, at our friend's
objection?

No, I do not feel so, said Cebes; and yet I cannot deny that I am often
disturbed by objections.

Then we are agreed after all, said Socrates, that the opposite will
never in any case be opposed to itself?

To that we are quite agreed, he replied.

Yet once more let me ask you to consider the question from another point
of view, and see whether you agree with me:--There is a thing which you
term heat, and another thing which you term cold?

Certainly.

But are they the same as fire and snow?

Most assuredly not.

Heat is a thing different from