the food which once grew spontaneously had failed, and as
yet they knew not how to procure it, because they had never felt the
pressure of necessity. For all these reasons they were in a great
strait; wherefore also the gifts spoken of in the old tradition
were imparted to man by the gods, together with so much teaching and
education as was indispensable; fire was given to them by Prometheus,
the arts by Hephaestus and his fellow-worker, Athene, seeds and plants
by others. From these is derived all that has helped to frame human
life; since the care of the Gods, as I was saying, had now failed men,
and they had to order their course of life for themselves, and were
their own masters, just like the universal creature whom they imitate
and follow, ever changing, as he changes, and ever living and growing,
at one time in one manner, and at another time in another. Enough of
the story, which may be of use in showing us how greatly we erred in the
delineation of the king and the statesman in our previous discourse.

YOUNG SOCRATES: What was this great error of which you speak?

STRANGER: There were two; the first a lesser one, the other was an error
on a much larger and grander scale.

YOUNG SOCRATES: What do you mean?

STRANGER: I mean to say that when we were asked about a king and
statesman of the present cycle and generation, we told of a shepherd of
a human flock who belonged to the other cycle, and of one who was a
god when he ought to have been a man; and this a great error. Again,
we declared him to be the ruler of the entire State, without explaining
how: this was not the whole truth, nor very intelligible; but still it
was true, and therefore the second error was not so great as the first.

YOUNG SOCRATES: Very good.

STRANGER: Before we can expect to have a perfect description of the
statesman we must define the nature of his office.

YOUNG SOCRATES: Certainly.

STRANGER: And the myth was introduced in order to show, not only that
all others are rivals of the true shepherd who is the object of our
search, but in order that we might have a clearer view of him who is
alone worthy to receive this appellation, because he alone of shepherds
and herdsmen, according to the image which we have employed, has the
care of human beings.

YOUNG SOCRATES: Very true.

STRANGER: And I cannot help thinking, Socrates, that the form of
the divine shepherd is even higher than that of a king; whereas the
statesmen who are