296b
οὔκουν ἡμᾶς γ', ἔφη, ἀλλ' εἴπερ, σέ. ἀλλ' ἀποκρίνου: ἦ ἀεὶ τούτῳ ἐπίστασαι;
ἀεί, ἦν δ' ἐγώ, ἐπειδὴ δεῖ ἀφελεῖν τὸ “ὅταν.”
οὐκοῦν ἀεὶ μὲν τούτῳ ἐπίστασαι: ἀεὶ δ' ἐπιστάμενος πότερον τὰ μὲν τούτῳ ἐπίστασαι ᾧ ἐπίστασαι, τὰ δ' ἄλλῳ, ἢ τούτῳ πάντα;
τούτῳ, ἔφην ἐγώ, ἅπαντα, ἅ γ' ἐπίσταμαι.
τοῦτ' ἐκεῖνο, ἔφη: ἥκει τὸ αὐτὸ παράφθεγμα.
ἀλλ' ἀφαιρῶ, ἔφην ἐγώ, τὸ “ἅ γ' ἐπίσταμαι.”
ἀλλὰ μηδὲ ἕν, ἔφη, ἀφέλῃς: οὐδὲν γάρ σου δέομαι.
296b
But I am so afraid this word “always” may bring us to grief.
Not us, he rejoined, but, if anyone, you. Now answer: do you know by this means always?
Always, I, replied, since I must withdraw the “whenever.”
Then you always know by this means: that being the case, do you know some things by this means of knowing, and some things by another means, or everything by this?
Everything by this, I replied; everything, that is, that I know.
There it comes again, he cried; the same qualification!
Well, I withdraw my “that is, that I know.”
No, do not withdraw a single word, he said: I ask you for no concession.