254d
παρεικάθῃ τὸ μὴ ὂν λέγουσιν ὡς ἔστιν ὄντως μὴ ὂν ἀθῴοις ἀπαλλάττειν.
Θεαίτητος:
οὐκοῦν χρή.
Ξένος:
μέγιστα μὴν τῶν γενῶν ἃ νυνδὴ διῇμεν τό τε ὂν αὐτὸ καὶ στάσις καὶ κίνησις.
Θεαίτητος:
πολύ γε.
Ξένος:
καὶ μὴν τώ γε δύο φαμὲν αὐτοῖν ἀμείκτω πρὸς ἀλλήλω.
Θεαίτητος:
σφόδρα γε.
Ξένος:
τὸ δέ γε ὂν μεικτὸν ἀμφοῖν: ἐστὸν γὰρ ἄμφω που.
Θεαίτητος:
πῶς δ' οὔ;
Ξένος:
τρία δὴ γίγνεται ταῦτα.
Θεαίτητος:
τί μήν;
Ξένος:
οὐκοῦν αὐτῶν ἕκαστον τοῖν μὲν δυοῖν ἕτερόν ἐστιν, αὐτὸ δ' ἑαυτῷ ταὐτόν.
254d
permitted us to say that not-being really is, although not being, and yet come off unscathed.
Theaetetus:
Yes; that is the proper thing for us to do.
Stranger:
The most important, surely, of the classes or genera are those which we just mentioned; being itself and rest and motion.
Theaetetus:
Yes, by far.
Stranger:
And further, two of them, we say, cannot mingle with each other.
Theaetetus:
Decidedly not.
Stranger:
But being can mingle with both of them, for they both are.
Theaetetus:
Of course.
Stranger:
Then these prove to be three.
Theaetetus:
To be sure.
Stranger:
Each of them is, then, other than the remaining two, but the same as itself.