Certainly.
that comes into being, and together with the And all these others we shall affirm to be parts second part and with all the rest, and will not be of the whole and of the one, which, as soon as wanting to any part, which is added to any other the end is reached, has become whole and one?
part until it has reached the last and become one Yes; that is what we shall say.
whole; it will be wanting neither to the middle, But the end comes last, and the one is of such nor to the first, nor to the last, nor to any of them, a nature as to come into being with the last; and, while the process of becoming is going on?
since the one cannot come into being except in True.
accordance with its own nature, its nature will Then the one is of the same age with all the require that it should come into being after the others, so that if the one itself does not contra-others, simultaneously with the end.
dict its own nature, it will be neither prior nor Clearly.
posterior to the others, but simultaneous; and Then the one is younger than the others and according to this argument the one will be neithe others older than the one.
ther older nor younger than the others, nor the That also is clear in my judgment.
others than the one, but according to the previ-Well, and must not a beginning or any other ous argument the one will be older and younger part of the one or of anything, if it be a part and than the others and the others than the one.
not parts, being a part, be also of necessity one?
Certainly.
Certainly.
After this manner then the one is and has be-And will not the one come into being together come. But as to its becoming older and younger with each part—together with the first part when than the others, and the others than the one, 96
Parmenides
and neither older nor younger, what shall we say?
No.
Shall we say as of being so also of becoming, or But consider whether they may not become otherwise?
older and younger in another way.
I cannot answer.
In what way?
But I can venture to say, that even if one thing Just as the one was proven to be older than the were older or younger than another, it could not others and the others than the one.
become older or younger in a greater degree than And what of that?
it was at first; for equals added to unequals, If the one is older than the others, has come whether to periods of time or to anything else, into being a longer time than the others.
leave the difference between them the same as Yes.
at first.
But consider again; if we add equal time to a Of course.
greater and a less time, will the greater differ Then that which is, cannot become older or from the less time by an equal or by a smaller younger than that which is, since the difference portion than before?
of age is always the same; the one is and has By a smaller portion.
become older and the other younger; but they Then the difference between the age of the one are no longer becoming so.
and the age of the others will not be afterwards True.
so great as at first, but if an equal time be added And the one which is does not therefore be-to both of them they will differ less and less in come either older or younger than the others age?
which are.
Yes.