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Finished, then, is our dream and perfected the surmise we spoke

of,1 that, by some Providence, at the very beginning of our foundation


of the state, [443c] we chanced to hit upon the original principle and a
sort of type of justice. Most assuredly. It really was, it seems,
Glaucon, which is why it helps,2 a sort of adumbration of justice, this
principle that it is right for the cobbler by nature to cobble and occupy
himself with nothing else, and the carpenter to practice carpentry, and
similarly all others. But the truth of the matter 3 was, as it seems, [443d]
that justice is indeed something of this kind, yet not in regard to the
doing of one's own business externally, but with regard to that which is
within and in the true sense concerns one's self, and the things of one's
selfit means that4 a man must not suffer the principles in his soul to
do each the work of some other and interfere and meddle with one
another, but that he should dispose well of what in the true sense of the
word is properly his own,5 and having first attained to self-
mastery6 and beautiful order7 within himself,8 and having
harmonized9 these three principles, the notes or intervals of three
terms quite literally the lowest, the highest, and the mean, [443e] and
all others there may be between them, and having linked and bound all
three together and made of himself a unit, 10one man instead of many,
self-controlled and in unison, he should then and then only turn to
practice if he find aught to do either in the getting of wealth or the
tendance of the body or it may be in political action or private business,
in all such doings believing and naming11 the just and honorable action
to be that which preserves and helps to produce this condition of soul,
and wisdom the science

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