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εἰ δύο κτλ.: not of course ‘if God had made’ etc. (D. and V.), but ‘if he should make’ etc., referring to the future, in harmony with οὔτε μὴ φυῶσιν. The words δύο μόνας mean ‘no more than two,’ “auch nur zwei” (Schneider). Even two (not to speak of more) would involve a fresh ἰδέα. Cf. Tim. 31 A τὸ γὰρ περιέχον πάντα ὁπόσα νοητὰ ζῷα, μεθ᾽ ἑτέρου δεύτερον οὐκ ἄν ποτ᾽ εἴη: πάλιν γὰρ ἂν ἕτερον εἶναι τὸ περὶ ἐκείνω δέοι ζῷον, οὗ μέρος ἂν εἴτην ἐκείνω, καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἔτι ἐκείνοιν ἀλλ᾽ ἐκείνῳ τῷ περιέχοντι τόδ᾽ ἂν ἀφωμοιωμένον λέγοιτο ὀρθότερον. The τρίτος ἄνθρωπος argument against the theory of Ideas rests on the same basis: see Parm. 132 E ff. with Arist. Met. A 9. 990^{b} 17 and Bonitz ad loc.
The Republic of Plato. James Adam. 1902. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press.
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