Soc. It is clear the chaff will at once fall into the chaff-receiver. (13)
(13) A hollowed-out portion of the threshing-floor, according to
Breitenbach.
Isch. And when you have cleansed the corn over half the floor, will you proceed at once, with the corn thus strewn in front of you, to winnow the remainder, (14) or will you first pack the clean grain into the narrowest space against the central pillar? (15)
(14) Lit. "of the chaff," where we should say "corn," the winnowing
process separating chaff from grain and grain from chaff.
(15) If that is the meaning of {ton polon}. Al. "the outer edge or rim
of the threshing-floor."
Soc. Yes, upon my word! first pack together the clean grain, and proceed. My chaff will now be carried into the empty portion of the floor, and I shall escape the need of winnowing twice over. (16)
(16) Or, "the same chaff (i.e. unwinnowed corn, Angl. corn) twice."
Isch. Really, Socrates, you are fully competent yourself, it seems, to teach an ignorant world (17) the speediest mode of winnowing.
(17) Lit. "After all, Socrates, it seems you could even teach another
how to purge his corn most expeditiously."
Soc. It seems, then, as you say, I must have known about these matters, though unconsciously; and here I stand and beat my brains, (18) reflecting whether or not I may not know some other things—how to refine gold and play the flute and paint pictures—without being conscious of the fact. Certainly, as far as teaching goes, no one ever taught me these, no more than husbandry; while, as to using my own eyes, I have watched men working at the other arts no less than I have watched them till the soil.
(18) Lit. "all this while, I am thinking whether..."