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There remains to be considered the great difficulty of this book

of the Republic, the so-called number of the State. This is a

puzzle almost as great as the Number of the Beast in the Book of

Revelation, and though apparently known to Aristotle, is referred

to by Cicero as a proverb of obscurity (Ep. ad Att.). And some

have imagined that there is no answer to the puzzle, and that

Plato has been practising upon his readers. But such a deception

as this is inconsistent with the manner in which Aristotle speaks

of the number (Pol.), and would have been ridiculous to any

reader of the Republic who was acquainted with Greek mathematics.

As little reason is there for supposing that Plato intentionally

used obscure expressions; the obscurity arises from our want of

familiarity with the subject.