Turning to the special theory of Protagoras (Homo Mensura), and producing arguments, serious or ironical in its defence, Sokrates says--What you call colour has no definite place or existence either within you or without you. It is the result of the passing collision between your eyes and the flux of things suited to act upon them. It is neither in the agent nor in the patient, but is something special and momentary generated in passing between the two. It will vary with the subject: it is not the same to you, to another man, to a dog or horse, or even to yourself at different times. The object measured or touched cannot be in itself either great, or white, or hot: for if it were, it would not appear different to another Subject. Nor can the Subject touching or measuring be in itself great, or white, or hot: for if so, it would always be so, and would not be differently modified when applied to a different object. _Great_, _white_, _hot_, denote no positive and permanent attribute either in Object or Subject, but a passing result or impression generated between the two, relative to both and variable with either.[29] [Footnote 29: Plato, Theætêt. pp. 153-154. [Greek: o(\ dê\ e(/kaston ei)=nai/ phamen chrô=ma, ou)/te to\ prosba/llon ou)/te to\ prosballo/menon e)/stai, a)lla\ metaxu/ ti e(kastô| i)/dion gegono/s.]] [Side-note: Relations are nothing in the object purely and simply without a comparing subject.] To illustrate this farther (continues Sokrates)--suppose we have here six dice. If I compare them with three other dice placed by the side of them, I shall call the six dice _more_ and _double_: if I put twelve other dice by the side of them, I shall call the six _fewer_ and _half_. Or take an old man--and put a growing youth by his side. Two years ago the old man was taller than the youth: now, the youth is grown, so that the old man is the shorter of the two. But the old man, and the six dice, have remained all the time unaltered, and equal to themselves. How then can either of them become either greater or less? or how can either _really be_ so, when they were not so before?[30] [Footnote 30: Plato, Theætêt. pp. 154-155. Compare the reasoning in the Phædon, pp. 96-97-101.] [Side-note: Relativity twofold--to the comparing Subject--to another object, besides the one directly described.]