- Source
- Isocrates, Vol 2. Norlin, George, editor. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1929 (printing).
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0010.tlg018.humanitext-grc2:39-48
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-26
The speaker explains how the Council of the Areopagus maintained state order by prioritizing daily habits and education over written laws, and by assigning appropriate activities (such as agriculture, trade, or philosophy) to citizens according to their wealth.
τὴν δὴ τοιαύτην, ὥσπερ εἶπον, κυρίαν ἐποίησαν τῆς εὐταξίας ἐπιμελεῖσθαι, ἣ τοὺς μὲν οἰομένους ἐνταῦθα βελτίστους ἄνδρας γίγνεσθαι, παρʼ οἷς οἱ νόμοι μετὰ πλείστης ἀκριβείας κείμενοι τυγχάνουσιν, ἀγνοεῖν ἐνόμιζεν· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἂν κωλύειν ὁμοίους ἅπαντας εἶναι τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἕνεκά γε τοῦ ῥᾴδιον εἶναι τὰ γράμματα λαβεῖν παρʼ ἀλλήλων.1
So they made this council, as I said, sovereign to supervise good order; this council regarded as ignorant those who believe that the best men are produced in those states where the laws are enacted with the greatest precision. For, it thought, nothing would prevent all Greeks from being entirely alike, at least as far as it is easy to obtain written laws from one another.
ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὐκ ἐκ τούτων τὴν ἐπίδοσιν εἶναι τῆς ἀρετῆς, ἀλλʼ ἐκ τῶν καθʼ ἑκάστην τὴν ἡμέραν ἐπιτηδευμάτων· τοὺς γὰρ πολλοὺς ὁμοίους τοῖς ἤθεσιν ἀποβαίνειν, ἐν οἷς ἂν ἕκαστοι παιδευθῶσιν. ἔπειτα τά γε πλήθη καὶ τὰς ἀκριβείας τῶν νόμων σημεῖον εἶναι τοῦ κακῶς οἰκεῖσθαι τὴν πόλιν ταύτην· ἐμφράγματα γὰρ αὐτοὺς ποιουμένους τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων πολλοὺς τίθεσθαι τοὺς νόμους ἀναγκάζεσθαι.
But indeed, the increase of virtue does not come from these written laws, but from daily habits; for the majority of people turn out to have characters similar to the environment in which they have been educated. Furthermore, the very multitude and precision of laws is a sign of a badly governed city; for in making barriers against offences, they are forced to enact many laws.
δεῖν δὲ τοὺς ὀρθῶς πολιτευομένους οὐ τὰς στοὰς ἐμπιπλάναι γραμμάτων, ἀλλʼ ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἔχειν τὸ δίκαιον· οὐ γὰρ τοῖς ψηφίσμασιν ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἤθεσι καλῶς οἰκεῖσθαι τὰς πόλεις, καὶ τοὺς μὲν κακῶς τεθραμμένους καὶ τοὺς ἀκριβῶς τῶν νόμων ἀναγεγραμμένους2 τολμήσειν παραβαίνειν, τοὺς δὲ καλῶς πεπαιδευμένους καὶ τοῖς ἁπλῶς κειμένοις ἐθελήσειν ἐμμένειν.
Those who govern correctly, therefore, ought not to fill the porticoes with written laws, but to have justice in their souls; for cities are well governed not by decrees but by character, and those who have been badly reared will dare to transgress even laws that are precisely written down, while those who have been well educated will be willing to abide even by those that are simply laid down.
ταῦτα διανοηθέντες οὐ τοῦτο πρῶτον ἐσκόπουν, διʼ ὧν κολάσουσι τοὺς ἀκοσμοῦντας, ἀλλʼ ἐξ ὧν παρασκευάσουσι μηδὲν αὐτοὺς ἄξιον ζημίας ἐξαμαρτάνειν· ἡγοῦντο γὰρ τοῦτο μὲν αὑτῶν ἔργον εἶναι, τὸ δὲ περὶ τὰς τιμωρίας σπουδάζειν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς προσήκειν.
Having this in mind, they did not consider first of all by what means they should punish the disorderly, but by what means they should prepare them so that they would commit no offence deserving of punishment; for they believed that this was their own duty, while being zealous about punishments was proper for enemies.
ἁπάντων μὲν οὖν ἐφρόντιζον τῶν πολιτῶν, μάλιστα δὲ τῶν νεωτέρων. ἑώρων γὰρ τοὺς τηλικούτους ταραχωδέστατα διακειμένους καὶ πλείστων γέμοντας ἐπιθυμιῶν, καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν μάλιστα δαμασθῆναι δεομένας ἐπιμελείαις καλῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων καὶ πόνοις ἡδονὰς ἔχουσιν· ἐν μόνοις γὰρ ἂν τούτοις ἐμμεῖναι3 τοὺς ἐλευθέρως τεθραμμένους καὶ μεγαλοφρονεῖν εἰθισμένους.
They cared, then, for all the citizens, but especially for the younger ones. For they saw that those of such an age are most turbulent and full of the greatest desires, and that their souls stand in greatest need of being tamed by care for noble pursuits and by labors that contain pleasures; for only in these would those who have been reared as free men and accustomed to high-mindedness remain.
ἅπαντας μὲν οὖν ἐπὶ τὰς αὐτὰς ἄγειν διατριβὰς οὐχ οἷόν τʼ ἦν, ἀνωμάλως τὰ περὶ τὸν βίον ἔχοντας· ὡς δὲ πρὸς τὴν οὐσίαν ἥρμοττεν, οὕτως ἑκάστοις προσέταττον. τοὺς μὲν γὰρ ὑποδεέστερον πράττοντας ἐπὶ τὰς γεωργίας καὶ τὰς ἐμπορίας ἔτρεπον, εἰδότες τὰς ἀπορίας μὲν διὰ τὰς ἀργίας γιγνομένας, τὰς δὲ κακουργίας διὰ τὰς ἀπορίας· ἀπορίας· ἀναιροῦντες οὖν τὴν ἀρχὴν τῶν κακῶν ἀπαλλάξειν ᾤοντο καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁμαρτημάτων τῶν μετʼ ἐκείνην γιγνομένων. τοὺς δὲ βίον ἱκανὸν κεκτημένους περὶ τὴν ἱππικὴν καὶ τὰ γυμνάσια καὶ τὰ κυνηγέσια καὶ τὴν φιλοσοφίαν ἠνάγκασαν διατρίβειν, ὁρῶντες ἐκ τούτων τοὺς μὲν διαφέροντας γιγνομένους, τοὺς δὲ τῶν πλείστων κακῶν ἀπεχομένους.
It was not possible, then, to lead all to the same occupations, since their means of livelihood were unequal; so they assigned to each what was fitting to their property. For they turned those who were worse off to agriculture and trade, knowing that destitution arises from idleness, and wrong-doing from destitution. Removing, therefore, the origin of evils, they thought they would also rid them of the other offences that occur after it. On the other hand, they compelled those who possessed sufficient means to spend their time on horsemanship, gymnastics, hunting, and philosophy, seeing that from these some become outstanding, while others abstain from most vices.
καὶ ταῦτα νομοθετήσαντες οὐδὲ τὸν λοιπὸν χρόνον ὠλιγώρουν, ἀλλὰ διελόμενοι τὴν μὲν πόλιν κατὰ κώμας τὴν δὲ χώραν κατὰ δήμους ἐθεώρουν τὸν βίον τὸν ἑκάστου, καὶ τοὺς ἀκοσμοῦντας ἀνῆγον εἰς τὴν βουλήν. ἡ δὲ τοὺς μὲν ἐνουθέτει, τοῖς δʼ ἠπείλει, τοὺς δʼ ὡς προσῆκεν ἐκόλαζεν. ἠπίσταντο γὰρ ὅτι δύο τρόποι τυγχάνουσιν ὄντες οἱ καὶ προτρέποντες ἐπὶ τὰς ἀδικίας καὶ παύοντες τῶν πονηριῶν·
And having enacted these laws, they did not neglect the remaining time, but dividing the city by quarters and the country by districts, they watched the life of each individual, and brought the disorderly before the council. This body admonished some, threatened others, and punished others as was fitting. For they knew that there are two ways that both incite to injustice and put an end to wicked deeds:
παρʼ οἷς μὲν γὰρ μήτε φυλακὴ μηδεμία τῶν τοιούτων καθέστηκε μήθʼ αἱ κρίσεις ἀκριβεῖς εἰσι, παρὰ τούτοις μὲν διαφθείρεσθαι καὶ τὰς ἐπιεικεῖς τῶν φύσεων, ὅπου δὲ μήτε λαθεῖν τοῖς ἀδικοῦσι ῥᾴδιόν ἐστι μήτε φανεροῖς γενομένοις συγγνώμης τυχεῖν, ἐνταῦθα δʼ ἐξιτήλους γίγνεσθαι τὰς κακοηθείας. ἅπερ ἐκεῖνοι γιγνώσκοντες ἀμφοτέροις κατεῖχον τοὺς πολίτας, καὶ ταῖς τιμωρίαις καὶ ταῖς ἐπιμελείαις· τοσούτου γὰρ ἔδεον αὐτοὺς λανθάνειν4 οἱ κακόν τι δεδρακότες, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς ἐπιδόξους ἁμαρτήσεσθαί τι προῃσθάνοντο.
for among those where no such vigilance is established and trials are not precise, even virtuous natures are corrupted; but where it is not easy for wrong-doers to escape notice, nor to obtain pardon when they are discovered, there bad habits disappear. Knowing this, they restrained the citizens by both means, by punishments and by supervisions; for so far were they from allowing those who had done some evil to escape notice, that they even perceived beforehand those who were likely to commit an offence.
τοιγαροῦν οὐκ ἐν τοῖς σκιραφείοις οἱ νεώτεροι διέτριβον, οὐδʼ ἐν ταῖς αὐλητρίσιν, οὐδʼ ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις συλλόγοις ἐν οἷς νῦν διημερεύουσιν· ἀλλʼ ἐν τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασιν ἔμενον ἐν οἷς ἐτάχθησαν, θαυμάζοντες καὶ ζηλοῦντες τοὺς ἐν τούτοις πρωτεύοντας. οὕτω δʼ ἔφευγον τὴν ἀγοράν, ὥστʼ εἰ καί ποτε διελθεῖν ἀναγκασθεῖεν, μετὰ πολλῆς αἰδοῦς καὶ σωφροσύνης ἐφαίνοντο τοῦτο ποιοῦντες.
Consequently, the younger men did not spend their time in gambling dens, nor among flute-girls, nor in such gatherings as those in which they now pass their days; but they remained in the occupations to which they had been appointed, admiring and emulating those who excelled in them. And they so avoided the marketplace that even if they were ever forced to pass through it, they appeared to do this with great modesty and temperance.
- 39ἕνεκά γε τοῦ ῥᾴδιον εἶναι τὰ γράμματα λαβεῖν παρʼ ἀλλήλων
The preposition ἕνεκα (on account of) governs the articular infinitive τοῦ εἶναι in the genitive. ῥᾴδιον is the predicate adjective of this infinitive, and the accusative-and-infinitive clause τὰ γράμματα λαβεῖν serves as its subject.
- 41τοὺς ἀκριβῶς τῶν νόμων ἀναγεγραμμένους
The genitive τῶν νόμων is a partitive genitive restricted by the substantivized participle τοὺς ἀναγεγραμμένους ("those that have been written down"), meaning "those of the laws that are precisely recorded."
- 43ἐν μόνοις γὰρ ἂν τούτοις ἐμμεῖναι
The infinitive ἐμμεῖναι combined with the particle ἂν represents a potential optative (ἂν ἐμμείνειαν) in indirect discourse, expressing a subjective potentiality ("that they would remain only in these").
- 47τοσούτου γὰρ ἔδεον αὐτοὺς λανθάνειν
A personal construction of the idiomatic phrase τοσούτου δέω (to be so far from, by no means), here in the third-person plural imperfect ἔδεον. It emphasizes that the wrongdoers were extremely far from escaping notice (i.e., they had absolutely no chance of remaining hidden).