Citizenship Registration and Ephebic Training — Constitution of the Athenians §42 (Aristotle) | Greek text & English translation

XLII. ἔχει δ’ ἡ νῦν κατάστασις τῆς πολιτείας τόνδε τὸν τρόπονμετέχουσιν μετέχουσιν μὲν τῆς πολιτείας οἱ ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων γεγονότες ἐγγράφονται δ’ εἰς τοὺς δημότας ὁκτωκαίδεκα ἔτη γεγονότες. ὅταν δ’ ἐγγράφωνται διαψηφίζονται περὶ αὐτῶν ὀμόσαντες οἱ δημοται, πρῶτον μὲν εἰ δοκοῦσι γεγονέναι τὴν ἡλικίαν τὴν ἐκ τοῦ νόμου, κἂν μὴ δόξωσι, ἀπέρχονται πάλιν εἰς παῖδας¹, δεύτερον δ’ εἰ ἐλεύθερός ἐστι καὶ γέγονε κατὰ τοὺς νόμους. ἔπειτ’ ἂν μὲν ἀποψηφίσωνται μὴ εἶναι ἐλεύθερον², ὁ μὲν ἐφίησιν εἰς τὸ δικαστήριον, οἱ δὲ δημόται κατηγόρους αἱροῦνται πέντε [ἄν]δρας ἐξ κἄν μὲν μὴ δόξῃ δικαίως ἐγγράφεσθαι, πωλεῖ τοῦτον ἡ πόλις· ἐὰν δὲ νικήσῃ, τοῖς δ]ημόταις ἐπάναγκες ἐγγράφειν. μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα δ[οκ]ιμάζει τοῦς ἐγγραφέντας ἡ βουλή, κἄν τις δόξ[ῃ] νεώτερος ὀκτωκαίδεκ’ ἐτῶν εἶναι, ζημιοῖ τ[ο]ὺς δημότας τοὺς ἐγγράψαντας.ἐπὰν ἐπὰν δὲ ἐπὰν δὲ δοκιμασθῶσιν ἔφηβοι, συλλεγέντες οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν [κ]ατὰ φυλὰς ὀμόσαντες τρεῖς ἐκ τῶν φυλετῶν τῶν ὑπὲρ τετταράκοντα ἔτη γεγονότων, οὕς ἡγῶνται βελτίστους εἶναι καὶ ἐπιτηδειοτάτους ἐπιμελεῖθαι τῶν ἐφήβων, ἐκ δὲ τούτων ὁ δὴμος ἕνα τῆς φυλῆς ἑκάστης χειποτονεῖ σωφρονιστὴν καὶ κοσμητὴν ἐκ τῶν ἄλλων Ἀθηναίων ἐπὶ πάντας. συλλαβόντες δ’ οὗτοι τοὺς ἐφήβους, πρῶτον μὲν τὰ ἱερὰ περιῆλθον, εἶτ’ εἰς Πειραιέα πορεύονται καὶ φρουροῦσιν οἱ μὲν τὴν Μουνιχίαν οἱ δὲ τὴν Ἀκτήν. χειροτ[ο]νεῖ δὲ καὶ παιδοτρίβας αὐτοῖς δύο, καὶ διδασκάλους, οἵτινες ὁπλομαχεῖν καὶ τοξεύειν καὶ ἀκοντίζειν καὶ καταπάλτην ἀφιέναι διδάσκουσιν. δίδωσι δὲ καὶ εἰς τροφ[ὴν] τοῖς μὲν σωφρονισταὶς δραχμὴν ݲ ἑκάστῳ, τοῖς δ’ ἐφήβοις τέτταρας ὀβολοὺς ἑκάστῳ· τὰ δὲ τῶν φυλετῶν τῶν αὑτοῦ λαμβάνων ὁ σωφρονιστὴς ἕκαστος ἀγοράζει τὰ ἐπιτήδεια πᾶσιν εἰς τὸ κοινὸν (συσσιτοῦσι γὰρ κατὰ φυλάς), καὶ ἄλλων ἐπιμελεῖται πάντων. καὶ τὸν μὲν πρῶτον ἐνιαυτὸν οὕτως διάγουσι· τὸν δ’ ὕστερον ἐκκλησίας ἐν τῷ θεάτρῳ γενομένης ἐποδειξάμενοι τῷ δήμῳ τὰ τερὶ τὰς τάξεις καὶ λανόντες ἀσπίδα καὶ δόρυ παρὰ τῆς πόλεως περιπολοῦσι τὴν χώραν καὶ διατρίβουσιν ἐν τοῖς φυλακτηρίοις. φρουροῦσι δὲ τὰ δύο ἔτη, χλαμύδας ἔχοντες, καὶ ἀτελεῖς εἰσι πάντων· δίκ[η]ν οὔτε διδόασιν οὔτε λαμβάνουσιν, ἵνα μὴ πρό[φ]ασις ᾗ τ[ο]ῦ ἀπιέναι³, πλὴν περὶ κλήρου καὶ ἐπιλή[ρου], κἄν τ[ι]νι κατὰ τὸ γένος ἱερωσύνη γένηται. διε[ξ]ελθόντων δὲ τῶν δυεῖν ἐτῶν ἤδη μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων εἰσίν.

XLII. The present constitution has the following form: those born of parents who are both citizens participate in the constitution, and they are registered among the demesmen when they have reached eighteen years of age. When they are being registered, the demesmen, having taken an oath, vote on them: first, whether they seem to have reached the age prescribed by law, and if they do not seem to have done so, they return again to the class of children; second, whether he is a free man and was born in accordance with the laws. Then, if they vote that he is not a free man, he appeals to the court, and the demesmen choose five men from among themselves as accusers. And if he is deemed not to be justly registered, the city sells him; but if he wins, the demesmen must of necessity register him. After this, the Council examines those who have been registered, and if anyone seems to be younger than eighteen years, it penalizes the demesmen who registered him. When the ephebes have been approved in the examination, their fathers, meeting together by tribes and having taken an oath, choose three from among the tribesmen who are over forty years of age, whom they believe to be the best and most suitable to take charge of the ephebes; and from these the people elects by show of hands one from each tribe as a guardian (sophronistes), and a director (kosmetes) from the other Athenians over them all. These, taking charge of the ephebes, first go round the temples, and then march to Peiraeus, and some of them garrison Munichia, and others Acte. The people also elects by show of hands two physical trainers (paidotribai) for them, and instructors who teach them to fight in heavy armor, to shoot with the bow, to throw the javelin, and to discharge the catapult. It also gives for maintenance a drachma to each of the guardians, and four obols to each of the ephebes; and each guardian, receiving the money for those of his own tribe, buys the provisions for all in common (for they mess together by tribes), and takes charge of all other things. In this way they pass the first year; and in the following year, an assembly being held in the theater, they display to the people their military maneuvers, and receiving a shield and a spear from the city, they patrol the country and spend their time in the garrisons. They act as guards for the two years, wearing military cloaks (chlamydes), and are exempt from all taxes; they neither bring nor defend lawsuits, so that there may be no pretext for leaving their duties, except concerning an inheritance or an heiress, or if a hereditary priesthood falls to anyone. When the two years have expired, they are then already among the others.

Syntax notes3 items

§p.44ἀπέρχονται πάλιν εἰς παῖδας
Literally 'they go back again to the children.' Here παῖδες refers not merely to age but to the legal status of minors (under eighteen years old). πάλιν indicates the reversion of the legal status of the youth who failed to pass the age assessment back to that of a minor.
§p.44ἀποψηφίσωνται μὴ εἶναι ἐλεύθερον
The verb ἀποψηφίζομαι (to vote against, reject) is followed by the infinitive εἶναι with the negative particle μή. In Greek, the negative particle is often used redundantly after verbs of denying or rejecting to reinforce the negative sense of the infinitive. The entire phrase means 'if they vote that he is not a free man.'
§p.45τοῦ ἀπιέναι
A genitive of the articular infinitive, functioning as an objective or limiting genitive modifying the noun πρόφασις (pretext, excuse). It completes the sense of the noun to mean 'a pretext for leaving (their duties).'

Model: gemini-3.5-flashurn:cts:greekLit:tlg0086.tlg003.humanitext-grc1:42