- Source
- Aristotle. Aristotelis Politica. Ross, William David, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1957 (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:tlg0086.tlg035.humanitext-grc2:2.1269a
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-28
Aristotle points out the absurdity of ancient laws using the example of Cyme's homicide law, arguing that while legal change is necessary, easy alteration must be avoided as it fosters disobedience and weakens the law's authority. He then shifts to evaluating the Spartan and Cretan constitutions, raising the problem of securing leisure and the challenges posed by serfs and Helots.
οἷον ἐν Κύμῃ περὶ τὰ φονικὰ νόμος ἔστιν, ἂν πλῆθός τι παράσχηται μαρτύρων ὁ διώκων τὸν φόνον τῶν αὑτοῦ συγγενῶν, ἔνοχον εἶναι τῷ φόνῳ τὸν φεύγοντα. ζητοῦσι δʼ ὅλως οὐ τὸ πάτριον ἀλλὰ τἀγαθὸν πάντες· εἰκός τε τοὺς πρώτους, εἴτε γηγενεῖς ἦσαν εἴτʼ ἐκ φθορᾶς τινος ἐσώθησαν, ὁμοίους εἶναι καὶ τοὺς τυχόντας καὶ τοὺς ἀνοήτους, ὥσπερ καὶ λέγεται κατὰ τῶν γηγενῶν, ὥστε ἄτοπον τὸ μένειν ἐν τοῖς τούτων δόγμασιν. πρὸς δὲ τούτοις οὐδὲ τοὺς γεγραμμένους ἐᾶν ἀκινήτους βέλτιον. ὥσπερ γὰρ καὶ περὶ τὰς ἄλλας τέχνας, καὶ τὴν πολιτικὴν τάξιν ἀδύνατον ἀκριβῶς πάντα γραφῆναι· καθόλου γὰρ ἀναγκαῖον γράφειν, αἱ δὲ πράξεις περὶ τῶν καθʼ ἕκαστόν εἰσιν. ἐκ μὲν οὖν τούτων φανερὸν ὅτι κινητέοι καὶ τινὲς καὶ ποτὲ τῶν νόμων εἰσίν· ἄλλον δὲ τρόπον ἐπισκοποῦσιν εὐλαβείας ἂν δόξειεν εἶναι πολλῆς.1 ὅταν γὰρ ᾖ τὸ μὲν βέλτιον μικρόν, τὸ δʼ ἐθίζειν εὐχερῶς λύειν τοὺς νόμους φαῦλον, φανερὸν ὡς ἐατέον ἐνίας ἁμαρτίας καὶ τῶν νομοθετῶν καὶ τῶν ἀρχόντων· οὐ γὰρ τοσοῦτον ὠφελήσεται κινήσας ὅσον βλαβήσεται τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ἀπειθεῖν ἐθισθείς.2 ψεῦδος δὲ καὶ τὸ παράδειγμα τὸ περὶ τῶν τεχνῶν· οὐ γὰρ ὅμοιον τὸ κινεῖν τέχνην καὶ νόμον· ὁ γὰρ νόμος ἰσχὺν οὐδεμίαν ἔχει πρὸς τὸ πείθεσθαι παρὰ τὸ ἔθος, τοῦτο δʼ οὐ γίνεται εἰ μὴ διὰ χρόνου πλῆθος, ὥστε τὸ ῥᾳδίως μεταβάλλειν ἐκ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων νόμων εἰς ἑτέρους νόμους καινοὺς ἀσθενῆ ποιεῖν ἐστι τὴν τοῦ νόμου δύναμιν. ἔτι δʼ εἰ καὶ κινητέοι, πότερον πάντες καὶ ἐν πάσῃ πολιτείᾳ, ἢ οὔ; καὶ πότερον τῷ τυχόντι ἢ τισίν; ταῦτα γὰρ ἔχει μεγάλην διαφοράν. διὸ νῦν μὲν ἀφῶμεν ταύτην τὴν σκέψιν· ἄλλων γάρ ἐστι καιρῶν. περὶ δὲ τῆς Λακεδαιμονίων πολιτείας καὶ τῆς Κρητικῆς, σχεδὸν δὲ καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων πολιτειῶν, δύο εἰσὶν αἱ σκέψεις, μία μὲν εἴ τι καλῶς ἢ μὴ καλῶς πρὸς τὴν ἀρίστην νενομοθέτηται τάξιν, ἑτέρα δʼ εἴ τι πρὸς τὴν ὑπόθεσιν καὶ τὸν τρόπον ὑπεναντίως τῆς προκειμένης αὐτοῖς πολιτείας.3 ὅτι μὲν οὖν δεῖ τῇ μελλούσῃ καλῶς πολιτεύεσθαι τὴν τῶν ἀναγκαίων ὑπάρχειν σχολήν, ὁμολογούμενόν ἐστιν· τίνα δὲ τρόπον ὑπάρχειν, οὐ ῥᾴδιον λαβεῖν. ἥ τε γὰρ Θετταλῶν πενεστεία πολλάκις ἐπέθετο τοῖς Θετταλοῖς, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τοῖς Λάκωσιν οἱ εἵλωτες (ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐφεδρεύοντες τοῖς ἀτυχήμασι διατελοῦσιν)· περὶ δὲ τοὺς Κρῆτας οὐδέν πω τοιοῦτον συμβέβηκεν. αἴτιον δʼ ἴσως τὸ τὰς γειτνιώσας πόλεις,
For instance, in Cyme there is a law concerning homicide, that if the prosecutor of the murder of his own relatives provides a certain number of witnesses, the defendant is guilty of the murder. In general, everyone seeks not what is ancestral, but what is good. And it is likely that the first men, whether they were earth-born or were saved from some destruction, were similar to ordinary and foolish people, just as is indeed said of the earth-born, so that it is absurd to remain in the decrees of these people. In addition to these things, neither is it better to leave the written laws unchanged. For just as in the other arts, so concerning the political order, it is impossible for everything to be written down precisely; for it is necessary to write in universal terms, but actions are concerned with particulars. From these things, then, it is clear that some of the laws must be changed, and at some times; but looking at it in another way, it would seem to require great caution. For when the improvement is small, while the habit of easily dissolving the laws is an evil, it is clear that some errors both of the legislators and of the rulers should be tolerated; for the one who changes them will not benefit as much as he will be harmed by being accustomed to disobey the rulers. And the example concerning the arts is also false; for changing an art is not similar to changing a law. For the law has no power to secure obedience except habit, and this does not arise except through a lapse of much time, so that easily changing from the existing laws to other new laws is to make the power of the law weak. Furthermore, if they are indeed to be changed, are all of them to be changed, and in every constitution, or not? And by anyone, or by certain people? For these things have a great difference. Therefore let us dismiss this inquiry for now; for it belongs to other occasions. Concerning the constitution of the Lacedaemonians and that of the Cretans, and virtually concerning the other constitutions as well, there are two inquiries: one, whether anything has been legislated well or not well with respect to the best order; the other, whether anything is contrary to the assumption and the character of the constitution proposed for them. Now, that there must belong leisure from necessary tasks to a city that is to be well-governed is agreed; but in what manner this should belong is not easy to grasp. For the Thessalian Penestae often attacked the Thessalians, and likewise the Helots did the Lacedaemonians (for they continually lie in wait, as it were, for their misfortunes); but concerning the Cretans nothing of the sort has yet happened. And the cause is perhaps that the neighboring cities
- 1269a10ἄλλον δὲ τρόπον ἐπισκοποῦσιν εὐλαβείας ἂν δόξειεν εἶναι πολλῆς
The accusative ἄλλον τρόπον ("in another way") functions adverbially. ἐπισκοποῦσιν is a present participle in the dative plural, indicating the subject of judgment ("for those who look at it") or acting as a dative of condition ("if they look at it"). εὐλαβείας πολλῆς is a genitive of characteristic or necessity, which with εἶναι means "would seem to belong to (require) great caution."
- 1269a15οὐ γὰρ τοσοῦτον ὠφελήσεται κινήσας ὅσον βλαβήσεται τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ἀπειθεῖν ἐθισθείς
Both ὠφελήσεται and βλαβήσεται are third-person singular future passives, implying a generalized subject (the individual who changes the law, or the state/citizens). The participles κινήσας (aorist active) and ἐθισθείς (aorist passive) are nominative singular masculine, agreeing with this implied subject, expressing condition ("if he changes") and cause/means ("by being accustomed to") respectively.
- 1269a30ὑπεναντίως τῆς προκειμένης αὐτοῖς πολιτείας
The adverb ὑπεναντίως ("contrary to") functions prepositionally and governs the genitive τῆς ... πολιτείας. αὐτοῖς is a dative depending on the participle προκειμένης, meaning "proposed for them" or "established for them."