- Source
- Polybius. Vols. 1-4. Büttner-Wobst, Theodor, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1893.
- 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:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.47.1-6.47.10
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
The author identifies "customs" and "laws" as the two principles determining the quality of any constitution, thereby rejecting the Cretan constitution. He also argues that comparing Plato's untried ideal state with actual constitutions is like comparing a statue with real, living men.
ἤδη διέξιμεν. ἐγὼ γὰρ οἶμαι δύʼ ἀρχὰς εἶναι πάσης πολιτείας, διʼ ὧν αἱρετὰς ἢ φευκτὰς συμβαίνει γίνεσθαι τάς τε δυνάμεις αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς συστάσεις·1 αὗται δʼ εἰσὶν ἔθη καὶ νόμοι·
we shall now explain. For I believe that there are two principles of every constitution, through which their powers and constitutions happen to become desirable or avoidable; and these are customs and laws.
ὧν τὰ μὲν αἱρετὰ τούς τε κατʼ ἰδίαν βίους τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὁσίους ἀποτελεῖ καὶ σώφρονας τό τε κοινὸν ἦθος τῆς πόλεως ἥμερον ἀπεργάζεται καὶ δίκαιον, τὰ δὲ φευκτὰ τοὐναντίον.
Of these, the desirable ones render the private lives of men pious and temperate, and make the common character of the state gentle and just, while the avoidable ones do the opposite.
ὥσπερ οὖν, ὅταν τοὺς ἐθισμοὺς καὶ νόμους κατίδωμεν παρά τισι σπουδαίους ὑπάρχοντας, θαρροῦντες ἀποφαινόμεθα καὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐκ τούτων ἔσεσθαι καὶ τὴν τούτων πολιτείαν σπουδαίαν, οὕτως,2 ὅταν τούς τε κατʼ ἰδίαν βίους τινῶν πλεονεκτικοὺς τάς τε κοινὰς πράξεις ἀδίκους θεωρήσωμεν, δῆλον ὡς εἰκὸς λέγειν καὶ τοὺς νόμους καὶ τὰ κατὰ μέρος ἤθη καὶ τὴν ὅλην πολιτείαν αὐτῶν εἶναι φαύλην.
Therefore, just as, when we observe customs and laws existing as excellent among some people, we confidently declare both that the men resulting from these will be excellent and that their constitution will be excellent, so, when we behold the private lives of some to be covetous and their public actions to be unjust, it is clear that it is reasonable to say that both their laws, their particular customs, and their entire constitution are bad.
καὶ μὴν οὔτε κατʼ ἰδίαν ἤθη δολιώτερα Κρηταιέων εὕροι τις ἂν πλὴν τελείως ὀλίγων οὔτε κατὰ κοινὸν ἐπιβολὰς ἀδικωτέρας.
And indeed, one could not find private customs more deceitful than those of the Cretans, except in a very few cases, nor public enterprises more unjust.
διόπερ οὔθʼ ὁμοίαν αὐτὴν ἡγούμενοι τῇ Λακεδαιμονίων οὔτε μὴν ἄλλως αἱρετὴν οὔτε ζηλωτὴν ἀποδοκιμάζομεν ἐκ τῆς προειρημένης συγκρίσεως.
Therefore, considering it neither similar to that of the Lacedaemonians nor otherwise desirable or enviable, we reject it on the basis of the aforementioned comparison.
καὶ μὴν οὐδὲ τὴν Πλάτωνος πολιτείαν δίκαιον παρεισαγαγεῖν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ταύτην τινὲς τῶν φιλοσόφων ἐξυμνοῦσιν.
Furthermore, it is not just to introduce Plato’s constitution either, even though some of the philosophers sing its praises.
ὥσπερ γὰρ οὐδὲ τῶν τεχνιτῶν ἢ τῶν ἀθλητῶν τούς γε μὴ νενεμημένους ἢ σεσωμασκηκότας3 παρίεμεν εἰς τοὺς ἀθλητικοὺς ἀγῶνας, οὕτως οὐδὲ ταύτην χρὴ παρεισαγαγεῖν εἰς τὴν τῶν πρωτείων ἅμιλλαν, ἐὰν μὴ πρότερον ἐπιδείξηταί τι τῶν ἑαυτῆς ἔργων ἀληθινῶς.
For just as we do not admit into athletic contests those craftsmen or athletes who have not been registered or trained, so too we should not introduce this constitution into the competition for the first place, unless it first displays some of its own actual deeds in reality.
μέχρι δὲ τοῦ νῦν παραπλήσιος ἂν ὁ περὶ αὐτῆς φανείη λόγος, ἀγομένης εἰς σύγκρισιν πρὸς τὴν Σπαρτιατῶν καὶ Ῥωμαίων καὶ Καρχηδονίων πολιτείαν, ὡς ἂν εἰ τῶν ἀγαλμάτων τις ἓν προθέμενος τοῦτο συγκρίνοι4 τοῖς ζῶσι καὶ πεπνυμένοις ἀνδράσι.
But up to the present, if it is brought into comparison with the constitution of the Spartans, Romans, and Carthaginians, the discussion concerning it would appear very similar to someone setting up one of the statues and comparing it to living and breathing men.
καὶ γὰρ ἂν ὅλως ἐπαινετὸν ὑπάρχῃ κατὰ τὴν τέχνην, τήν γε σύγκρισιν τῶν ἀψύχων τοῖς ἐμψύχοις ἐνδεῆ καὶ τελείως ἀπεμφαίνουσαν εἰκὸς προσπίπτειν τοῖς θεωμένοις.
For even if it is entirely praiseworthy in terms of art, the comparison of lifeless things with living ones is naturally bound to strike spectators as deficient and completely incongruous.
- 6.47.1διʼ ὧν αἱρετὰς ἢ φευκτὰς συμβαίνει γίνεσθαι τάς τε δυνάμεις αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς συστάσεις
The antecedent of the relative pronoun ὧν is the preceding δύο ἀρχάς. The verb συμβαίνει is used impersonally with the infinitive γίνεσθαι, meaning "it happens that." The subject of γίνεσθαι is the following τάς τε δυνάμεις ... καὶ τὰς συστάσεις (accusative), and αἱρετὰς ἢ φευκτὰς serves as the predicate adjective. αὐτῶν refers to the preceding πάσης πολιτείας as a generic plural.
- 6.47.3ὥσπερ οὖν... οὕτως...
A long comparative construction in which ὥσπερ (§6.47.3) and οὕτως (§6.47.4) correspond to each other. The first half (the ὥσπερ clause) establishes the premise that "where excellent laws and customs exist, excellent men and constitutions will develop," while the second half (the οὕτως clause) draws the main point that "where covetous and unjust actions are observed, it is reasonable to conclude that their laws and entire constitution are bad." Within each clause, temporal/conditional clauses introduced by ὅταν (with κατίδωμεν / θεωρήσωμεν) are embedded.
- 6.47.8τούς γε μὴ νενεμημένους ἢ σεσωμασκηκότας
A coordination of participles. The former, νενεμημένους, is the perfect passive participle of νέμω, meaning "those who have not been registered or assigned (to the official list of athletes)." The latter, σεσωμασκηκότας, is the perfect active participle of σωμασκέω (to train the body), meaning "those who have not trained." It is argued that just as those who fail to meet these two conditions (registration of qualification and physical training) are excluded from contests, Plato's constitution should also be excluded due to its lack of practical results.
- 6.47.9ὡς ἂν εἰ τῶν ἀγαλμάτων τις ἓν προθέμενος τοῦτο συγκρίνοι
The phrase ὡς ἂν εἰ expresses a hypothetical comparison ("as if"). The use of ἄν with the optative (συγκρίνοι) instead of the subjunctive indicates a highly improbable or purely hypothetical scenario. The participle προθέμενος ("having set up before oneself") modifies the nominative subject τις and carries a conditional force.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — note 1