§31παραπλησίως δὲ τοῖς εἰρημένοις καὶ τὰ πρὸς σφᾶς αὐτοὺς διῴκουν.
They managed their relations with one another in a manner similar to what has been said.
οὐ γὰρ μόνον μερὶ τῶν κοινῶν ὡμονόουν, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τὸν ἴδιον βίον τοσαύτην ἐποιοῦντο πρόνοιαν ἀλλήλων, ὅσην περ χρὴ τοὺς εὖ φρονοῦντας καὶ πατρίδος κοινωνοῦντας.
For they not only agreed on public affairs, but also showed such mutual concern for their private lives as is proper for those who are sensible and share the same fatherland.
οἵ τε γὰρ πενέστεροι τῶν πολιτῶν τοσοῦτον ἀπεῖχον τοῦ φθονεῖν τοῖς πλείω κεκτημένοις, §32ὥσθʼ ὁμοίως ἐκήδοντο τῶν οἴκων τῶν μεγάλων ὥσπερ τῶν σφετέρων αὐτῶν, ἡγούμενοι τὴν ἐκείνων εὐδαιμονίαν αὑτοῖς εὐπορίαν ὑπάρχειν·
For the poorer citizens were so far from envying those who possessed more that they cared for the great estates as if they were their own, believing that the prosperity of those men was a source of resources for themselves.
οἵ τε τὰς οὐσίας ἔχοντες οὐχ ὅπως ὑπερεώρων τοὺς καταδεέστερον πράττοντας, ἀλλʼ ὑπολαμβάνοντες αἰσχύνην αὑτοῖς εἶναι τὴν τῶν πολιτῶν ἀπορίαν ἐπήμυνον ταῖς ἐνδείαις, τοῖς μὲν γεωργίας ἐπὶ μετρίαις μισθώσεσι παραδιδόντες, τοὺς δὲ κατʼ ἐμπορίαν ἐκπέμποντες, τοῖς δʼ εἰς τὰς ἄλλας ἐργασίας ἀφορμὴν παρέχοντες.
On the other hand, those who possessed wealth, far from looking down on those who were worse off, regarded the destitution of their fellow citizens as a disgrace to themselves and came to the aid of their needs, handing over land to some for farming at moderate rents, sending others out for trade, and providing others with capital for other occupations.
§33οὐ γὰρ ἐδεδίεσαν μὴ δυοῖν θάτερον πάθοιεν, ἢ πάντων στερηθεῖεν, ἢ πολλὰ πράγματα σχόντες μέρος τι κομίσαιντο τῶν προεθέντων· ἀλλʼ ὁμοίως ἐθάρρουν περὶ τῶν ἔξω δεδομένων ὥσπερ περὶ τῶν ἔνδον κειμένων.
For they did not fear that they might suffer one of two things—either that they would be deprived of everything, or that after much trouble they would recover only a fraction of what they had advanced; but they were as confident about what was lent out as they were about what lay stored within their homes.
ἑώρων γὰρ τοὺς περὶ τῶν συμβολαίων κρίνοντας οὐ ταῖς ἐπιεικείαις χρωμένους, ἀλλὰ τοῖς νόμοις πειθομένους, §34οὐδʼ ἐν τοῖς τῶν ἄλλων ἀγῶσιν αὑτοῖς ἀδικεῖν ἐξουσίαν παρασκευάζοντας, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ὀργιζομένους τοῖς ἀποστεροῦσιν αὐτῶν τῶν ἀδικουμένων, καὶ νομίζοντας διὰ τοὺς ἄπιστα τὰ συμβόλαια ποιοῦντας μείζω βλάπτεσθαι τοὺς πένητας τῶν πολλὰ κεκτημένων· τοὺς μὲν γάρ, ἢν παύσωνται προϊέμενοι, μικρῶν προσόδων ἀποστερηθήσεσθαι, τοὺς δʼ, ἢν ἀπορήσωσι τῶν ἐπαρκούντων, εἰς τὴν ἐσχάτην ἔνδειαν καταστήσεσθαι.
For they saw that those who judged disputes over contracts did not make use of leniency but obeyed the laws, nor did they prepare for themselves the license to do wrong in the lawsuits of others, but were rather more angry at those who defrauded than were the victims of the injustice themselves, and believed that those who made contracts untrustworthy injured the poor more than those who possessed much wealth; for the latter, if they ceased lending, would be deprived of small revenues, while the former, if they lacked those who supported them, would be reduced to extreme destitution.
§35καὶ γάρ τοι διὰ τὴν γνώμην ταύτην οὐδεὶς οὔτʼ ἀπεκρύπτετο τὴν οὐσίαν οὔτʼ ὤκνει συμβάλλειν, ἀλλʼ ἥδιον ἑώρων τοὺς δανειζομένους ἢ τοὺς ἀποδιδόντας.
And indeed, because of this attitude, no one concealed his wealth nor hesitated to lend, but they saw those who borrowed with greater pleasure than those who repaid.
ἀμφότερα γὰρ αὐτοῖς συνέβαινεν, ἅπερ ἂν βουληθεῖεν ἄνθρωποι νοῦν ἔχοντες· ἅμα γὰρ τούς τε πολίτας ὠφέλουν καὶ τὰ σφέτερʼ αὐτῶν ἐνεργὰ καθίστασαν.
For both things happened to them which sensible men would desire: at the same time they helped their fellow citizens and made their own property productive.
κεφάλαιον δὲ τοῦ καλῶς ἀλλήλοις ὁμιλεῖν· αἱ μὲν γὰρ κτήσεις ἀσφαλεῖς ἦσαν, οἷσπερ κατὰ τὸ δίκαιον ὑπῆρχον, αἱ δὲ χρήσεις κοιναὶ πᾶσι τοῖς δεομένοις τῶν πολιτῶν.
The sum of their excellent relations with one another was this: ownership was secure for those to whom it belonged by right, while the use of it was shared by all citizens who were in need.
§36ἴσως ἂν οὖν τις ἐπιτιμήσειε τοῖς εἰρημένοις, ὅτι τὰς μὲν πράξεις ἐπαινῶ τὰς ἐν ἐκείνοις τοῖς χρόνοις γεγενημένας, τὰς δʼ αἰτίας οὐ φράζω, διʼ ἃς οὕτω καλῶς καὶ τὰ πρὸς σφᾶς αὐτοὺς εἶχον καὶ τὴν πόλιν διῴκουν.
Perhaps, then, someone might criticize what has been said, on the ground that while I praise the actions performed in those times, I do not state the causes through which they maintained such excellent relations with one another and governed the city so well.
ἐγὼ δʼ οἶμαι μὲν εἰρηκέναι τι καὶ τοιοῦτον, οὐ μὴν ἀλλʼ ἔτι πλείω καὶ σαφέστερον πειράσομαι διαλεχθῆναι περὶ αὐτῶν.
Now, I believe I have already said something of this sort, but nevertheless I will attempt to discuss them at greater length and more clearly.
§37ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ οὐκ ἐν μὲν ταῖς παιδείαις πολλοὺς τοὺς ἐπιστατοῦντας εἶχον, ἐπειδὴ δʼ εἰς ἄνδρας δοκιμασθεῖεν, ἐξῆν αὐτοῖς ποιεῖν ὅ τι βουληθεῖεν, ἀλλʼ ἐν αὐταῖς ταῖς ἀκμαῖς πλέονος ἐπιμελείας ἐτύγχανον ἢ παῖδες ὄντες.
For those men did not have many supervisors during their childhood only to be allowed to do whatever they wished once they were approved as men; rather, in the very prime of their lives they were subject to more supervision than when they were children.
οὕτω γὰρ ἡμῶν οἱ πρόγονοι σφόδρα περὶ τὴν σωφροσύνην ἐσπούδαζον, ὥστε τὴν ἐξ Ἀρείου πάγου βουλὴν ἐπέστησαν ἐπιμελεῖσθαι τῆς εὐκοσμίας, ἧς οὐχ οἷόν τʼ ἦν μετασχεῖν πλὴν τοῖς καλῶς γεγονόσι καὶ πολλὴν ἀρετὴν ἐν τῷ βίω καὶ σωφροσύνην ἐνδεδειγμένοις, ὥστʼ εἰκότως αὐτὴν διενεγκεῖν τῶν ἐν τοῖς Ἕλλησι συνεδρίων.
For our ancestors were so extremely zealous for temperance that they appointed the Council of the Areopagus to supervise good order, in which it was not possible to participate except for those of noble birth who had displayed great virtue and temperance in their lives, so that it naturally surpassed the other assemblies in Greece.
§38σημείοις δʼ ἄν τις χρήσαιτο περὶ τῶν τότε καθεστώτων καὶ τοῖς ἐν τῷ παρόντι γιγνομένοις· ἔτι γὰρ καὶ νῦν ἁπάντων τῶν περὶ τὴν αἵρεσιν καὶ τὴν δοκιμασίαν κατημελημένων ἴδοιμεν ἂν τοὺς ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις πράγμασιν οὐκ ἀνεκτοὺς ὄντας, ἐπειδὰν εἰς Ἄρειον πάγον ἀναβῶσιν, ὀκνοῦντας τῇ φύσει χρῆσθαι καὶ μᾶλλον τοῖς ἐκεῖ νομίμοις ἢ ταῖς αὑτῶν κακίαις ἐμμένοντας.
And one might use present occurrences as evidence of the established order of those times; for even now, when everything concerning election and scrutiny is neglected, we can see that those who in other matters are intolerable, once they ascend to the Areopagus, hesitate to follow their natural disposition and conform to the customs there rather than to their own vices.
τοσοῦτον φόβον ἐκεῖνοι τοῖς πονηροῖς ἐνειργάσαντο, καὶ τοιοῦτο μνημεῖον ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τῆς αὑτῶν ἀρετῆς καὶ σωφροσύνης ἐγκατέλιπον.
Such fear did those ancestors instill in the wicked, and such a monument of their own virtue and temperance did they leave behind in that place.