§2.371καὶ μὴν κενὸς ἂν ἴῃ ὁ διάκονος, μηδὲν ἄγων ὧν ἐκεῖνοι δέονται παρʼ ὧν ἂν κομίζωνται ὧν ἂν αὐτοῖς χρεία, κενὸς ἄπεισιν. ἦ γάρ; δοκεῖ μοι. δεῖ δὴ τὰ οἴκοι μὴ μόνον ἑαυτοῖς ποιεῖν ἱκανά, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἷα καὶ ὅσα ἐκείνοις ὧν ἂν δέωνται. δεῖ γάρ. πλειόνων δὴ γεωργῶν τε καὶ τῶν ἄλλων δημιουργῶν δεῖ ἡμῖν τῇ πόλει. πλειόνων γάρ. καὶ δὴ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων διακόνων που τῶν τε εἰσαξόντων καὶ ἐξαξόντων ἕκαστα. οὗτοι δέ εἰσιν ἔμποροι· ἦ γάρ; ναί. καὶ ἐμπόρων δὴ δεησόμεθα. πάνυ γε. καὶ ἐὰν μέν γε κατὰ θάλατταν ἡ ἐμπορία γίγνηται, συχνῶν καὶ ἄλλων προσδεήσεται τῶν ἐπιστημόνων τῆς περὶ τὴν θάλατταν ἐργασίας. συχνῶν μέντοι. τί δὲ δή; ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ πόλει πῶς ἀλλήλοις μεταδώσουσιν ὧν ἂν ἕκαστοι ἐργάζωνται; ὧν δὴ ἕνεκα καὶ κοινωνίαν ποιησάμενοι πόλιν ᾠκίσαμεν. δῆλον δή, ἦ δʼ ὅς, ὅτι πωλοῦντες καὶ ὠνούμενοι. ἀγορὰ δὴ ἡμῖν καὶ νόμισμα σύμβολον τῆς ἀλλαγῆς ἕνεκα γενήσεται ἐκ τούτου. πάνυ μὲν οὖν. ἂν οὖν κομίσας ὁ γεωργὸς εἰς τὴν ἀγοράν τι ὧν ποιεῖ, ἤ τις ἄλλος τῶν δημιουργῶν, μὴ εἰς τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον ἥκῃ τοῖς δεομένοις τὰ παρʼ αὐτοῦ ἀλλάξασθαι, ἀργήσει τῆς αὑτοῦ δημιουργίας καθήμενος ἐν ἀγορᾷ; οὐδαμῶς, ἦ δʼ ὅς, ἀλλὰ εἰσὶν οἳ τοῦτο ὁρῶντες ἑαυτοὺς ἐπὶ τὴν διακονίαν τάττουσιν ταύτην, ἐν μὲν ταῖς ὀρθῶς οἰκουμέναις πόλεσι σχεδόν τι οἱ ἀσθενέστατοι τὰ σώματα καὶ ἀχρεῖοί τι ἄλλο ἔργον πράττειν. αὐτοῦ γὰρ δεῖ μένοντας αὐτοὺς περὶ τὴν ἀγορὰν τὰ μὲν ἀντʼ ἀργυρίου ἀλλάξασθαι τοῖς τι δεομένοις ἀποδόσθαι, τοῖς δὲ ἀντὶ αὖ ἀργυρίου διαλλάττειν ὅσοι τι δέονται πρίασθαι. αὕτη ἄρα, ἦν δʼ ἐγώ, ἡ χρεία καπήλων ἡμῖν γένεσιν ἐμποιεῖ τῇ πόλει. ἢ οὐ καπήλους καλοῦμεν τοὺς πρὸς ὠνήν τε καὶ πρᾶσιν διακονοῦντας ἱδρυμένους ἐν ἀγορᾷ, τοὺς δὲ πλανήτας ἐπὶ τὰς πόλεις ἐμπόρους; πάνυ μὲν οὖν. ἔτι δή τινες, ὡς ἐγᾦμαι, εἰσὶ καὶ ἄλλοι διάκονοι, οἳ ἂν τὰ μὲν τῆς διανοίας μὴ πάνυ ἀξιοκοινώνητοι ὦσιν, τὴν δὲ τοῦ σώματος ἰσχὺν ἱκανὴν ἐπὶ τοὺς πόνους ἔχωσιν· οἳ δὴ πωλοῦντες τὴν τῆς ἰσχύος χρείαν, τὴν τιμὴν ταύτην μισθὸν καλοῦντες, κέκληνται, ὡς ἐγᾦμαι, μισθωτοί· ἦ γάρ; πάνυ μὲν οὖν. πλήρωμα δὴ πόλεώς εἰσιν, ὡς ἔοικε, καὶ μισθωτοί. δοκεῖ μοι. ἆρʼ οὖν, ὦ Ἀδείμαντε, ἤδη ἡμῖν ηὔξηται ἡ πόλις, ὥστʼ εἶναι τελέα; ἴσως. ποῦ οὖν ἄν ποτε ἐν αὐτῇ εἴη ἥ τε δικαιοσύνη καὶ ἡ ἀδικία; καὶ τίνι ἅμα ἐγγενομένη ὧν ἐσκέμμεθα;
And indeed, if the messenger goes empty-handed, carrying nothing of what those people need from whom they are to bring back what they themselves require, he will return empty-handed. Is that not so? It seems so to me. Then they must produce at home not only enough for themselves, but also such things and in such quantity as those others need. Yes, they must. So we shall need more farmers and other craftsmen for our city. Yes, more. And also, surely, other agents to import and export the various goods. And these are merchants, are they not? Yes. Then we shall also need merchants. Certainly. And if the trade is carried on by sea, we shall also need many others who are skilled in maritime affairs. Many indeed. And what about this? Within the city itself, how will they share with one another what they each produce? For this, indeed, was the very purpose for which we formed an association and founded a city. "Clearly," he said, "by buying and selling." From this, then, we shall have a marketplace and a currency as a token for the sake of exchange. Exactly so. If, then, the farmer or any other craftsman brings some of his products to the market, and does not arrive at the same time as those who want to exchange their goods with him, will he sit idle in the market, neglecting his own craft? "By no means," he said, "but there are those who, seeing this, appoint themselves to this service; in well-ordered cities, these are usually those who are weakest in body and useless for any other work. For they must remain there in the market, to exchange goods for money with those who want to sell, and again to exchange money for goods with those who want to buy." "This need, then," I said, "brings retail traders into existence in our city. Or do we not call 'retailers' those who are established in the market to serve in buying and selling, and 'merchants' those who travel from city to city?" Exactly so. And there are, I think, still other servants, who in intellect are not altogether worthy of association, but who have sufficient bodily strength for labor. These, selling the use of their strength and calling its price 'wages,' are called, I believe, 'wage-earners.' Is that not so? Exactly so. Then wage-earners too, it seems, help to fill up our city. So it seems to me. Has our city then, Adeimantus, already grown so much as to be complete? Perhaps. Where, then, in it would justice and injustice be? And with which of the things we have examined did they enter in?