§12.943ΑΘ. ταῦτα γὰρ ἀκρωτήρια ὄντα σῳζόμενά τε ἔχει μεγίστην δύναμιν παντὸς τοῦ σώματος καὶ τοὐναντίον ἐναντίως, καὶ τὸ μὲν ὑπηρετικώτατον ἅπαντι τῷ σώματι, τὸ δὲ ἀρχικώτατον, ἔχον τὰς κυρίας ἁπάσας αἰσθήσεις αὐτοῦ φύσει.
ATH. For these, being extremities, if they are saved, possess the greatest power over the whole body, and on the contrary contrariwise; and the one is most servient to the whole body, while the other is most commanding, having by nature all its sovereign senses.
ἔπαινον μὲν δὴ τοῦτον ἀκούειν τὸν νέον χρῆν δοκεῖν πολεμικοῦ περὶ βίου, νόμους δʼ αὖ τούσδε· Στρατεύεσθαι τὸν καταλεγέντα ἢ τὸν ἐν μέρει τινὶ τεταγμένον.
This praise, indeed, we must think the young man ought to hear concerning military life, and on the other hand, the following laws: "He who is enrolled or appointed in any detachment must serve.
ἐὰν δέ τις ἐκλείπῃ τινὶ κάκῃ μὴ στρατηγῶν ἀφέντων, γραφὰς ἀστρατείας εἶναι πρὸς τοὺς πολεμικοὺς ἄρχοντας, ὅταν ἔλθωσιν ἀπὸ στρατοπέδου, δικάζειν δὲ τοὺς στρατεύσαντας ἑκάστους χωρίς, ὁπλίτας τε καὶ ἱππέας καὶ τἆλλα ἐμπολέμια ἕκαστα ὡσαύτως, καὶ εἰσάγειν ὁπλίτας μὲν εἰς τοὺς ὁπλίτας, ἱππέας δὲ εἰς τοὺς ἱππέας καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους δὲ κατὰ ταὐτὰ εἰς τοὺς αὑτῶν συννόμους·
And if anyone fails to serve through some cowardice, without the generals having dismissed him, there shall be indictments for evasion of service before the military officers when they return from the camp. And those who have served shall judge each group separately, the hoplites, the cavalry, and each of the other combat units likewise, and they shall bring hoplites before the hoplites, cavalry before the cavalry, and the others likewise before their own peers.
ἐὰν δέ τις ὄφλῃ, ὑπάρχειν μὲν αὐτῷ μήποτε τῆς ὅλης ἀριστείας ἀγωνιστῇ γενέσθαι μηδὲ ἀστρατείας ἄλλον γράψασθαί ποτε μηδὲ κατηγόρῳ τούτων πέρι γενέσθαι, πρὸς τούτοις δʼ ἔτι προστιμᾶν αὐτῷ τὸ δικαστήριον ὅτι χρὴ παθεῖν ἢ ἀποτίνειν.
And if anyone is convicted, let it befall him never to become a competitor for any award of valor, nor ever to indict another for evasion of service, nor to become an accuser concerning these things; and in addition to these, the court shall impose a further assessment of what he must suffer or pay.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα, ἐκδικασθεισῶν τῶν τῆς ἀστρατείας δικῶν, πάλιν ἑκάστων ἄρχοντας ποιῆσαι σύλλογον, ἀριστείων δὲ πέρι κρίνεσθαι τὸν βουλόμενον ἐν τοῖς αὑτῶν ἔθνεσιν, μὴ περὶ προτέρου πολέμου μηδὲν παρεχόμενον μήτε τεκμήριον μήτε μαρτύρων πιστώσεις λόγων, αὐτῆς δὲ περὶ τῆς στρατείας τῆς τότε γενομένης αὐτοῖς.
And after these things, when the trials for evasion of service have been decided, the commanders of each shall again hold an assembly, and anyone who wishes shall be judged concerning the awards of valor among their own classes, bringing forward no proof nor witness-assurances of words concerning any former war, but only concerning that campaign which then took place for them.
στέφανον δὲ τὸ νικητήριον ἑκάστοις εἶναι θαλλοῦ· τοῦτον δὲ εἰς τὰ τῶν πολεμικῶν θεῶν ἱερά, ὧν ἄν τις βούληται, γράψαντα ἀναθεῖναι μαρτύριον εἰς τὴν τῶν ἀριστείων κρίσιν παντὸς τοῦ βίου καὶ τὴν τῶν δευτέρων καὶ τρίτων.
And the prize of victory for each shall be a wreath of wild olive; and this, having written upon it, he shall dedicate in the temples of the gods of war, whichever he wishes, as a testimony for the judgment of valor of his whole life, and of the second and third prizes.
ἐὰν δὲ στρατεύσηται μέν τις, μὴ ἀπαγαγόντων δὲ τῶν ἀρχόντων οἴκαδε προαπέλθῃ τοῦ χρόνου, λιποταξίου τούτων εἶναι γραφὰς ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς οἷς περὶ τῆς ἀστρατείας, ὀφλοῦσίν τε τιμωρίαι ἐπέστωσαν αἵπερ καὶ πρόσθεν ἐτέθησαν.
And if anyone has served, but departs beforehand, the officers not having led them home, there shall be indictments for desertion against them before the same judges as for evasion of service, and upon those convicted let those same punishments be imposed which were also laid down before.
χρὴ μὲν δὴ πᾶσαν ἐπιφέροντα δίκην ἀνδρὶ πάντʼ ἄνδρα φοβεῖσθαι τὸ μήτε ἐπενεγκεῖν ψευδῆ τιμωρίαν, μήτʼ οὖν ἑκόντα μήτʼ ἄκοντα κατὰ δύναμιν—παρθένος γὰρ Αἰδοῦς Δίκη λέγεταί τε καὶ ὄντως εἴρηται, ψεῦδος δὲ αἰδοῖ καὶ δίκῃ νεμεσητὸν κατὰ φύσιν—τῶν τε οὖν ἄλλων εὐλαβεῖσθαι πέρι πλημμελεῖν εἰς δίκην, διαφερόντως δὲ καὶ τῆς τῶν κατὰ πόλεμον ὅπλων ἀποβολῆς, μὴ διαμαρτών τις ἄρα τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἀποβολῶν, ὡς αἰσχρὰς αὐτὰς εἰς ὄνειδος τιθείς, ἀναξίῳ ἀναξίας ἐπάγῃ δίκας.
Indeed, every man bringing any lawsuit against a man must fear lest he bring a false punishment, either willingly or unwillingly so far as lies in his power; for Justice is said to be the virgin daughter of Reverence, and truly is she so called, and falsehood is by nature hateful to Reverence and Justice. Therefore, one must be careful about committing errors against justice in other things, and exceptionally so regarding the loss of weapons in war, lest someone, misjudging the necessary losses and setting them down as shameful to one's disgrace, should bring undeserved trials against an undeserving person." ATH.
§12.944ΑΘ. ῥᾴδιον μὲν οὖν οὐδαμῶς διορίσαι τούτων θάτερον, ὅμως δὲ χρὴ τὸν νόμον ἁμῶς γέ πως ὁρίζειν πειρᾶσθαι κατὰ μέρη.
Now indeed it is by no means easy to distinguish the one of these from the other, yet the law must try somehow to define them by parts.
μύθῳ δὴ προσχρώμενοι ἅμʼ εἴπωμεν, εἰ κομισθεὶς ἐπὶ σκηνὴν ἄνευ τῶν ὅπλων Πάτροκλος ἔμπνους ἐγένεθʼ, οἷον δὴ μυρίοις συνέπεσεν, τὰ δὲ πρότερα ἐκεῖνα ὅπλα, ἃ Πηλεῖ φησιν ὁ ποιητὴς παρὰ θεῶν προῖκα ἐν τοῖς γάμοις ἐπιδοθῆναι Θέτιδι, ταῦτα δὲ Ἕκτωρ εἶχεν, ἐξῆν ἂν τῶν τότε ὅσοι κακοὶ ὀνειδίζειν ὅπλων ἀποβολὴν τῷ τοῦ Μενοιτίου.
Let us speak using a myth: if Patroclus, having been carried to his tent without his armor, had become alive, as indeed has happened to countless men, and those former weapons, which the poet says were given as a gift from the gods to Peleus at his wedding to Thetis, were held by Hector, would it have been open to those who were then base to reproach the son of Menoetius with the loss of weapons?
ἔτι δὲ ὁπόσοι κατὰ κρημνῶν ῥιφέντες ἀπώλεσαν ὅπλα, ἢ κατὰ θάλατταν, ἢ χειμώνων ἐν κόποις ὑποδεξαμένης αὐτοὺς ἐξαίφνης πολλῆς ῥύσεως ὕδατος, ἢ μυρίʼ ἂν ἔχοι τις τοιαῦτα παραμυθούμενος ἐπᾴδειν, εὐδιάβολον κακὸν καλλύνων· τεμεῖν δὴ χρεὼν κατὰ δύναμιν τὸ μεῖζον καὶ τὸ δυσχερέστερον κακὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐναντίου. σχεδὸν οὖν ἐν τοῖς ὀνείδεσιν ἔχει τινὰ τομὴν ἡ τούτων τῶν ὀνομάτων ἐπιφορά·
And again, as many as lost their weapons having been thrown down cliffs, or at sea, or in the hardships of winter storms, a sudden great rush of water receiving them, or countless such cases which someone might have to sing in consolation, embellishing what is easily slandered as a bad thing; we must indeed distinguish, as far as possible, the greater and more difficult evil from its opposite.
ῥίψασπις μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἐν πᾶσιν ὀνομάζοιτʼ ἂν δικαίως, ἀποβολεὺς δὲ ὅπλων. οὐχ ὁμοίως γὰρ ὅ τε ἀφαιρεθεὶς μετʼ εἰκυίας βίας γίγνοιτʼ ἂν ῥίψασπις ὅ τε ἀφεὶς ἑκών, διαφέρει δὲ ὅλον που καὶ τὸ πᾶν.
In reproaches, then, the application of these names has a certain distinction: for a man would not in all cases be justly called a "shield-caster," but rather a "loser of weapons." For the one who has them taken away with reasonable force is not in like manner a "shield-caster" as the one who lets go willingly, but they differ entirely and completely.
ὧδʼ οὖν δὴ λεγέσθω νόμῳ· ἐὰν καταλαμβανόμενός τις ὑπὸ πολεμίων καὶ ἔχων ὅπλα μὴ ἀναστρέφῃ καὶ ἀμύνηται, ἀφῇ δὲ ἑκὼν ἢ ῥίψῃ, ζωὴν αἰσχρὰν ἀρνύμενος μετὰ κάκης μᾶλλον ἢ μετʼ ἀνδρείας καλὸν καὶ εὐδαίμονα θάνατον, τοιαύτης μὲν ὅπλων ἀποβολῆς ἔστω δίκη ῥιφθέντων, τῆς δὲ εἰρημένης ἔμπροσθεν ὁ δικάζων μὴ ἀμελείτω σκοπεῖν.
Let it then be said thus in the law: "If anyone, being overtaken by enemies and having weapons, does not turn back and defend himself, but lets go or throws them away willingly, choosing a shameful life with cowardice rather than a noble and happy death with courage, let there be a trial for such a loss of weapons as being 'thrown away'; but of the one mentioned before, let the judge not neglect to examine.
τὸν γὰρ κακὸν ἀεὶ δεῖ κολάζειν, ἵνʼ ἀμείνων ᾖ, οὐ τὸν δυστυχῆ· οὐδὲν γὰρ πλέον.
For one must always punish the bad man, that he may become better, not the unfortunate man; for there is no advantage in that.
ζημία δὴ τῷ τὴν τοιαύτην ἀμυντηρίων ὅπλων εἰς τοὐναντίον ἀφέντι δύναμιν τίς ἄρα γίγνοιτʼ ἂν πρόσφορος;
What penalty, then, would be fitting for the one who has let go such a power of defensive weapons for its opposite?
οὐ γὰρ δυνατὸν ἀνθρώπῳ δρᾶν τοὐναντίον ὥς ποτε θεόν φασι δρᾶσαι, Καινέα τὸν Θετταλὸν ἐκ γυναικὸς μεταβαλόντα εἰς ἀνδρὸς φύσιν·
For it is not possible for a man to do the opposite of what they say a god once did, changing Caeneus the Thessalian from a woman's to a man's nature.
ἦν γὰρ ἀνδρὶ ῥιψάσπιδι τρόπον τινὰ πρέπουσα πασῶν μάλιστα ἡ ʼκείνῃ τῇ γενέσει ἐναντία γένεσις, εἰς γυναῖκα ἐξ ἀνδρὸς μεταβαλοῦσα, τιμωρία τούτῳ γενομένη.
For to a shield-casting man, the most fitting of all, in a way, would be the opposite generation to that one—changing from a man into a woman, this being a punishment for him."