§3.697ΜΕ. ἔχει ταύτῃ.
ME. It is as you say.
ΑΘ. τί οὖν;
ATH. What then?
οὐ νομοθέτου καὶ ταῦτα αὖ φήσομεν εἶναι διανέμειν;
Shall we not say that it is also the task of a legislator to distribute these things?
ΜΕ. καὶ μάλα.
ME. Very much so.
ΑΘ. βούλει δὴ τὰ μὲν ἅπαντα καὶ ἐφʼ ἕκαστον ἔργον καὶ κατὰ σμικρὰ ἐκείνῳ δῶμεν νεῖμαι, τὸ δὲ τριχῇ διελεῖν, ἐπειδὴ νόμων ἐσμὲν καὶ αὐτοί πως ἐπιθυμηταί, πειραθῶμεν, διατεμεῖν χωρὶς τά τε μέγιστα καὶ δεύτερα καὶ τρίτα;
ATH. Do you wish that we leave him to distribute all the individual things and small details, but that we ourselves, since we too are in a way desirous of laws, try to make a threefold division, dividing apart the greatest, the second, the third?
ΜΕ. πάνυ μὲν οὖν.
ME. By all means.
ΑΘ. λέγομεν τοίνυν ὅτι πόλιν, ὡς ἔοικεν, τὴν μέλλουσαν σῴζεσθαί τε καὶ εὐδαιμονήσειν εἰς δύναμιν ἀνθρωπίνην δεῖ καὶ ἀναγκαῖον τιμάς τε καὶ ἀτιμίας διανέμειν ὀρθῶς.
ATH. We say then, it seems, that a city that is going to be saved and be happy as far as human power allows, must and of necessity does distribute honors and dishonors correctly.
ἔστιν δὲ ὀρθῶς ἄρα τιμιώτατα μὲν καὶ πρῶτα τὰ περὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀγαθὰ κεῖσθαι, σωφροσύνης ὑπαρχούσης αὐτῇ, δεύτερα δὲ τὰ περὶ τὸ σῶμα καλὰ καὶ ἀγαθά, καὶ τρίτα τὰ περὶ τὴν οὐσίαν καὶ χρήματα λεγόμενα·
And correct distribution is that the goods concerning the soul, with temperance being present in it, are placed as most honorable and first; second, the beautiful and good things concerning the body; and third, the so-called goods concerning wealth and money.
τούτων δὲ ἂν ἐκτός τις βαίνῃ νομοθέτης ἢ πόλις, εἰς τιμὰς ἢ χρήματα προάγουσα ἤ τι τῶν ὑστέρων εἰς τὸ πρόσθεν τιμαῖς τάττουσα, οὔθʼ ὅσιον οὔτε πολιτικὸν ἂν δρῴη πρᾶγμα.
If any legislator or city goes outside of these, advancing wealth into honors or placing any of the later goods into the prior position through honors, they would perform an action that is neither holy nor statesmanship-like.
εἰρήσθω ταῦτα ἢ πῶς ἡμῖν;
Shall we say these things, or how should we?
ΜΕ. πάνυ μὲν οὖν εἰρήσθω σαφῶς.
ME. By all means, let them be said clearly.
ΑΘ. ταῦτα μὲν τοίνυν ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ πλέον ἐποίησεν εἰπεῖν ἡ Περσῶν πέρι διάσκεψις τῆς πολιτείας· ἀνευρίσκομεν δὲ ἐπὶ ἔτι χείρους αὐτοὺς γεγονότας, τὴν δὲ αἰτίαν φαμέν, ὅτι τὸ ἐλεύθερον λίαν ἀφελόμενοι τοῦ δήμου, τὸ δεσποτικὸν δʼ ἐπαγαγόντες μᾶλλον τοῦ προσήκοντος, τὸ φίλον ἀπώλεσαν καὶ τὸ κοινὸν ἐν τῇ πόλει.
ATH. These things, then, the examination of the Persian constitution made us speak of at greater length; and we find that they have become even worse, and the cause, we say, is that by taking away freedom too much from the populace, and bringing in mastership more than was fitting, they destroyed friendship and community in the city.
τούτου δὲ φθαρέντος, οὔθʼ ἡ τῶν ἀρχόντων βουλὴ ὑπὲρ ἀρχομένων καὶ τοῦ δήμου βουλεύεται, ἀλλʼ ἕνεκα τῆς αὑτῶν ἀρχῆς, ἄν τι καὶ σμικρὸν πλέον ἑκάστοτε ἡγῶνται ἔσεσθαί σφισιν, ἀναστάτους μὲν πόλεις, ἀνάστατα δὲ ἔθνη φίλια πυρὶ καταφθείραντες, ἐχθρῶς τε καὶ ἀνηλεήτως μισοῦντες μισοῦνται·
And this being destroyed, the council of the rulers does not deliberate on behalf of the ruled and the populace, but for the sake of their own rule; if they think on each occasion that there will be even some small gain for themselves, they utterly destroy friendly cities and friendly nations with fire, and hating with hostility and pitilessness, they are hated.
ὅταν τε εἰς χρείαν τοῦ μάχεσθαι περὶ ἑαυτῶν τοὺς δήμους ἀφικνῶνται, οὐδὲν κοινὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς αὖ μετὰ προθυμίας τοῦ ἐθέλειν κινδυνεύειν καὶ μάχεσθαι ἀνευρίσκουσιν, ἀλλὰ κεκτημένοι μυριάδας ἀπεράντους λογισμῷ, ἀχρήστους εἰς πόλεμον πάσας κέκτηνται, καὶ καθάπερ ἐνδεεῖς ἀνθρώπων μισθούμενοι, ὑπὸ μισθωτῶν καὶ ὀθνείων ἀνθρώπων ἡγοῦνταί ποτε σωθήσεσθαι.
And when they come to the populace in need of fighting for themselves, they find in them no common willingness to run risks and fight with eagerness, but though possessing infinite myriads by count, they possess them all useless as for war; and as if in need of men, they hire them, and they expect at some point to be saved by hired and alien men.
§3.698ΑΘ.πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἀμαθαίνειν ἀναγκάζονται, λέγοντες ἔργοις ὅτι λῆρος πρὸς χρυσόν τε καὶ ἄργυρόν ἐστιν ἑκάστοτε τὰ λεγόμενα τίμια καὶ καλὰ κατὰ πόλιν.
ATH. And in addition to these things, they are forced to be ignorant, saying by their deeds that on each occasion the so-called honorable and beautiful things in a city are nonsense compared to gold and silver.
ΜΕ. πάνυ μὲν οὖν.
ME. By all means.
ΑΘ. τὰ μὲν δὴ περί γε Περσῶν, ὡς οὐκ ὀρθῶς τὰ νῦν διοικεῖται διὰ τὴν σφόδρα δουλείαν τε καὶ δεσποτείαν, τέλος ἐχέτω.
ATH. Let what concerns the Persians then, that their affairs are not correctly administered now because of excessive slavery and despotism, have an end.
ΜΕ. πάνυ μὲν οὖν.
ME. By all means.
ΑΘ. τὰ δὲ περὶ τὴν τῆς Ἀττικῆς αὖ πολιτείας τὸ μετὰ τοῦτο ὡσαύτως ἡμᾶς διεξελθεῖν χρεών, ὡς ἡ παντελὴς καὶ ἀπὸ πασῶν ἀρχῶν ἐλευθερία τῆς μέτρον ἐχούσης ἀρχῆς ὑφʼ ἑτέρων οὐ σμικρῷ χείρων· ἡμῖν γὰρ κατʼ ἐκεῖνον τὸν χρόνον, ὅτε ἡ Περσῶν ἐπίθεσις τοῖς Ἕλλησιν, ἴσως δὲ σχεδὸν ἅπασιν τοῖς τὴν Εὐρώπην οἰκοῦσιν, ἐγίγνετο, πολιτεία τε ἦν παλαιὰ καὶ ἐκ τιμημάτων ἀρχαί τινες τεττάρων, καὶ δεσπότις ἐνῆν τις αἰδώς, διʼ ἣν δουλεύοντες τοῖς τότε νόμοις ζῆν ἠθέλομεν.
ATH. But next, it is necessary for us to traverse in the same way the affairs concerning the Athenian constitution, so that the complete and absolute freedom from all rule is shown to be not a little worse than a rule by others that has measure; for in our case, at that time when the Persian attack on the Greeks—and perhaps indeed on almost all who inhabit Europe—took place, there was an ancient constitution and certain four offices based on property-assessments, and there was present a certain mistress reverence, because of which we wished to live serving the laws of that time.
καὶ πρὸς τούτοις δὴ τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ στόλου κατά τε γῆν καὶ κατὰ θάλατταν γενόμενον, φόβον ἄπορον ἐμβαλόν, δουλείαν ἔτι μείζονα ἐποίησεν ἡμᾶς τοῖς τε ἄρχουσιν καὶ τοῖς νόμοις δουλεῦσαι, καὶ διὰ πάντα ταῦθʼ ἡμῖν συνέπεσε πρὸς ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς σφόδρα φιλία.
And in addition, the greatness of the expedition on land and sea, throwing us into an helpless fear, made us serve even more a slavery to the rulers and to the laws; and because of all these things, a very strong friendship happened to arise among ourselves.
σχεδὸν γὰρ δέκα ἔτεσιν πρὸ τῆς ἐν Σαλαμῖνι ναυμαχίας ἀφίκετο Δᾶτις Περσικὸν στόλον ἄγων, πέμψαντος Δαρείου διαρρήδην ἐπί τε Ἀθηναίους καὶ Ἐρετριᾶς, ἐξανδραποδισάμενον ἀγαγεῖν, θάνατον αὐτῷ προειπὼν μὴ πράξαντι ταῦτα.
For almost ten years before the sea-fight at Salamis, Datis arrived leading a Persian fleet, sent by Darius explicitly against the Athenians and Eretrians, to lead them away as enslaved, having forewarned him of death if he should not accomplish this.
καὶ ὁ Δᾶτις τοὺς μὲν Ἐρετριᾶς ἔν τινι βραχεῖ χρόνῳ παντάπασιν κατὰ κράτος τε εἷλεν μυριάσι συχναῖς, καί τινα λόγον εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν πόλιν ἀφῆκεν φοβερόν, ὡς οὐδεὶς Ἐρετριῶν αὐτὸν ἀποπεφευγὼς εἴη· συνάψαντες γὰρ ἄρα τὰς χεῖρας σαγηνεύσαιεν πᾶσαν τὴν Ἐρετρικὴν οἱ στρατιῶται τοῦ Δάτιδος.
And Datis, within a short time, completely took the Eretrians by force with his vast myriads, and sent a terrifying report to our city, that no Eretrian had escaped him; for the soldiers of Datis, joining hands, had indeed swept the whole of Eretria as with a dragnet.
ὁ δὴ λόγος, εἴτʼ ἀληθὴς εἴτε καὶ ὅπῃ ἀφίκετο, τούς τε ἄλλους Ἕλληνας καὶ δὴ καὶ Ἀθηναίους ἐξέπληττεν, καὶ πρεσβευομένοις αὐτοῖς πανταχόσε βοηθεῖν οὐδεὶς ἤθελεν πλήν γε Λακεδαιμονίων· οὗτοι δὲ ὑπό τε τοῦ πρὸς Μεσσήνην ὄντος τότε πολέμου καὶ εἰ δή τι διεκώλυεν ἄλλο αὐτούς—οὐ γὰρ ἴσμεν λεγόμενον— ὕστεροι δʼ οὖν ἀφίκοντο τῆς ἐν Μαραθῶνι μάχης γενομένης μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ.
This report, whether true or in whatever way it arrived, threw both the other Greeks and indeed the Athenians into panic, and though they sent embassies everywhere to ask for help, no one wished to help except the Lacedaemonians; and they, because of the war they then had against Messene, and if indeed anything else prevented them—for we do not know of any reported—arrived later than the battle at Marathon by one day.
μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο παρασκευαί τε μεγάλαι λεγόμεναι καὶ ἀπειλαὶ ἐφοίτων μυρίαι παρὰ βασιλέως.
After this, great preparations were said to be made, and countless threats kept coming from the king.