§4.723ΑΘ. ὃ δὴ τυραννικὸν ἐπίταγμα ἀπεικασθὲν ἐρρήθη τοῖς ἐπιτάγμασιν τοῖς τῶν ἰατρῶν οὓς εἴπομεν ἀνελευθέρους, τοῦτʼ εἶναι νόμος ἄκρατος, τὸ δὲ πρὸ τούτου ῥηθέν, πειστικὸν λεχθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦδε, ὄντως μὲν εἶναι πειστικόν, προοιμίου μὴν τοῦ περὶ λόγους δύναμιν ἔχειν.
ATH. That which was called a tyrannical decree, compared to the decrees of those doctors whom we called unfree, this is pure law; and that which was said before this, called "persuasive" by this man here, is indeed persuasive, but has the force of a preamble in speeches.
ἵνα γὰρ εὐμενῶς, καὶ διὰ τὴν εὐμένειαν εὐμαθέστερον, τὴν ἐπίταξιν, ὃ δή ἐστιν ὁ νόμος, δέξηται ᾧ τὸν νόμον ὁ νομοθέτης λέγει, τούτου χάριν εἰρῆσθαί μοι κατεφάνη πᾶς ὁ λόγος οὗτος, ὃν πείθων εἶπεν ὁ λέγων· διὸ δὴ κατά γε τὸν ἐμὸν λόγον τοῦτʼ αὐτό, προοίμιον, ἀλλʼ οὐ λόγος ἂν ὀρθῶς προσαγορεύοιτο εἶναι τοῦ νόμου.
For in order that he to whom the lawmaker addresses the law may receive the decree (which indeed is the law) with goodwill, and because of that goodwill more easily, all this speech, which the speaker spoke by way of persuasion, appears to me to have been spoken for this purpose; wherefore, according to my view, this very thing would be correctly addressed as a preamble, and not the text of the law.
ταῦτʼ οὖν εἰπών, τί τὸ μετὰ τοῦτο ἄν μοι βουληθείην εἰρῆσθαι;
Having said these things, then, what would I wish to be said next?
τόδε, ὡς τὸν νομοθέτην πρὸ πάντων τε ἀεὶ τῶν νόμων χρεών ἐστιν μὴ ἀμοίρους αὐτοὺς προοιμίων ποιεῖν καὶ καθʼ ἕκαστον, ᾗ διοίσουσιν ἑαυτῶν ὅσον νυνδὴ τὼ λεχθέντε διηνεγκάτην.
This: that it is necessary for the lawmaker always to make them not devoid of preambles before all the laws, and for each individual law, in the degree to which they will differ from themselves just as the two options spoken of just now differed.
ΚΛ. τό γʼ ἐμὸν οὐκ ἂν ἄλλως νομοθετεῖν διακελεύοιτο ἡμῖν τὸν τούτων ἐπιστήμονα.
CL. For my part, I would not bid the one who has knowledge of these things to legislate for us in any other way.
ΑΘ. καλῶς μὲν τοίνυν, ὦ Κλεινία, δοκεῖς μοι τό γε τοσοῦτον λέγειν, ὅτι πᾶσίν γε νόμοις ἔστιν προοίμια καὶ ὅτι πάσης ἀρχόμενον νομοθεσίας χρὴ προτιθέναι παντὸς τοῦ λόγου τὸ πεφυκὸς προοίμιον ἑκάστοις—οὐ γὰρ σμικρὸν τὸ μετὰ τοῦτό ἐστιν ῥηθησόμενον, οὐδʼ ὀλίγον διαφέρον ἢ σαφῶς ἢ μὴ σαφῶς αὐτὰ μνημονεύεσθαι—τὸ μέντοι μεγάλων πέρι λεγομένων νόμων καὶ σμικρῶν εἰ ὁμοίως προοιμιάζεσθαι προστάττοιμεν, οὐκ ἂν ὀρθῶς λέγοιμεν.
ATH. You seem to me, then, O Cleinias, to speak well at least to this extent: that there are preambles to all laws, and that on beginning any legislation one must put before the whole text the preamble that naturally belongs to each—for what is to be said after this is no small thing, nor does it make a small difference whether they are remembered clearly or not clearly—yet, if we should command to make preambles in the same way for laws spoken concerning great matters and small ones, we would not speak correctly.
οὐδὲ γὰρ ᾄσματος οὐδὲ λόγου παντὸς δεῖ τὸ τοιοῦτον δρᾶν—καίτοι πέφυκέν γε εἶναι πᾶσιν, ἀλλʼ οὐ χρηστέον ἅπασιν—αὐτῷ δὲ τῷ τε ῥήτορι καὶ τῷ μελῳδῷ καὶ νομοθέτῃ τὸ τοιοῦτον ἑκάστοτε ἐπιτρεπτέον.
For indeed one must not do such a thing for every song or every speech—although it is natural for it to be in all, yet it must not be used for all—but such a thing must be left on each occasion to the orator, the singer, and the lawmaker himself.
ΚΛ. ἀληθέστατα δοκεῖς μοι λέγειν.
CL. You seem to me to speak most truly.
ἀλλὰ δὴ μηκέτʼ, ὦ ξένε, διατριβὴν πλείω τῆς μελλήσεως ποιώμεθα, ἐπὶ δὲ τὸν λόγον ἐπανέλθωμεν καὶ ἀπʼ ἐκείνων ἀρχώμεθα, εἴ σοι φίλον, ὧν οὐχ ὡς προοιμιαζόμενος εἶπες τότε.
But let us, O guest, make no further delay than our hesitation, but return to our discourse and begin, if you please, from those things which you spoke of then, not as though making a preamble.
πάλιν οὖν, οἷόν φασιν οἱ παίζοντες, ἀμεινόνων ἐξ ἀρχῆς δευτέρων ἐπαναπολήσωμεν, ὡς προοίμιον ἀλλʼ οὐ τὸν τυχόντα λόγον περαίνοντες, καθάπερ ἄρτι· λάβωμεν δʼ αὐτῶν ἀρχὴν ὁμολογοῦντες προοιμιάζεσθαι.
Therefore, as they say in jest, let us repeat from the beginning "better second thoughts," accomplishing it as a preamble and not as an ordinary speech, just as we did just now; and let us take their beginning, acknowledging that we are making a preamble.
καὶ τὰ μὲν περὶ θεῶν τιμῆς προγόνων τε θεραπείας, καὶ τὰ νυνδὴ λεχθέντα ἱκανά· τὰ δʼ ἑξῆς πειρώμεθα λέγειν, μέχριπερ ἄν σοι πᾶν τὸ προοίμιον ἱκανῶς εἰρῆσθαι δοκῇ.
And the things concerning the honor of the gods and the care of ancestors, and those said just now, are sufficient; let us try to say the next things, until the whole preamble seems to you to have been sufficiently spoken.
μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο ἤδη τοὺς νόμους αὐτοὺς διέξει λέγων.
And after this, you will then go through the laws themselves in your speech.
§4.724ΑΘ. οὐκοῦν περὶ θεῶν μὲν καὶ τῶν μετὰ θεοὺς καὶ γονέων ζώντων τε πέρι καὶ τελευτησάντων τότε ἱκανῶς προοιμιασάμεθα, ὡς νῦν λέγομεν· τὸ δὲ ἀπολειπόμενον ἔτι τοῦ τοιούτου φαίνῃ μοι σὺ διακελεύεσθαι τὰ νῦν οἷον πρὸς τὸ φῶς ἐπανάγειν.
ATH. Then, concerning the gods and those after the gods, and concerning parents, both living and dead, we then made a sufficient preamble, as we now say; and you seem to me to be bidding me now, as it were, to bring to light what is still remaining of such a preamble.
ΚΛ. παντάπασι μὲν οὖν.
CL. Entirely so.
ΑΘ. ἀλλὰ μὴν μετά γε τὰ τοιαῦτα, ὡς χρὴ τὰ περὶ τὰς αὑτῶν ψυχὰς καὶ τὰ σώματα καὶ τὰς οὐσίας σπουδῆς τε πέρι καὶ ἀνέσεως ἴσχειν, προσῆκόν τʼ ἐστὶ καὶ κοινότατον ἀναπεμπαζομένους τόν τε λέγοντα καὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντας παιδείας γίγνεσθαι κατὰ δύναμιν ἐπηβόλους· ταῦτʼ οὖν ἡμῖν αὐτὰ μετʼ ἐκεῖνα ὄντως ἐστὶν ῥητέα τε καὶ ἀκουστέα.
ATH. Yet indeed, after such things, how one ought to hold matters concerning one's own souls and bodies and estates, with respect to both earnestness and relaxation, is fitting, and it is most common that both the speaker and the listeners, by calculating them, should become as far as possible possessors of education; these things, then, must indeed be spoken by us and heard after those.
ΚΛ. ὀρθότατα λέγεις.
CL. You speak most correctly.