§5.729ΑΘ. ὡς δʼ αὕτως ἡ τῶν χρημάτων καὶ κτημάτων κτῆσις, καὶ τιμήσεως κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν ῥυθμὸν ἔχει· τὰ μὲν ὑπέρογκα γὰρ ἑκάστων τούτων ἔχθρας καὶ στάσεις ἀπεργάζεται ταῖς πόλεσιν καὶ ἰδίᾳ, τὰ δʼ ἐλλείποντα δουλείας ὡς τὸ πολύ.
ATH. Likewise, the acquisition of wealth and property, and their honor, hold to the same rhythm; for the excessive possession of each of these works hatred and factions in cities and privately, while that which is deficient works slavery for the most part.
μὴ δή τις φιλοχρημονείτω παίδων γʼ ἕνεκα, ἵνα ὅτι πλουσιωτάτους καταλίπῃ· οὔτε γὰρ ἐκείνοις οὔτε αὖ τῇ πόλει ἄμεινον.
Therefore let no one be fond of wealth for the sake of his children, so that he may leave them as rich as possible; for this is better neither for them nor, in turn, for the city.
ἡ γὰρ τῶν νέων ἀκολάκευτος οὐσία, τῶν δʼ ἀναγκαίων μὴ ἐνδεής, αὕτη πασῶν μουσικωτάτη τε καὶ ἀρίστη· συμφωνοῦσα γὰρ ἡμῖν καὶ συναρμόττουσα εἰς ἅπαντα ἄλυπον τὸν βίον ἀπεργάζεται.
For the youth, a property that is without flattery, yet not lacking in necessities, is of all the most harmonious and best; for, in agreeing with us and fitting together with us, it works out a painless life in all respects.
παισὶν δὲ αἰδῶ χρὴ πολλήν, οὐ χρυσὸν καταλείπειν.
And one must leave children much shame, not gold.
οἰόμεθα δὲ ἐπιπλήττοντες τοῖς νέοις ἀναισχυντοῦσιν τοῦτο καταλείψειν· τὸ δʼ ἔστιν οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ νῦν παρακελεύματος τοῖς νέοις γιγνόμενον, ὃ παρακελεύονται λέγοντες ὡς δεῖ πάντα αἰσχύνεσθαι τὸν νέον.
We think we shall leave this by rebuking the youth when they act shamelessly; but this does not happen from the present exhortation to the youth, which they exhort by saying that the youth must feel shame in all things.
ὁ δὲ ἔμφρων νομοθέτης τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις ἂν μᾶλλον παρακελεύοιτο αἰσχύνεσθαι τοὺς νέους, καὶ πάντων μάλιστα εὐλαβεῖσθαι μή ποτέ τις αὐτὸν ἴδῃ τῶν νέων ἢ καὶ ἐπακούσῃ δρῶντα ἢ λέγοντά τι τῶν αἰσχρῶν, ὡς ὅπου ἀναισχυντοῦσι γέροντες, ἀνάγκη καὶ νέους ἐνταῦθα εἶναι ἀναιδεστάτους·
An intelligent lawmaker, however, would rather exhort the older men to feel shame before the youth, and most of all to beware lest any of the youth ever see him or even hear him doing or saying anything shameful, since where old men act shamelessly, there youth too are bound to be most shameless.
παιδεία γὰρ νέων διαφέρουσά ἐστιν ἅμα καὶ αὐτῶν οὐ τὸ νουθετεῖν, ἀλλʼ ἅπερ ἂν ἄλλον νουθετῶν εἴποι τις, φαίνεσθαι ταῦτα αὐτὸν δρῶντα διὰ βίου.
For the excellent education of the youth, and at the same time of themselves, is not to admonish, but to be seen oneself practicing throughout life the very things that one would say when admonishing another.
συγγένειαν δὲ καὶ ὁμογνίων θεῶν κοινωνίαν πᾶσαν ταὐτοῦ φύσιν αἵματος ἔχουσαν τιμῶν τις καὶ σεβόμενος, εὔνους ἂν γενεθλίους θεοὺς εἰς παίδων αὑτοῦ σπορὰν ἴσχοι κατὰ λόγον.
And he who honors and reveres kinship and the entire community of the gods of the family, which shares the same nature of blood, would reasonably have the ancestral gods favorable toward the procreation of his own children.
καὶ μὴν τό γε φίλων καὶ ἑταίρων πρὸς τὰς ἐν βίῳ ὁμιλίας εὐμενεῖς ἄν τις κτῷτο, μείζους μὲν καὶ σεμνοτέρας τὰς ἐκείνων ὑπηρεσίας εἰς αὑτὸν ἡγούμενος ἢ ʼκεῖνοι, ἐλάττους δʼ αὖ τὰς αὑτοῦ διανοούμενος εἰς τοὺς φίλους χάριτας αὐτῶν τῶν φίλων τε καὶ ἑταίρων.
Moreover, one would acquire friends and companions favorable toward social intercourse in life by regarding their services toward oneself as greater and more solemn than they themselves think, and, in turn, by considering one's own favors toward friends as smaller than the friends and companions themselves regard them.
εἰς μὴν πόλιν καὶ πολίτας μακρῷ ἄριστος ὅστις πρὸ τοῦ Ὀλυμπίασιν καὶ ἁπάντων ἀγώνων πολεμικῶν τε καὶ εἰρηνικῶν νικᾶν δέξαιτʼ ἂν δόξῃ ὑπηρεσίας τῶν οἴκοι νόμων, ὡς ὑπηρετηκὼς πάντων κάλλιστʼ ἀνθρώπων αὐτοῖς ἐν τῷ βίῳ.
Toward the city and citizens, indeed, by far the best is he who, before winning at Olympia and in all contests, both warlike and peaceful, would prefer to win in the reputation of serving the laws of home, as having served them most beautifully of all human beings in his life.
πρὸς δʼ αὖ τοὺς ξένους διανοητέον ὡς ἁγιώτατα συμβόλαια ὄντα· σχεδὸν γὰρ πάντʼ ἐστὶ τὰ τῶν ξένων καὶ εἰς τοὺς ξένους ἁμαρτήματα παρὰ τὰ τῶν πολιτῶν εἰς θεὸν ἀνηρτημένα τιμωρὸν μᾶλλον.
Toward foreigners, on the other hand, one must consider that contracts are most sacred; for virtually all offenses of foreigners and against foreigners, compared to those of citizens, are linked more to a retaliating god.
§5.730ΑΘ. ἔρημος γὰρ ὢν ὁ ξένος ἑταίρων τε καὶ συγγενῶν ἐλεεινότερος ἀνθρώποις καὶ θεοῖς· ὁ δυνάμενος οὖν τιμωρεῖν μᾶλλον βοηθεῖ προθυμότερον, δύναται δὲ διαφερόντως ὁ ξένιος ἑκάστων δαίμων καὶ θεὸς τῷ ξενίῳ συνεπόμενοι Διί.
ATH. For the foreigner, being destitute of companions and kinsmen, is more pitiable to men and gods; therefore, he who is able to avenge helps more readily, and the spirit and god of hospitality are uniquely powerful, following Zeus the god of foreigners.
πολλῆς οὖν εὐλαβείας, ᾧ καὶ σμικρὸν προμηθείας ἔνι, μηδὲν ἁμάρτημα περὶ ξένους ἁμαρτόντα ἐν τῷ βίῳ πρὸς τὸ τέλος αὐτοῦ πορευθῆναι.
It is therefore a matter of great caution for anyone who has even a little foresight to go through life to its end without having committed any offense against foreigners.
ξενικῶν δʼ αὖ καὶ ἐπιχωρίων ἁμαρτημάτων τὸ περὶ τοὺς ἱκέτας μέγιστον γίγνεται ἁμάρτημα ἑκάστοις· μεθʼ οὗ γὰρ ἱκετεύσας μάρτυρος ὁ ἱκέτης θεοῦ ἔτυχεν ὁμολογιῶν, φύλαξ διαφέρων οὗτος τοῦ παθόντος γίγνεται, ὥστʼ οὐκ ἄν ποτε ἀτιμώρητος πάθοι ὁ τυχὼν ὧν ἔπαθε.
Furthermore, of offenses against foreigners and natives, that concerning suppliants becomes the greatest offense for each; for the god as a witness with whom the suppliant obtained agreements becomes a preeminent guardian of the sufferer, so that he who suffered would never suffer without his suffering being avenged.
τὰ μὲν οὖν περὶ γονέας τε καὶ ἑαυτὸν καὶ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ, περὶ πόλιν τε καὶ φίλους καὶ συγγένειαν, ξενικά τε καὶ ἐπιχώρια, διεληλύθαμεν σχεδὸν ὁμιλήματα, τὸ δὲ ποῖός τις ὢν αὐτὸς ἂν κάλλιστα διαγάγοι τὸν βίον, ἑπόμενον τούτῳ διεξελθεῖν·
Now, we have gone through almost all relations concerning parents, oneself, one's own, the city, friends, kinship, foreigners, and natives; and next to this, we must go through what kind of person one should be oneself to lead life most beautifully.
ὅσα μὴ νόμος, ἀλλʼ ἔπαινος παιδεύων καὶ ψόγος ἑκάστους εὐηνίους μᾶλλον καὶ εὐμενεῖς τοῖς τεθήσεσθαι μέλλουσιν νόμοις ἀπεργάζεται, ταῦτʼ ἐστὶν μετὰ τοῦτο ἡμῖν ῥητέον.
Those things which are not law, but praise and blame educating each individual, rendering them more gentle and favorable to the laws that are to be established, must be spoken by us after this.
ἀλήθεια δὴ πάντων μὲν ἀγαθῶν θεοῖς ἡγεῖται, πάντων δὲ ἀνθρώποις·
Truth is indeed the guide for gods in all good things, and for men in all.
ἧς ὁ γενήσεσθαι μέλλων μακάριός τε καὶ εὐδαίμων ἐξ ἀρχῆς εὐθὺς μέτοχος εἴη, ἵνα ὡς πλεῖστον χρόνον ἀληθὴς ὢν διαβιοῖ.
May he who is to be blessed and happy be a partaker of it immediately from the beginning, so that he may live through as much time as possible as a truthful man.
πιστὸς γάρ· ὁ δὲ ἄπιστος ᾧ φίλον ψεῦδος ἑκούσιον, ὅτῳ δὲ ἀκούσιον, ἄνους.
For he is trustworthy; but the untrustworthy man is he to whom a voluntary falsehood is dear, and he to whom it is involuntary is simple-minded.
ὧν οὐδέτερον ζηλωτόν.
Neither of these is to be envied.
ἄφιλος γὰρ δὴ πᾶς ὅ γε ἄπιστος καὶ ἀμαθής, χρόνου δὲ προϊόντος γνωσθείς, εἰς τὸ χαλεπὸν γῆρας ἐρημίαν αὑτῷ πᾶσαν κατεσκευάσατο ἐπὶ τέλει τοῦ βίου, ὥστε ζώντων καὶ μὴ ἑταίρων καὶ παίδων σχεδὸν ὁμοίως ὀρφανὸν αὐτῷ γενέσθαι τὸν βίον.
For everyone who is untrustworthy and ignorant is friendless, and as time goes on, having become known, he prepares complete loneliness for himself in difficult old age at the end of life, so that whether companions and children are living or not, his life becomes virtually like that of an orphan.
τίμιος μὲν δὴ καὶ ὁ μηδὲν ἀδικῶν, ὁ δὲ μηδʼ ἐπιτρέπων τοῖς ἀδικοῦσιν ἀδικεῖν πλέον ἢ διπλασίας τιμῆς ἄξιος ἐκείνου· ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἑνός, ὁ δὲ πολλῶν ἀντάξιος ἑτέρων, μηνύων τὴν τῶν ἄλλων τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ἀδικίαν.
Honorable indeed is he who does no injustice, but he who does not even permit the unjust to do injustice is worthy of more than double the honor of the former; for the one is equivalent in value to one, but the other is equivalent to many other men, by revealing the injustice of others to the rulers.
ὁ δὲ καὶ συγκολάζων εἰς δύναμιν τοῖς ἄρχουσιν, ὁ μέγας ἀνὴρ ἐν πόλει καὶ τέλειος, οὗτος ἀναγορευέσθω νικηφόρος ἀρετῇ.
And he who also co-punishes to the best of his power with the rulers, let this man be proclaimed great in the city and perfect, a victorious winner in virtue.
τὸν αὐτὸν δὴ τοῦτον ἔπαινον καὶ περὶ σωφροσύνης χρὴ λέγειν καὶ περὶ φρονήσεως, καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα ἀγαθά τις κέκτηται δυνατὰ μὴ μόνον αὐτὸν ἔχειν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλοις μεταδιδόναι·
The same praise indeed must be spoken concerning temperance and concerning wisdom, and all other good things which someone possesses that are capable of being held not only by himself but also shared with others.