§6.751ΑΘ. ἀλλὰ μὴν μετά γε πάντα τὰ νῦν εἰρημένα σχεδὸν ἂν ἀρχῶν εἶέν σοι καταστάσεις τῇ πόλει.
ATH.: Indeed, after all the things that have now been said, the establishment of offices for your city would be nearly next.
ΚΛ. ἔχει γὰρ οὖν οὕτω.
CLE.: That is indeed how it is.
ΑΘ. δύο εἴδη ταῦτα περὶ πολιτείας κόσμον γιγνόμενα τυγχάνει, πρῶτον μὲν καταστάσεις ἀρχῶν τε καὶ ἀρξόντων, ὅσας τε αὐτὰς εἶναι δεῖ καὶ τρόπον ὅντινα καθισταμένας· ἔπειτα οὕτω δὴ τοὺς νόμους ταῖς ἀρχαῖς ἑκάσταις ἀποδοτέον, οὕστινάς τε αὖ καὶ ὅσους καὶ οἵους προσῆκον ἂν ἑκάσταις εἴη.
ATH.: These two types happen to arise concerning the order of a constitution: first, the establishments of offices and of those who will rule, both how many they must be and in what manner they are to be established; next, we must assign laws to each of the offices, showing what laws, how many, and of what kind would be appropriate for each.
σμικρὸν δὲ ἐπισχόντες πρὸ τῆς αἱρέσεως, εἴπωμεν προσήκοντά τινα λόγον περὶ αὐτῆς ῥηθῆναι.
But pausing a moment before the election, let us speak a certain fitting discourse about it.
ΚΛ. τίνα δὴ τοῦτον;
CLE.: What indeed is this?
ΑΘ. τόνδε.
ATH.: This one.
παντί που δῆλον τὸ τοιοῦτον, ὅτι μεγάλου τῆς νομοθεσίας ὄντος ἔργου, τοῦ πόλιν εὖ παρεσκευασμένην ἀρχὰς ἀνεπιτηδείους ἐπιστῆσαι τοῖς εὖ κειμένοις νόμοις, οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν πλέον εὖ τεθέντων, οὐδʼ ὅτι γέλως ἂν πάμπολυς συμβαίνοι, σχεδὸν δὲ βλάβαι καὶ λῶβαι πολὺ μέγισται ταῖς πόλεσι γίγνοιντʼ ἂν ἐξ αὐτῶν.
It is surely clear to everyone that, while legislation is a great task, if a well-prepared city places unsuitable officials over well-established laws, not only is there no benefit from the laws being well-established, and not only would great mockery result, but practically the greatest damages and ruins would arise for cities from them.
ΚΛ. πῶς γὰρ οὔ;
CLE.: How indeed could it not be so?
ΑΘ. τοῦτο τοίνυν νοήσωμέν σοι περὶ τῆς νῦν, ὦ φίλε, πολιτείας τε καὶ πόλεως συμβαῖνον.
ATH.: Let us then consider that this very thing is happening, my friend, regarding your present constitution and city.
ὁρᾷς γὰρ ὅτι πρῶτον μὲν δεῖ τοὺς ὀρθῶς ἰόντας ἐπὶ τὰς τῶν ἀρχῶν δυνάμεις βάσανον ἱκανὴν αὐτούς τε καὶ γένος ἑκάστων ἐκ παίδων μέχρι τῆς αἱρέσεως εἶναι δεδωκότας, ἔπειτα αὖ τοὺς μέλλοντας αἱρήσεσθαι τεθράφθαι ἐν ἤθεσι νόμων εὖ πεπαιδευμένους πρὸς τὸ δυσχεραίνοντάς τε καὶ ἀποδεχομένους ὀρθῶς κρίνειν καὶ ἀποκρίνειν δυνατοὺς γίγνεσθαι τοὺς ἀξίους ἑκατέρων·
For you see that, first, those who go correctly to the powers of office must have given sufficient test of themselves and their families from childhood up to the election, and second, those who are going to elect must have been reared in the customs of the laws and well-educated so that, by being disgusted by the bad and accepting the good, they are able to judge correctly and choose the worthy from either group.
ταῦτα δὲ οἱ νεωστὶ συνεληλυθότες ὄντες τε ἀλλήλων ἀγνῶτες, ἔτι δʼ ἀπαίδευτοι, πῶς ἄν ποτε δύναιντο ἀμέμπτως τὰς ἀρχὰς αἱρεῖσθαι;
But how could those who have newly come together, being strangers to one another and still uneducated, ever elect the offices blamelessly?
ΚΛ. σχεδὸν οὐκ ἄν ποτε.
CLE.: Nearly never.
ΑΘ. ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἀγῶνα προφάσεις φασὶν οὐ πάνυ δέχεσθαι·
ATH.: But they say that a contest does not at all accept excuses.
καὶ δὴ καὶ σοὶ τοῦτο νῦν καὶ ἐμοὶ ποιητέον, ἐπείπερ σὺ μὲν δὴ τὴν πόλιν ὑπέστης τῷ Κρητῶν ἔθνει προθύμως κατοικιεῖν δέκατος αὐτός, ὡς φῄς, τὰ νῦν, ἐγὼ δʼ αὖ σοὶ συλλήψεσθαι κατὰ τὴν παροῦσαν ἡμῖν τὰ νῦν μυθολογίαν.
And indeed you and I must do this now, since you have readily undertaken to colonize the city for the Cretan nation, as one of ten, as you say now, and I in turn have promised to help you according to our present storytelling.
§6.752ΑΘ. οὔκουν δήπου λέγων γε ἂν μῦθον ἀκέφαλον ἑκὼν καταλίποιμι· πλανώμενος γὰρ ἂν ἁπάντῃ τοιοῦτος ὢν ἄμορφος φαίνοιτο.
ATH.: Surely, then, I would not willingly leave my story headless; for if it wandered about in such a state, it would appear shapeless.
ΚΛ. ἄριστʼ εἴρηκας, ὦ ξένε.
CLE.: Excellently spoken, stranger.
ΑΘ. οὐ μόνον γε, ἀλλὰ καὶ δράσω κατὰ δύναμιν οὕτω.
ATH.: Not only that, but I will also act in this way to the best of my power.
ΚΛ. πάνυ μὲν οὖν ποιῶμεν ᾗπερ καὶ λέγομεν.
CLE.: By all means let us do exactly as we say.
ΑΘ. ἔσται ταῦτʼ, ἂν θεὸς ἐθέλῃ καὶ γήρως ἐπικρατῶμεν τό γε τοσοῦτον.
ATH.: These things shall be, if god wills and we can overcome old age at least to this extent.
ΚΛ. ἀλλʼ εἰκὸς ἐθέλειν.
CLE.: But it is likely that he wills it.
ΑΘ. εἰκὸς γὰρ οὖν.
ATH.: Likely indeed.
ἑπόμενοι δὲ αὐτῷ λάβωμεν καὶ τόδε.
And following it, let us also grasp this.
ΚΛ. τὸ ποῖον;
CLE.: What sort of thing?
ΑΘ. ὡς ἀνδρείως καὶ παρακεκινδυνευμένως ἐν τῷ νῦν ἡ πόλις ἡμῖν ἔσται κατωκισμένη.
ATH.: How courageously and riskily our city will have been colonized in the present situation.
ΚΛ. περὶ τί βλέπων καὶ ποῖ μάλιστα αὐτὸ εἴρηκας τὰ νῦν;
CLE.: Looking toward what, and for what reason especially, have you said this now?
ΑΘ. ὡς εὐκόλως καὶ ἀφόβως ἀπείροις ἀνδράσι νομοθετοῦμεν, ὅπως δέξονταί ποτε τοὺς νῦν τεθέντας νόμους.
ATH.: How easily and fearlessly we legislate for inexperienced men, so that they will one day accept the laws now established.
δῆλον δὲ τό γε τοσοῦτον, ὦ Κλεινία, παντὶ σχεδὸν καὶ τῷ μὴ πάνυ σοφῷ, τὸ μὴ ῥᾳδίως γε αὐτοὺς μηδένας προσδέξεσθαι κατʼ ἀρχάς, εἰ δὲ μείναιμέν πως τοσοῦτον χρόνον ἕως οἱ γευσάμενοι παῖδες τῶν νόμων καὶ συντραφέντες ἱκανῶς συνήθεις τε αὐτοῖς γενόμενοι τῶν ἀρχαιρεσιῶν τῇ πόλει πάσῃ κοινωνήσειαν· γενομένου γε μὴν οὗ λέγομεν, εἴπερ τινὶ τρόπῳ καὶ μηχανῇ γίγνοιτο ὀρθῶς, πολλὴν ἔγωγε ἀσφάλειαν οἶμαι καὶ μετὰ τὸν τότε παρόντα χρόνον ἂν γενέσθαι τοῦ μεῖναι τὴν παιδαγωγηθεῖσαν οὕτω πόλιν.
But this much at least, Cleinias, is clear to almost everyone, even to one who is not very wise: that no one will easily accept them at first; but if we could somehow endure for so much time until children, having tasted the laws and been reared in them, become sufficiently accustomed to them and share in the elections with the whole city; and if indeed what we say should come to pass correctly by some way and device, I think there would be great safety, even after that present time, for the preservation of the city thus educated.
ΚΛ. ἔχει γοῦν λόγον.
CLE.: It certainly makes sense.
ΑΘ. ἴδωμεν τοίνυν πρὸς τοῦτο εἴ πῄ τινα πόρον ἱκανὸν πορίζοιμεν ἂν κατὰ τάδε.
ATH.: Let us then see with respect to this if we can somehow provide a sufficient way in the following manner.
φημὶ γάρ, ὦ Κλεινία, Κνωσίους χρῆναι τῶν ἄλλων διαφερόντως Κρητῶν μὴ μόνον ἀφοσιώσασθαι περὶ τῆς χώρας ἣν νῦν κατοικίζετε, συντόνως δʼ ἐπιμεληθῆναι τὰς πρώτας ἀρχὰς εἰς δύναμιν ὅπως ἂν ἱστῶσιν ὡς ἀσφαλέστατα καὶ ἄριστα.
For I say, Cleinias, that the Cnossians must, differently from the other Cretans, not only clear their conscience regarding the land you are now colonizing, but take intense care to establish the first offices as safely and best as possible to their power.
τὰς μὲν οὖν ἄλλας καὶ βραχύτερον ἔργον, νομοφύλακας δʼ ἡμῖν πρώτους αἱρεῖσθαι ἀναγκαιότατον ἁπάσῃ σπουδῇ.
For the others are indeed a shorter task, but for us to elect the "guardians of the laws" first is most necessary with all diligence.
ΚΛ. τίνα οὖν ἐπὶ τούτῳ πόρον καὶ λόγον ἀνευρίσκομεν;
CLE.: What way and plan, then, do we find for this?