§8.843ΑΘ. Διὸς ὁρίου μὲν πρῶτος νόμος ὅδε εἰρήσθω·
ATH.
μὴ κινείτω γῆς ὅρια μηδεὶς μήτε οἰκείου πολίτου γείτονος, μήτε ὁμοτέρμονος ἐπʼ ἐσχατιᾶς κεκτημένος ἄλλῳ ξένῳ γειτονῶν, νομίσας τὸ τἀκίνητα κινεῖν ἀληθῶς τοῦτο εἶναι· βουλέσθω δὲ πᾶς πέτρον ἐπιχειρῆσαι κινεῖν τὸν μέγιστον ἄλλον πλὴν ὅρον μᾶλλον ἢ σμικρὸν λίθον ὁρίζοντα φιλίαν τε καὶ ἔχθραν ἔνορκον παρὰ θεῶν.
Let this be spoken first as the law of Zeus of Boundaries: let no one move the boundaries of land, neither of a citizen neighbor who is close, nor of a neighboring foreigner at the border if he possesses land at the extremity and neighbors another foreigner, thinking that this is truly "to move the immovable." Let everyone wish to attempt to move any other stone, even the greatest, rather than a small stone that boundaries friendship and sworn enmity from the gods.
τοῦ μὲν γὰρ ὁμόφυλος Ζεὺς μάρτυς, τοῦ δὲ ξένιος, οἳ μετὰ πολέμων τῶν ἐχθίστων ἐγείρονται.
For of the former, Zeus of the Clan is witness, and of the latter, Zeus of Hospitality, who are aroused with the most hateful wars.
καὶ ὁ μὲν πεισθεὶς τῷ νόμῳ ἀναίσθητος τῶν ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ κακῶν γίγνοιτʼ ἄν, καταφρονήσας δὲ διτταῖς δίκαις ἔνοχος ἔστω, μιᾷ μὲν παρὰ θεῶν καὶ πρώτῃ, δευτέρᾳ δὲ ὑπὸ νόμου.
And he who obeys the law would become untouched by the evils that come from it, but he who despises it shall be subject to a double penalty, the first and foremost from the gods, and the second by the law.
μηδεὶς γὰρ ἑκὼν κινείτω γῆς ὅρια γειτόνων· ὃς δʼ ἂν κινήσῃ, μηνυέτω μὲν ὁ βουλόμενος τοῖς γεωργοῖς, οἱ δὲ εἰς τὸ δικαστήριον ἀγόντων.
For let no one willingly move the boundaries of neighbors' land; and whoever does move them, let anyone who wishes report it to the wardens of the land, and let them bring him to the court.
ἢν δέ τις ὄφλῃ τὴν τοιαύτην δίκην, ὡς ἀνάδαστον γῆν λάθρᾳ καὶ βίᾳ ποιοῦντος τοῦ ὄφλοντος, τιμάτω τὸ δικαστήριον ὅτι ἂν δέῃ πάσχειν ἢ ἀποτίνειν τὸν ἡττηθέντα.
If anyone is convicted in such a lawsuit, on the ground that the convicted person is attempting a redistribution of land by stealth and force, let the court assess what the defeated party must suffer or pay.
τὸ δὲ μετὰ τοῦτο βλάβαι πολλαὶ καὶ σμικραὶ γειτόνων γιγνόμεναι, διὰ τὸ θαμίζειν ἔχθρας ὄγκον μέγαν ἐντίκτουσαι, χαλεπὴν καὶ σφόδρα πικρὰν γειτονίαν ἀπεργάζονται.
And after this, many small damages occurring between neighbors, by being frequent, breed a great mass of enmity and produce a difficult and very bitter neighborhood.
διὸ χρὴ πάντως εὐλαβεῖσθαι γείτονα γείτονι μηδὲν ποιεῖν διάφορον, τῶν τε ἄλλων πέρι καὶ δὴ καὶ ἐπεργασίας συμπάσης σφόδρʼ ἀεὶ διευλαβούμενον·
Therefore, it is absolutely necessary for neighbor to beware of doing anything offensive to neighbor, being always very careful about other things and especially about all agricultural encroachment.
τὸ μὲν γὰρ βλάπτειν οὐδὲν χαλεπὸν ἀλλʼ ἀνθρώπου παντός, τὸ δʼ ἐπωφελεῖν οὐδαμῇ ἅπαντος.
For to do harm is not difficult and is in the power of every man, but to benefit is by no means in the power of everyone.
ὃς δʼ ἂν ἐπεργάζηται τὰ τοῦ γείτονος ὑπερβαίνων τοὺς ὅρους, τὸ μὲν βλάβος ἀποτινέτω, τῆς δὲ ἀναιδείας ἅμα καὶ ἀνελευθερίας ἕνεκα ἰατρευόμενος διπλάσιον τοῦ βλάβους ἄλλο ἐκτεισάτω τῷ βλαφθέντι·
Whoever encroaches on his neighbor's property, crossing the boundaries, let him pay for the damage, and on account of his shamelessness at the same time and illiberality, being cured, let him pay to the damaged party another sum double the damage.
τούτων δὲ καὶ ἁπάντων τῶν τοιούτων ἐπιγνώμονές τε καὶ δικασταὶ καὶ τιμηταὶ γιγνέσθων ἀγρονόμοι, τῶν μὲν μειζόνων, καθάπερ ἐν τοῖς πρόσθεν εἴρηται, πᾶσα ἡ τοῦ δωδεκατημορίου τάξις, τῶν ἐλαττόνων δὲ οἱ φρούραρχοι τούτων.
Of these and all such matters, let the wardens of the country be the evaluators, judges, and assessors; of the greater matters, as has been said before, the whole division of the twelfth part, and of the lesser matters, the commanders of their garrisons.
καὶ ἐάν τις βοσκήματα ἐπινέμῃ, τὰς βλάβας ὁρῶντες κρινόντων καὶ τιμώντων.
And if anyone grazes beasts on another's land, they, seeing the damages, shall judge and assess them.
καὶ ἐὰν ἐσμοὺς ἀλλοτρίους σφετερίζῃ τις τῇ τῶν μελιττῶν ἡδονῇ συνεπόμενος καὶ κατακρούων οὕτως οἰκειῶται, τινέτω τὴν βλάβην.
And if anyone appropriates another's swarms of bees, following the pleasure of the bees and by drumming thus makes them his own, let him pay for the damage.
καὶ ἐὰν πυρεύων τὴν ὕλην μὴ διευλαβηθῇ τῶν τοῦ γείτονος, τὴν δόξασαν ζημίαν τοῖς ἄρχουσι ζημιούσθω.
And if anyone, in burning wood, is not careful of his neighbor's property, let him be fined the penalty determined by the officials.
§8.844ΑΘ. καὶ ἐὰν φυτεύων μὴ ἀπολείπῃ τὸ μέτρον τῶν τοῦ γείτονος χωρίων, καθάπερ εἴρηται καὶ πολλοῖς νομοθέταις ἱκανῶς, ὧν τοῖς νόμοις χρὴ προσχρῆσθαι καὶ μὴ πάντα ἀξιοῦν, πολλὰ καὶ σμικρὰ καὶ τοῦ ἐπιτυχόντος νομοθέτου γιγνόμενα, τὸν μείζω πόλεως κοσμητὴν νομοθετεῖν·
ATH. And if anyone, in planting, does not leave the prescribed measure from his neighbor's lands, just as has been said and sufficiently by many legislators, whose laws one ought to use in addition and not think it appropriate for the greater organizer of the city to legislate all these things, many and small, which can be done by any ordinary legislator.
ἐπεὶ καὶ τῶν ὑδάτων πέρι γεωργοῖσι παλαιοὶ καὶ καλοὶ νόμοι κείμενοι οὐκ ἄξιοι παροχετεύειν λόγοις, ἀλλʼ ὁ βουληθεὶς ἐπὶ τὸν αὑτοῦ τόπον ἄγειν ὕδωρ ἀγέτω μὲν ἀρχόμενος ἐκ τῶν κοινῶν ναμάτων, μὴ ὑποτέμνων πηγὰς φανερὰς ἰδιώτου μηδενός, ᾗ δʼ ἂν βούληται ἄγειν, πλὴν διʼ οἰκίας ἢ ἱερῶν τινων ἢ καὶ μνημάτων, ἀγέτω, μὴ βλάπτων πλὴν αὐτῆς τῆς ὀχεταγωγίας.
For indeed, concerning water, old and beautiful laws are established for farmers, which are not worthy of being diverted by arguments, but let anyone who wishes to conduct water to his own place do so, starting from the common streams, not cutting off the visible springs of any private person; and by whatever path he wishes to conduct it, let him conduct it, except through a house or certain temples or tombs, doing no damage except to the channel itself.
ἀυδρία δὲ εἴ τισι τόποις σύμφυτος ἐκ γῆς τὰ ἐκ Διὸς ἰόντα ἀποστέγει νάματα, καὶ ἐλλείπει τῶν ἀναγκαίων πωμάτων, ὀρυττέτω μὲν ἐν τῷ αὑτοῦ χωρίῳ μέχρι τῆς κεραμίδος γῆς, ἐὰν δʼ ἐν τούτῳ τῷ βάθει μηδαμῶς ὕδατι προστυγχάνῃ, παρὰ τῶν γειτόνων ὑδρευέσθω μέχρι τοῦ ἀναγκαίου πώματος ἑκάστοις τῶν οἰκετῶν·
But if dryness is natural to certain places from the earth, and it excludes the streams coming from Zeus, and there is a lack of necessary drinking water, let him dig in his own land as far as the clay-earth; and if in this depth he does not meet with water at all, let him fetch water from his neighbors up to the necessary drink for each of his servants.
ἐὰν δὲ διʼ ἀκριβείας ᾖ καὶ τοῖς γείτοσι, τάξιν τῆς ὑδρείας ταξάμενος παρὰ τοῖς ἀγρονόμοις, ταύτην ἡμέρας ἑκάστης κομιζόμενος, οὕτω κοινωνείτω τοῖς γείτοσιν ὕδατος.
And if there is scarcity also among the neighbors, having arranged the measure of fetching water before the wardens of the country, and bringing this much each day, let him thus share water with his neighbors.
ἐὰν δὲ ἐκ Διὸς ὕδατα γιγνόμενα, τὸν ἐπάνω γεωργοῦντα ἢ καὶ ὁμότοιχον οἰκοῦντα τῶν ὑποκάτω βλάπτῃ τις μὴ διδοὺς ἐκροήν, ἢ τοὐναντίον ὁ ἐπάνω μεθιεὶς εἰκῇ τὰ ῥεύματα βλάπτῃ τὸν κάτω, καὶ περὶ ταῦτα μὴ ἐθέλωσιν διὰ ταῦτα κοινωνεῖν ἀλλήλοις, ἐν ἄστει μὲν ἀστυνόμον, ἐν ἀγρῷ δὲ ἀγρονόμον ἐπάγων ὁ βουλόμενος ταξάσθω τί χρὴ ποιεῖν ἑκάτερον·
And if, when waters come from Zeus, anyone farming above or living with a common wall damages the ones below by not giving an outlet, or on the contrary, the one above letting the streams flow at random damages the one below, and on account of these things they are not willing to cooperate with one another, let the one who wishes bring in the city-steward in the city, or the warden of the country in the field, and let him arrange what each of them must do.
ὁ δὲ μὴ ἐμμένων ἐν τῇ τάξει φθόνου θʼ ἅμα καὶ δυσκόλου ψυχῆς ὑπεχέτω δίκην, καὶ ὀφλὼν διπλάσιον τὸ βλάβος ἀποτινέτω τῷ βλαφθέντι, μὴ ἐθελήσας τοῖς ἄρχουσιν πείθεσθαι.
And he who does not abide by the arrangement shall undergo a trial for both envy and a difficult soul, and being convicted, let him pay double the damage to the injured party, because he was unwilling to obey the officials.
ὀπώρας δὲ δὴ χρὴ κοινωνίαν ποιεῖσθαι πάντας τοιάνδε τινά.
And indeed, all people ought to make a sharing of autumn fruit of some such kind.
διττὰς ἡμῖν δωρεὰς ἡ θεὸς ἔχει χάριτος αὕτη, τὴν μὲν παιδιὰν Διονυσιάδα ἀθησαύριστον, τὴν δʼ εἰς ἀπόθεσιν γενομένην κατὰ φύσιν.
This goddess has two gifts of grace for us, one being the Dionysian play that cannot be stored up, and the other being that which is by nature for putting away.
ἔστω δὴ περὶ ὀπώρας ὅδε νόμος ταχθείς· ὃς ἂν ἀγροίκου ὀπώρας γεύσηται, βοτρύων εἴτε καὶ σύκων, πρὶν ἐλθεῖν τὴν ὥραν τὴν τοῦ τρυγᾶν ἀρκτούρῳ σύνδρομον, εἴτʼ ἐν τοῖς αὑτοῦ χωρίοις εἴτε καὶ ἐν ἄλλων, ἱερὰς μὲν πεντήκοντα ὀφειλέτω τῷ Διονύσῳ δραχμάς, ἐὰν ἐκ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ δρέπῃ, ἐὰν δʼ ἐκ τῶν γειτόνων, μνᾶν, ἐὰν δʼ ἐξ ἄλλων, δύο μέρη τῆς μνᾶς.
Let this law, then, be established concerning autumn fruit: whoever tastes rustic autumn fruit, whether of grapes or of figs, before the season of harvesting comes, which coincides with Arcturus, whether in his own lands or in those of others, let him owe fifty sacred drachmas to Dionysus if he plucks from his own, and if from neighbors, a mina, and if from others, two-thirds of a mina.