§1.74.1ἔστι δʼ ἕτερα συντάγματα τῆς πολιτείας τρία, τό τε τῶν νομέων καὶ τὸ τῶν γεωργῶν, ἔτι δὲ τὸ τῶν τεχνιτῶν.
There are three other classes of the state: those of the shepherds, the husbandmen, and also the artisans.
οἱ μὲν οὖν γεωργοὶ μικροῦ τινος τὴν καρποφόρον γῆν τὴν παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τῶν ἱερέων καὶ τῶν μαχίμων μισθούμενοι διατελοῦσι τὸν πάντα χρόνον περὶ τὴν ἐργασίαν ὄντες τῆς χώρας· ἐκ νηπίου δὲ συντρεφόμενοι ταῖς γεωργικαῖς ἐπιμελείαις πολὺ προέχουσι τῶν παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἔθνεσι γεωργῶν ταῖς ἐμπειρίαις·
Now, the husbandmen, leasing the fertile land from the king, the priests, and the warriors for a small rent, continue spending all their time in the cultivation of the land; and being brought up from infancy in agricultural pursuits, they far excel the husbandmen among other nations in their experience.
§1.74.2καὶ γὰρ τὴν τῆς γῆς φύσιν καὶ τὴν τῶν ὑδάτων ἐπίρρυσιν, ἔτι δὲ τοὺς καιροὺς τοῦ τε σπόρου καὶ τοῦ θερισμοῦ καὶ τῆς ἄλλης τῶν καρπῶν συγκομιδῆς ἀκριβέστατα πάντων γινώσκουσι, τὰ μὲν ἐκ τῆς τῶν προγόνων παρατηρήσεως μαθόντες, τὰ δʼ ἐκ τῆς ἰδίας πείρας διδαχθέντες.
For they know most accurately of all people the nature of the soil and the flooding of the waters, and furthermore the seasons for sowing and reaping and the rest of the harvesting of crops, having learned some things from the observations of their ancestors and having been taught others from their own experience.
§1.74.3ὁ δʼ αὐτὸς λόγος ἐστὶ καὶ περὶ τῶν νομέων, οἳ τὴν τῶν θρεμμάτων ἐπιμέλειαν ἐκ πατέρων ὥσπερ κληρονομίας νόμῳ παραλαμβάνοντες ἐν βίῳ κτηνοτρόφῳ διατελοῦσι πάντα τὸν τοῦ ζῆν χρόνον,
And the same account holds also for the shepherds, who, receiving the care of flocks from their fathers as if by a law of inheritance, continue all the time of their life in a pastoral life.
§1.74.4καὶ πολλὰ μὲν παρὰ τῶν προγόνων πρὸς θεραπείαν καὶ διατροφὴν ἀρίστην τῶν βοσκομένων παρειλήφασιν, οὐκ ὀλίγα δʼ αὐτοὶ διὰ τὸν εἰς ταῦτα ζῆλον προσευρίσκουσι, καὶ τὸ θαυμασιώτατον, διὰ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς εἰς ταῦτα σπουδῆς οἵ τε ὀρνιθοτρόφοι καὶ οἱ χηνοβοσκοὶ χωρὶς τῆς παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις ἐκ φύσεως συντελουμένης γενέσεως τῶν εἰρημένων ζῴων αὐτοὶ διὰ τῆς ἰδίας φιλοτεχνίας ἀμύθητον πλῆθος ὀρνέων ἀθροίζουσιν·
And on one hand they have received from their ancestors many things for the best care and nourishment of the beasts, and on the other hand they themselves discover not a few things through their zeal for these matters; and what is most wonderful, because of the excess of their zeal in these matters, both the poultry-breeders and goose-herds, apart from the natural breeding of the said animals which takes place among other men, themselves by their own special skill raise an unspeakable multitude of birds.
§1.74.5οὐ γὰρ ἐπῳάζουσι διὰ τῶν ὀρνίθων, ἀλλʼ αὐτοὶ παραδόξως χειρουργοῦντες τῇ συνέσει καὶ φιλοτεχνίᾳ τῆς φυσικῆς ἐνεργείας οὐκ ἀπολείπονται.
For they do not hatch the eggs by means of the birds, but they themselves, by processing them in an extraordinary way with their intelligence and skill, do not fall short of the natural process.
§1.74.6ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τὰς τέχνας ἰδεῖν ἔστι παρὰ τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις μάλιστα διαπεπονημένας καὶ πρὸς τὸ καθῆκον τέλος διηκριβωμένας· παρὰ μόνοις γὰρ τούτοις οἱ δημιουργοὶ πάντες οὔτʼ ἐργασίας ἄλλης οὔτε πολιτικῆς τάξεως μεταλαμβάνειν ἐῶνται πλὴν τῆς ἐκ τῶν νόμων ὡρισμένης καὶ παρὰ τῶν γονέων παραδεδομένης, ὥστε μήτε διδασκάλου φθόνον μήτε πολιτικοὺς περισπασμοὺς μήτʼ ἄλλο μηδὲν ἐμποδίζειν αὐτῶν τὴν εἰς ταῦτα σπουδήν.
Furthermore, one can see that the crafts among the Egyptians are highly cultivated and brought to their proper perfection; for among them alone, all the craftsmen are permitted to take part neither in any other occupation nor in any political class except that which is defined by the laws and handed down by their parents, so that neither the jealousy of a teacher nor political distractions nor anything else hinders their zeal for these pursuits.
§1.74.7παρὰ μὲν γὰρ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἰδεῖν ἔστι τοὺς τεχνίτας περὶ πολλὰ τῇ διανοίᾳ περισπωμένους καὶ διὰ τὴν πλεονεξίαν μὴ μένοντας τὸ παράπαν ἐπὶ τῆς ἰδίας ἐργασίας· οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐφάπτονται γεωργίας, οἱ δʼ ἐμπορίας κοινωνοῦσιν, οἱ δὲ δυοῖν ἢ τριῶν τεχνῶν ἀντέχονται, πλεῖστοι δʼ ἐν ταῖς δημοκρατουμέναις πόλεσιν εἰς τὰς ἐκκλησίας σνντρέχοντες τὴν μὲν πολιτείαν λυμαίνονται, τὸ δὲ λυσιτελὲς περιποιοῦνται παρὰ τῶν μισθοδοτούντων·
For among other peoples one can see the craftsmen distracted in their minds about many things, and because of greed not remaining at all at their own occupation; for some apply themselves to agriculture, others take part in trade, others hold on to two or three crafts, and the majority, flocking to the public assemblies in democratic cities, ruin the state on one hand, and on the other hand procure gain for themselves from those who pay them.
παρὰ δὲ τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις, εἴ τις τῶν τεχνιτῶν μετάσχοι τῆς πολιτείας ἢ τέχνας πλείους ἐργάζοιτο, μεγάλαις περιπίπτει τιμωρίαις.
But among the Egyptians, if any of the craftsmen should take part in political affairs or practice several crafts, he falls into great punishments.
§1.74.8τὴν μὲν οὖν διαίρεσιν τῆς πολιτείας καὶ τὴν τῆς ἰδίας τάξεως ἐπιμέλειαν διὰ προγόνων τοιαύτην ἔσχον οἱ τὸ παλαιὸν τὴν Αἴγυπτον κατοικοῦντες.
So then the division of the state and the ¦p.v.1.p.128 care of their own class in such a manner did those who inhabited Egypt in ancient times maintain through their ancestors.