§2.14.1καταστησάμενος δὴ ταῦτα διέκρινε τὰς τιμὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας, ἃς ἑκάστους ἐβούλετο ἔχειν.
Having established these things, he distinguished the honors and powers which he wished each class to have.
βασιλεῖ μὲν οὖν ἐξῄρητο τάδε τὰ γέρα· πρῶτον μὲν ἱερῶν καὶ θυσιῶν ἡγεμονίαν ἔχειν καὶ πάντα διʼ ἐκείνου πράττεσθαι τὰ πρὸς τοὺς θεοὺς ὅσια, ἔπειτα νόμων τε καὶ πατρίων ἐθισμῶν φυλακὴν ποιεῖσθαι καὶ παντὸς τοῦ κατὰ φύσιν ἢ κατὰ συνθήκας δικαίου προνοεῖν τῶν τε ἀδικημάτων τὰ μέγιστα μὲν αὐτὸν δικάζειν, τὰ δʼ ἐλάττονα τοῖς βουλευταῖς ἐπιτρέπειν προνοούμενον ἵνα μηδὲν γίγνηται περὶ τὰς δίκας πλημμελές, βουλήν τε συνάγειν καὶ δῆμον συγκαλεῖν καὶ γνώμης ἄρχειν καὶ τὰ δόξαντα τοῖς πλείοσιν ἐπιτελεῖν.
For the king, indeed, the following privileges had been set apart: first, to have the leadership of sacred rites and sacrifices, and that all holy duties towards the gods should be performed through him; next, to maintain the laws and ancestral customs, and to watch over all justice, whether natural or by treaty; and of offenses, to judge the greatest himself, but to refer the lesser to the senators, taking care that nothing erroneous should occur concerning the trials; and to assemble the senate, to call together the people, to begin the proposal of opinions, and to execute what was decided by the majority.
ταῦτα μὲν ἀπέδωκε βασιλεῖ τὰ γέρα καὶ ἔτι πρὸς τούτοις ἡγεμονίαν ἔχειν αὐτοκράτορα ἐν πολέμῳ.
These privileges he granted to the king, and in addition to these, to have absolute command in war.
§2.14.2τῷ δὲ συνεδρίῳ τῆς βουλῆς τιμὴν καὶ δυναστείαν ἀνέθηκε τοιάνδε· περὶ παντὸς ὅτου ἂν εἰσηγῆται βασιλεὺς διαγινώσκειν τε καὶ ψῆφον ἐπιφέρειν, καὶ ὅ τι ἂν δόξῃ τοῖς πλείοσι τοῦτο νικᾶν· ἐκ τῆς Λακωνικῆς πολιτείας καὶ τοῦτο μετενεγκάμενος.
To the council of the senate he assigned the following honor and power: to deliberate and cast their votes upon whatever the king proposed, and that whatever was approved by the majority should prevail; having transferred this also from the Lacedaemonian constitution.
οὐδὲ γὰρ οἱ Λακεδαιμονίων βασιλεῖς αὐτοκράτορες ἦσαν ὅ τι βούλοιντο πράττειν, ἀλλʼ ἡ γερουσία πᾶν εἶχε τῶν κοινῶν τὸ κράτος.
For not even the kings of the Lacedaemonians had absolute power to do whatever they wished, but the council of elders had all the authority over public affairs.
§2.14.3τῷ δὲ δημοτικῷ πλήθει τρία ταῦτα ἐπέτρεψεν· ἀρχαιρεσιάζειν τε καὶ νόμους ἐπικυροῦν καὶ περὶ πολέμου διαγινώσκειν, ὅταν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐφῇ, οὐδὲ τούτων ἔχοντι τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἀνεπίληπτον, ἂν μὴ καὶ τῇ βουλῇ ταὐτὰ δοκῇ.
To the plebeian multitude he committed these three things: to elect magistrates, to ratify laws, and to decide about war, whenever the king permitted it; yet not even in these did the people have unrestricted power, unless the senate also approved the same things.
ἔφερε δὲ τὴν ψῆφον οὐχ ἅμα πᾶς ὁ δῆμος, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὰς φράτρας συγκαλούμενος· ὅ τι δὲ ταῖς πλείοσι δόξειε φράτραις τοῦτο ἐπὶ τὴν βουλὴν ἀνεφέρετο.
And the people did not cast their votes all at once, but were summoned by phratries; and whatever was approved by the majority of the phratries was referred to the senate.
ἐφʼ ἡμῶν δὲ μετάκειται τὸ ἔθος· οὐ γὰρ ἡ βουλὴ διαγινώσκει τὰ ψηφισθέντα ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου, τῶν δʼ ὑπὸ τῆς βουλῆς γνωσθέντων ὁ δῆμός ἐστι κύριος·
But in our time this custom has been reversed; for the senate does not judge what has been voted by the people, but the people have authority over what has been decided by the senate.
πότερον δὲ τῶν ἐθῶν κρεῖττον, ἐν κοινῷ τίθημι τοῖς βουλομένοις σκοπεῖν.
Which of these customs is better, I leave open for those who wish to examine it.
§2.14.4ἐκ δὲ τῆς διαιρέσεως ταύτης οὐ μόνον τὰ πολιτικὰ πράγματα σώφρονας ἐλάμβανε καὶ τεταγμένας τὰς διοικήσεις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ πολεμικὰ ταχείας καὶ εὐπειθεῖς.
From this division, not only did civil affairs receive moderate and orderly management, but military affairs also received rapid and obedient management.
ὁπότε γὰρ αὐτῷ φανείη στρατιὰν ἐξάγειν, οὔτε χιλιάρχους τότε ἔδει ἀποδείκνυσθαι κατὰ φυλὰς οὔτε ἑκατοντάρχους κατὰ λόχους οὔτε ἱππέων ἡγεμόνας οὔτε ἐξαριθμεῖσθαί τε καὶ λοχίζεσθαι καὶ τάξιν ἑκάστους τὴν προσῄκουσαν λαμβάνειν· ἀλλὰ βασιλεὺς μὲν τοῖς χιλιάρχοις παρήγγελλεν, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ τοῖς λοχαγοῖς· παρὰ δὲ τούτων οἱ δεκάδαρχοι μαθόντες ἐξῆγον τοὺς ὑποτεταγμένους ἑαυτοῖς ἕκαστοι, ἀφʼ ἑνός τε κελεύσματος εἴτε πᾶσα ἡ δύναμις εἴτε μοῖρά τις ἐξ αὐτῆς κληθείη τὰ ὅπλα ἔχουσα παρῆν εἰς τὸν ἀποδειχθέντα τόπον εὐτρεπής.
For whenever it seemed good to him to lead out an army, there was no need then to appoint tribunes by tribes, nor centurions by companies, nor commanders of the cavalry, nor to make a census and arrange the men in companies, and for each to take their proper position; but the king gave the word to the tribunes, and they to the centurions, and from these the decurions, having learned it, led out each their own subordinates, and at a single command, whether the whole force or some part of it was called, they were present at the appointed place, ready with their arms.