§1.1255bἀξιοῦσι γάρ, ὥσπερ ἐξ ἀνθρώπου ἄνθρωπον καὶ ἐκ θηρίων γίνεσθαι θηρίον, οὕτω καὶ ἐξ ἀγαθῶν ἀγαθόν.
For they claim that, just as a human being is born from a human being and a beast from beasts, so also a good person is born from good parents.
ἡ δὲ φύσις βούλεται μὲν τοῦτο ποιεῖν πολλάκις, οὐ μέντοι δύναται.
But nature, though it wishes to do this often, is not able to do so.
ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἔχει τινὰ λόγον ἡ ἀμφισβήτησις, καὶ οὐκ εἰσί τινες οἱ μὲν φύσει δοῦλοι οἱ δʼ ἐλεύθεροι, δῆλον, καὶ ὅτι ἔν τισι διώρισται τὸ τοιοῦτον, ὧν συμφέρει τῷ μὲν τὸ δουλεύειν τῷ δὲ τὸ δεσπόζειν, καὶ δεῖ τὸ μὲν ἄρχεσθαι τὸ δʼ ἄρχειν ἣν πεφύκασιν ἀρχὴν ἄρχειν, ὥστε καὶ δεσπόζειν, τὸ δὲ κακῶς ἀσυμφόρως ἐστὶν ἀμφοῖν (τὸ γὰρ αὐτὸ συμφέρει τῷ μέρει καὶ τῷ ὅλῳ, καὶ σώματι καὶ ψυχῇ, ὁ δὲ δοῦλος μέρος τι τοῦ δεσπότου, οἷον ἔμψυχόν τι τοῦ σώματος κεχωρισμένον δὲ μέρος·
It is clear, then, that the dispute has some reason, and that it is not the case that some are by nature slaves and others free, and also that in some cases such a distinction is clearly defined, in which cases to be a slave is beneficial to the one and to be a master is beneficial to the other, and that one ought to be ruled and the other ought to rule with the rule for which they are adapted by nature, so as to exercise mastership, but to do so badly is disadvantageous to both.
διὸ καὶ συμφέρον ἐστί τι καὶ φιλία δούλῳ καὶ δεσπότῃ πρὸς ἀλλήλους τοῖς φύσει τούτων ἠξιωμένοις, τοῖς δὲ μὴ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον, ἀλλὰ κατὰ νόμον καὶ βιασθεῖσι, τοὐναντίον). φανερὸν δὲ καὶ ἐκ τούτων ὅτι οὐ ταὐτόν ἐστι δεσποτεία καὶ πολιτική, οὐδὲ πᾶσαι ἀλλήλαις αἱ ἀρχαί, ὥσπερ τινές φασιν.
(For the same thing is beneficial for the part and for the whole, and for the body and for the soul, and the slave is a certain part of the master, like a living but separated part of the body; therefore, for those who are deemed worthy of these positions by nature, there is also a certain mutual benefit and friendship between slave and master, but for those who are not so, but rather according to law and by force, the contrary is the case.) It is also clear from these things that mastership and political rule are not the same, nor are all kinds of rule identical to one another, as some assert.
ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἐλευθέρων φύσει ἡ δὲ δούλων ἐστίν, καὶ ἡ μὲν οἰκονομικὴ μοναρχία (μοναρχεῖται γὰρ πᾶς οἶκος), ἡ δὲ πολιτικὴ ἐλευθέρων καὶ ἴσων ἀρχή.
For one is over those who are free by nature, the other over slaves; and household management is a monarchy (for every household is ruled by one), whereas political rule is a rule over those who are free and equal.
ὁ μὲν οὖν δεσπότης οὐ λέγεται κατʼ ἐπιστήμην, ἀλλὰ τῷ τοιόσδʼ εἶναι, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ὁ δοῦλος καὶ ὁ ἐλεύθερος.
Therefore, a master is not called so in virtue of knowledge, but by being of a certain character, and likewise the slave and the free person.
ἐπιστήμη δʼ ἂν εἴη καὶ δεσποτικὴ καὶ δουλική, δουλικὴ μὲν οἵαν περ ὁ ἐν Συρακούσαις ἐπαίδευεν· ἐκεῖ γὰρ λαμβάνων τις μισθὸν ἐδίδασκε τὰ ἐγκύκλια διακονήματα τοὺς παῖδας·
But there could be both a master's science and a slave's science—a slave's science being of the sort that the man in Syracuse used to teach; for there someone, receiving a wage, used to teach the slaves their routine duties.
εἴη δʼ ἂν καὶ ἐπὶ πλεῖον τῶν τοιούτων μάθησις, οἷον ὀψοποιικὴ καὶ τἆλλα τὰ τοιαῦτα γένη τῆς διακονίας.
And there might be learning of such things to a greater extent, such as the art of cookery and other such kinds of service.
ἔστι γὰρ ἕτερα ἑτέρων τὰ μὲν ἐντιμότερα ἔργα τὰ δʼ ἀναγκαιότερα, καὶ κατὰ τὴν παροιμίαν
"
δοῦλος πρὸ δούλου, δεσπότης πρὸ δεσπότου.
For some tasks are more honorable than others, and some are more necessary, and according to the proverb: "Slave before slave, master before master.
"
αἱ μὲν οὖν τοιαῦται πᾶσαι δουλικαὶ ἐπιστῆμαί εἰσι· δεσποτικὴ δʼ ἐπιστήμη ἐστὶν ἡ χρηστικὴ δούλων.
"All such sciences, then, are of a slave's nature; but the master's science is that of using slaves.
ὁ γὰρ δεσπότης οὐκ ἐν τῷ κτᾶσθαι τοὺς δούλους, ἀλλʼ ἐν τῷ χρῆσθαι δούλοις.
For the master is a master not in acquiring slaves, but in using them.
ἔστι δʼ αὕτη ἡ ἐπιστήμη οὐδὲν μέγα ἔχουσα οὐδὲ σεμνόν· ἃ γὰρ τὸν δοῦλον ἐπίστασθαι δεῖ ποιεῖν, ἐκεῖνον δεῖ ταῦτα ἐπίστασθαι ἐπιτάττειν.
This science, however, has nothing great or solemn about it; for what the slave must know how to do, the master must know how to order.
διὸ ὅσοις ἐξουσία μὴ αὐτοὺς κακοπαθεῖν, ἐπίτροπός τις λαμβάνει ταύτην τὴν τιμήν, αὐτοὶ δὲ πολιτεύονται ἢ φιλοσοφοῦσιν.
Therefore, for those who have the luxury not to suffer hardship themselves, a steward takes this office, while they themselves engage in politics or philosophy.
ἡ δὲ κτητικὴ ἑτέρα ἀμφοτέρων τούτων, οἷον ἡ δικαία, πολεμική τις οὖσα ἢ θηρευτική.
But the art of acquisition is different from both of these—such as the just kind of acquisition, which is a sort of warfare or hunting.
περὶ μὲν οὖν δούλου καὶ δεσπότου τοῦτον διωρίσθω τὸν τρόπον.
Let this, then, be our definition concerning the slave and the master.