§2.1265aτῶν δὲ Νόμων τὸ μὲν πλεῖστον μέρος νόμοι τυγχάνουσιν ὄντες, ὀλίγα δὲ περὶ τῆς πολιτείας εἴρηκεν, καὶ ταύτην βουλόμενος κοινοτέραν ποιεῖν ταῖς πόλεσι κατὰ μικρὸν περιάγει πάλιν πρὸς τὴν ἑτέραν πολιτείαν.
Now, the greatest part of the *Laws* happens to be laws, and he has said little about the constitution; and though he wishes to make this [constitution] more common to cities, he gradually brings it back again to the other constitution.
ἔξω γὰρ τῆς τῶν γυναικῶν κοινωνίας καὶ τῆς κτήσεως, τὰ ἄλλα ταὐτὰ ἀποδίδωσιν ἀμφοτέραις ταῖς πολιτείαις· καὶ γὰρ παιδείαν τὴν αὐτήν, καὶ τὸ τῶν ἔργων τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἀπεχομένους ζῆν, καὶ περὶ συσσιτίων ὡσαύτως· πλὴν ἐν ταύτῃ φησὶ δεῖν εἶναι συσσίτια καὶ γυναικῶν, καὶ τὴν μὲν χιλίων τῶν ὅπλα κεκτημένων, ταύτην δὲ πεντακισχιλίων.
For except for the community of women and of property, he renders the other things the same for both constitutions; for indeed [he prescribes] the same education, and to live refraining from necessary labors, and likewise concerning common meals, except that in this one, he says there must be common meals also for women, and that the former [constitution] consists of a thousand who possess arms, but this one of five thousand.
τὸ μὲν οὖν περιττὸν ἔχουσι πάντες οἱ τοῦ Σωκράτους λόγοι καὶ τὸ κομψὸν καὶ τὸ καινοτόμον καὶ τὸ ζητητικόν, καλῶς δὲ πάντα ἴσως χαλεπόν, ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸ νῦν εἰρημένον πλῆθος δεῖ μὴ λανθάνειν ὅτι χώρας δεήσει τοῖς τοσούτοις Βαβυλωνίας ἤ τινος ἄλλης ἀπεράντου τὸ πλῆθος, ἐξ ἧς ἀργοὶ πεντακισχίλιοι θρέψονται, καὶ περὶ τούτους γυναικῶν καὶ θεραπόντων ἕτερος ὄχλος πολλαπλάσιος.
Now, all the discourses of Socrates possess the extraordinary, the refined, the novel, and the inquisitive, but to do all things well is perhaps difficult; since even the multitude just mentioned must not escape our notice, that for so many people there will be need of a territory of Babylonian size or of some other immense in extent, from which five thousand idle men will be supported, and about them another multitude of women and servants many times larger.
δεῖ μὲν οὖν ὑποτίθεσθαι κατʼ εὐχήν, μηδὲν μέντοι ἀδύνατον.
It is indeed necessary to make hypotheses according to our wish, yet nothing impossible.
λέγεται δʼ ὡς δεῖ τὸν νομοθέτην πρὸς δύο βλέποντα τιθέναι τοὺς νόμους, πρός τε τὴν χώραν καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους.
And it is said that the legislator must establish laws looking toward two things: toward the territory and the people.
ἔτι δὲ καλῶς ἔχει προσθεῖναι καὶ πρὸς τοὺς γειτνιῶντας τόπους, πρῶτον μὲν εἰ δεῖ τὴν πόλιν ζῆν βίον πολιτικόν (οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστιν αὐτὴν τοιούτοις χρῆσθαι πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον ὅπλοις ἃ χρήσιμα κατὰ τὴν οἰκείαν χώραν ἐστίν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἔξω τόπους)· εἰ δέ τις μὴ τοιοῦτον ἀποδέχεται βίον, μήτε τὸν ἴδιον μήτε τὸν κοινὸν τῆς πόλεως, ὅμως οὐδὲν ἧττον δεῖ φοβεροὺς εἶναι τοῖς πολεμίοις, μὴ μόνον ἐλθοῦσιν εἰς τὴν χώραν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπελθοῦσιν.
Furthermore, it is well to add also toward the neighboring regions, first indeed if the city is to live a political life (for it is necessary for it to use for war not only such arms as are useful in its own territory, but also toward the regions outside); and if anyone does not accept such a life, either for the individual or for the common life of the city, nevertheless it is no less necessary to be formidable to enemies, not only when they have come into the territory but also when they have departed.
καὶ τὸ πλῆθος δὲ τῆς κτήσεως ὁρᾶν δεῖ, μή ποτε βέλτιον ἑτέρως διορίσαι τῷ σαφῶς μᾶλλον.
And one must also look to the amount of property, lest it should be better to define it otherwise with greater clarity.
τοσαύτην γὰρ εἶναί φησι δεῖν ὥστε ζῆν σωφρόνως, ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις εἶπεν ὥστε ζῆν εὖ. τοῦτο δʼ ἄρʼ ἐστι καθόλου μᾶλλον, ἐπειδὴ ἔστι σωφρόνως μὲν ταλαιπώρως δὲ ζῆν, ἀλλὰ βελτίων ὅρος τὸ σωφρόνως καὶ ἐλευθερίως (χωρὶς γὰρ ἑκατέρῳ τῷ μὲν τὸ τρυφᾶν ἀκολουθήσει, τῷ δὲ τὸ ἐπιπόνως), ἐπεὶ μόναι γʼ εἰσὶν ἕξεις αἱρεταὶ περὶ τὴν τῆς οὐσίας χρῆσιν αὗται, οἷον οὐσίᾳ πράως μὲν ἢ ἀνδρείως χρῆσθαι οὐκ ἔστιν, σωφρόνως δὲ καὶ ἐλευθερίως ἔστιν, ὥστε καὶ τὰς ἕξεις ἀναγκαῖον περὶ αὐτὴν εἶναι ταύτας.
For he says that it must be so much as to live temperately, just as if someone had said "so as to live well." But this is indeed too general, since it is possible to live temperately but wretchedly; but a better limit is "temperately and liberally" (for if separated, luxury will follow the one, and hardship the other), since these indeed are the only choiceworthy habits concerning the use of property; for instance, it is not possible to use property gently or courageously, but it is possible to use it temperately and liberally, so that these habits must also be the ones concerning it.
ἄτοπον δὲ καὶ τὸ τὰς κτήσεις ἰσάζοντα τὸ περὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν πολιτῶν μὴ κατασκευάζειν, ἀλλʼ ἀφεῖναι τὴν τεκνοποιίαν ἀόριστον ὡς ἱκανῶς ἀνομαλισθησομένην εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ πλῆθος διὰ τὰς ἀτεκνίας ὁσωνοῦν γεννωμένων,
It is also absurd that, while equalizing property, he makes no provision concerning the number of citizens, but leaves the procreation of children unlimited, under the assumption that it will be sufficiently equalized to the same number because of childlessness, no matter how many are born,