§2.1269bκαίπερ πολεμούσας ἀλλήλαις, μηδεμίαν εἶναι σύμμαχον τοῖς ἀφισταμένοις διὰ τὸ μὴ συμφέρειν ταῖς καὶ αὐταῖς κεκτημέναις περιοίκους, τοῖς δὲ Λάκωσιν οἱ γειτνιῶντες ἐχθροὶ πάντες ἦσαν, Ἀργεῖοι καὶ Μεσήνιοι καὶ Ἀρκάδες·
Even though they were at war with one another, none of the neighboring cities became an ally to those who revolted, because it was not in their interest, since they themselves also possessed perioikoi; but to the Lacedaemonians all the neighboring peoples were enemies—Argives, Messenians, and Arcadians.
ἐπεὶ καὶ τοῖς Θετταλοῖς κατʼ ἀρχὰς ἀφίσταντο διὰ τὸ πολεμεῖν ἔτι τοῖς προσχώροις, Ἀχαιοῖς καὶ Περραιβοῖς καὶ Μάγνησιν.
Indeed, in the case of the Thessalians as well, they revolted at first because they were still at war with their neighbors—the Achaians, Perrhaebians, and Magnetes.
ἔοικε δὲ καὶ εἰ μηδὲν ἕτερον, ἀλλὰ τό γε τῆς ἐπιμελείας ἐργῶδες εἶναι, τίνα δεῖ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁμιλῆσαι τρόπον· ἀνιέμενοί τε γὰρ ὑβρίζουσι καὶ τῶν ἴσων ἀξιοῦσιν ἑαυτοὺς τοῖς κυρίοις, καὶ κακοπαθῶς ζῶντες ἐπιβουλεύουσι καὶ μισοῦσιν.
And it seems that, even if there is nothing else, at least the care itself is a troublesome business, namely in what manner one ought to associate with them; for when they are allowed license they become insolent and claim equality with their masters, but when they live in misery they plot and hate.
δῆλον οὖν ὡς οὐκ ἐξευρίσκουσι τὸν βέλτιστον τρόπον οἷς τοῦτο συμβαίνει περὶ τὴν εἱλωτείαν.
It is clear, then, that those for whom this happens concerning the Helotry do not discover the best manner.
ἔτι δʼ ἡ περὶ τὰς γυναῖκας ἄνεσις καὶ πρὸς τὴν προαίρεσιν τῆς πολιτείας βλαβερὰ καὶ πρὸς εὐδαιμονίαν πόλεως.
Furthermore, the license concerning women is both harmful to the purpose of the constitution and to the happiness of the city.
ὥσπερ γὰρ οἰκίας μέρος ἀνὴρ καὶ γυνή, δῆλον ὅτι καὶ πόλιν ἐγγὺς τοῦ δίχα διῃρῆσθαι δεῖ νομίζειν εἴς τε τὸ τῶν ἀνδρῶν πλῆθος καὶ τὸ τῶν γυναικῶν, ὥστʼ ἐν ὅσαις πολιτείαις φαύλως ἔχει τὸ περὶ τὰς γυναῖκας, τὸ ἥμισυ τῆς πόλεως εἶναι δεῖ νομίζειν ἀνομοθέτητον.
For just as a husband and a wife are a part of a household, it is clear that one must also consider a city as being divided nearly in half, into the multitude of men and that of women; so that in all constitutions where the state of women is bad, one must consider half of the city as unregulated by law.
ὅπερ ἐκεῖ συμβέβηκεν· ὅλην γὰρ τὴν πόλιν ὁ νομοθέτης εἶναι βουλόμενος καρτερικήν, κατὰ μὲν τοὺς ἄνδρας φανερός ἐστι τοιοῦτος ὤν, ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν γυναικῶν ἐξημέληκεν· ζῶσι γὰρ ἀκολάστως πρὸς ἅπασαν ἀκολασίαν καὶ τρυφερῶς.
This is indeed what happened there; for although the legislator wished the whole city to be hardy, he is clearly so with respect to the men, but has neglected the women; for they live without restraint in every kind of intemperance and luxury.
ὥστʼ ἀναγκαῖον ἐν τῇ τοιαύτῃ πολιτείᾳ τιμᾶσθαι τὸν πλοῦτον, ἄλλως τε κἂν τύχωσι γυναικοκρατούμενοι, καθάπερ τὰ πολλὰ τῶν στρατιωτικῶν καὶ πολεμικῶν γενῶν, ἔξω Κελτῶν ἢ κἂν εἴ τινες ἕτεροι φανερῶς τετιμήκασι τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ἄρρενας συνουσίαν.
Consequently, it is necessary in such a constitution that wealth is honored, especially if they happen to be dominated by women, as is the case with most military and warlike races, except the Celts or any others who have openly honored sexual relations among males.
ἔοικε γὰρ ὁ μυθολογήσας πρῶτος οὐκ ἀλόγως συζεῦξαι τὸν Ἄρην πρὸς τὴν Ἀφροδίτην· ἢ γὰρ πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀρρένων ὁμιλίαν ἢ πρὸς τὴν τῶν γυναικῶν φαίνονται κατοκώχιμοι πάντες οἱ τοιοῦτοι.
For the one who first told the myth seems not without reason to have yoked Ares to Aphrodite; for all such men appear to be possessed either by association with males or with women.
διὸ παρὰ τοῖς Λάκωσι τοῦθʼ ὑπῆρχεν, καὶ πολλὰ διῳκεῖτο ὑπὸ τῶν γυναικῶν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς αὐτῶν.
Therefore this condition existed among the Lacedaemonians, and many things were administered by the women during their empire.
καίτοι τί διαφέρει γυναῖκας ἄρχειν ἢ τοὺς ἄρχοντας ὑπὸ τῶν γυναικῶν ἄρχεσθαι;
And yet what difference does it make whether women rule or the rulers are ruled by women?
ταὐτὸ γὰρ συμβαίνει.
For the result is the same.
χρησίμου δʼ οὔσης τῆς θρασύτητος πρὸς οὐδὲν τῶν ἐγκυκλίων, ἀλλʼ εἴπερ, πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον, βλαβερώταται καὶ πρὸς ταῦθʼ αἱ τῶν Λακώνων ἦσαν.
And while boldness is of no use for any of the ordinary duties, but if at all, for war, that of the Lacedaemonian women was extremely harmful even for this.
ἐδήλωσαν δʼ ἐπὶ τῆς τῶν Θηβαίων ἐμβολῆς· χρήσιμοι μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲν ἦσαν, ὥσπερ ἐν ἑτέραις πόλεσιν, θόρυβον δὲ παρεῖχον πλείω τῶν πολεμίων.
They showed it at the time of the Theban invasion; for they were of no use, as they are in other cities, but caused more confusion than the enemy.
ἐξ ἀρχῆς μὲν οὖν ἔοικε συμβεβηκέναι τοῖς Λάκωσιν εὐλόγως ἡ τῶν γυναικῶν ἄνεσις.
From the beginning, then, the license of the women seems to have occurred naturally to the Lacedaemonians.
§2.1270aἔξω γὰρ τῆς οἰκείας διὰ τὰς στρατείας ἀπεξενοῦντο πολὺν χρόνον, πολεμοῦντες τόν τε πρὸς Ἀργείους πόλεμον καὶ πάλιν τὸν πρὸς Ἀρκάδας καὶ Μεσηνίους·
For they spent much time abroad due to military campaigns, being at war with the Argives and again with the Arcadians and Messenians; and when they had leisure, they presented themselves to the legislator already prepared by their military life (for it contains many parts of virtue).
σχολάσαντες δὲ αὑτοὺς μὲν παρεῖχον τῷ νομοθέτῃ προωδοπεποιημένους διὰ τὸν στρατιωτικὸν βίον (πολλὰ γὰρ ἔχει μέρη τῆς ἀρετῆς), τὰς δὲ γυναῖκάς φασι μὲν ἄγειν ἐπιχειρῆσαι τὸν Λυκοῦργον ὑπὸ τοὺς νόμους, ὡς δʼ ἀντέκρουον, ἀποστῆναι πάλιν.
But as for the women, they say Lycurgus attempted to bring them under the laws, but as they resisted, he gave up.
αἰτίαι μὲν οὖν εἰσιν αὗται τῶν γενομένων, ὥστε δῆλον ὅτι καὶ ταύτης τῆς ἁμαρτίας·
These, then, are the causes of what happened, so that it is clear that they are also the causes of this error.
ἀλλʼ ἡμεῖς οὐ τοῦτο σκοποῦμεν, τίνι δεῖ συγγνώμην ἔχειν ἢ μὴ ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ περὶ τοῦ ὀρθῶς καὶ μὴ ὀρθῶς.
But we are not considering this, namely who should have excuse and who should not, but what is correct and not correct.
τὰ δὲ περὶ τὰς γυναῖκας ἔχοντα μὴ καλῶς ἔοικεν, ὥσπερ ἐλέχθη καὶ πρότερον, οὐ μόνον ἀπρέπειάν τινα ποιεῖν τῆς πολιτείας αὐτῆς καθʼ αὑτήν, ἀλλὰ συμβάλλεσθαί τι πρὸς τὴν φιλοχρηματίαν.
And the bad condition of women's affairs seems, as was said before, not only to produce a certain impropriety in the constitution itself, but also to contribute something to the love of money.
μετὰ γὰρ τὰ νῦν ῥηθέντα τοῖς περὶ τὴν ἀνωμαλίαν τῆς κτήσεως ἐπιτιμήσειεν ἄν τις.
For following what has just been said, one might censure the things concerning the inequality of property.
τοῖς μὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν συμβέβηκε κεκτῆσθαι πολλὴν λίαν οὐσίαν, τοῖς δὲ πάμπαν μικράν· διόπερ εἰς ὀλίγους ἧκεν ἡ χώρα.
For some of them have happened to possess extremely large estates, and others entirely small ones; wherefore the land has come into the hands of a few.
τοῦτο δὲ καὶ διὰ τῶν νόμων τέτακται φαύλως· ὠνεῖσθαι μὲν γάρ, ἢ πωλεῖν τὴν ὑπάρχουσαν, ἐποίησεν οὐ καλόν, ὀρθῶς ποιήσας, διδόναι δὲ καὶ καταλείπειν ἐξουσίαν ἔδωκε τοῖς βουλομένοις·
And this is also poorly regulated by the laws; for while he made it dishonorable to buy or sell existing land, doing so correctly, he gave the power to give or bequeath it to whomever they wished.
καίτοι ταὐτὸ συμβαίνειν ἀναγκαῖον ἐκείνως τε καὶ οὕτως.
And yet the same result must occur in the latter way as in the former.
ἔστι δὲ καὶ τῶν γυναικῶν σχεδὸν τῆς πάσης χώρας τῶν πέντε μερῶν τὰ δύο, τῶν τʼ ἐπικλήρων πολλῶν γινομένων, καὶ διὰ τὸ προῖκας διδόναι μεγάλας.
Indeed, nearly two-fifths of the whole land belongs to the women, both because of many becoming heiresses and because of giving large dowries.
καίτοι βέλτιον ἦν μηδεμίαν ἢ ὀλίγην ἢ καὶ μετρίαν τετάχθαι.
And yet it would have been better for none, or little, or even a moderate amount to have been prescribed.
νῦν δʼ ἔξεστι δοῦναί τε τὴν ἐπίκληρον ὅτῳ ἂν βούληται, κἂν ἀποθάνῃ μὴ διαθέμενος, ὃν ἂν καταλίπῃ κληρονόμον, οὗτος ᾧ ἂν θέλῃ δίδωσιν.
But now it is possible to give the heiress to whomever one wishes; and if he dies intestate, whoever he leaves as heir, this person gives it to whomever he wishes.
τοιγαροῦν δυναμένης τῆς χώρας χιλίους ἱππεῖς τρέφειν καὶ πεντακοσίους, καὶ ὁπλίτας τρισμυρίους, οὐδὲ χίλιοι τὸ πλῆθος ἦσαν.
Consequently, although the land was capable of supporting fifteen hundred cavalry and thirty thousand hoplites, they were not even one thousand in number.
γέγονε δὲ διὰ τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν δῆλον ὅτι φαύλως αὐτοῖς εἶχε τὰ περὶ τὴν τάξιν ταύτην· μίαν γὰρ πληγὴν οὐχ ὑπήνεγκεν ἡ πόλις, ἀλλʼ ἀπώλετο διὰ τὴν ὀλιγανθρωπίαν.
And it became clear through the facts themselves that this arrangement was bad for them; for the city could not withstand a single blow, but perished because of depopulation.
λέγουσι δʼ ὡς ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν προτέρων βασιλέων μετεδίδοσαν τῆς πολιτείας, ὥστʼ οὐ γίνεσθαι τότε ὀλιγανθρωπίαν, πολεμούντων πολὺν χρόνον, καί φασιν εἶναί ποτε τοῖς Σπαρτιάταις καὶ μυρίους·
They say that during the reigns of the former kings they used to share the citizenship, so that depopulation did not occur then, despite their being at war for a long time, and they say that the Spartans once numbered ten thousand.
οὐ μὴν ἀλλʼ, εἴτʼ ἐστὶν ἀληθῆ ταῦτα εἴτε μή, βέλτιον τὸ διὰ τῆς κτήσεως ὡμαλισμένης πληθύειν ἀνδρῶν τὴν πόλιν.
However, whether these things are true or not, it is better for the city to abound in men through property being equalized.
ὑπεναντίος δὲ καὶ ὁ περὶ τὴν τεκνοποιίαν νόμος πρὸς ταύτην τὴν διόρθωσιν.
And the law concerning child-production is also contrary to this correction.