§2.1272aκαὶ συσσίτια παρʼ ἀμφοτέροις ἔστιν, καὶ τό γε ἀρχαῖον ἐκάλουν οἱ Λάκωνες οὐ φιδίτια ἀλλὰ ἀνδρεῖα, καθάπερ οἱ Κρῆτες, ᾗ καὶ δῆλον ὅτι ἐκεῖθεν ἐλήλυθεν.
And there are common meals (syssitia) among both, and in ancient times at least the Laconians called them not "phiditia" but "andreia" (men's meals), just as the Cretans do, by which indeed it is clear that they have come from there.
ἔτι δὲ τῆς πολιτείας ἡ τάξις.
Furthermore, there is the organization of the constitution.
οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἔφοροι τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχουσι δύναμιν τοῖς ἐν τῇ Κρήτῃ καλουμένοις κόσμοις, πλὴν οἱ μὲν ἔφοροι πέντε τὸν ἀριθμὸν οἱ δὲ κόσμοι δέκα εἰσίν· οἱ δὲ γέροντες τοῖς γέρουσιν, οὓς καλοῦσιν οἱ Κρῆτες βουλήν, ἴσοι· βασιλεία δὲ πρότερον μὲν ἦν, εἶτα κατέλυσαν οἱ Κρῆτες, καὶ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν οἱ κόσμοι τὴν κατὰ πόλεμον ἔχουσιν· ἐκκλησίας δὲ μετέχουσι πάντες, κυρία δʼ οὐδενός ἐστιν ἀλλʼ ἢ συνεπιψηφίσαι τὰ δόξαντα τοῖς γέρουσι καὶ τοῖς κόσμοις.
For on the one hand the ephors have the same power as those called "kosmoi" (orderers) in Crete, except that the ephors are five in number, whereas the kosmoi are ten; and the elders (gerontes) are equal to the elders whom the Cretans call the "boule" (council); and royalty existed formerly, but then the Cretans abolished it, and the kosmoi hold the leadership in war; and all participate in the assembly (ekklesia), but it has authority over nothing except to vote jointly on what has been resolved by the elders and the kosmoi.
τὰ μὲν οὖν τῶν συσσιτίων ἔχει βέλτιον τοῖς Κρησὶν ἢ τοῖς Λάκωσιν.
Now, the matters concerning the common meals are in a better state for the Cretans than for the Laconians.
ἐν μὲν γὰρ Λακεδαίμονι κατὰ κεφαλὴν ἕκαστος εἰσφέρει τὸ τεταγμένον, εἰ δὲ μή, μετέχειν νόμος κωλύει τῆς πολιτείας, καθάπερ εἴρηται καὶ πρότερον, ἐν δὲ Κρήτῃ κοινοτέρως· ἀπὸ πάντων γὰρ τῶν γινομένων καρπῶν τε καὶ βοσκημάτων δημοσίων, καὶ ἐκ τῶν φόρων οὓς φέρουσιν οἱ περίοικοι, τέτακται μέρος τὸ μὲν πρὸς τοὺς θεοὺς καὶ τὰς κοινὰς λειτουργίας, τὸ δὲ τοῖς συσσιτίοις, ὥστʼ ἐκ κοινοῦ τρέφεσθαι πάντας, καὶ γυναῖκας καὶ παῖδας καὶ ἄνδρας·
For in Lacedaemon each person contributes the appointed amount per head, and if not, the law prevents him from participating in the constitution, just as was said also before; whereas in Crete it is done on a more communal basis; for from all the produce and livestock produced from public land, and from the taxes which the perioikoi bring in, a portion is assigned, on the one hand, to the gods and the public services, and on the other, to the common meals, so that all are fed from the common stock—women, children, and men alike.
πρὸς δὲ τὴν ὀλιγοσιτίαν ὡς ὠφέλιμον πολλὰ πεφιλοσόφηκεν ὁ νομοθέτης, καὶ πρὸς τὴν διάζευξιν τῶν γυναικῶν, ἵνα μὴ πολυτεκνῶσι, τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ἄρρενας ποιήσας ὁμιλίαν, περὶ ἧς εἰ φαύλως ἢ μὴ φαύλως, ἕτερος ἔσται τοῦ διασκέψασθαι καιρός.
And the legislator has devised many things directed toward frugality of diet as being beneficial, and toward the separation of women, so that they should not bear many children, by establishing sexual intercourse with males, concerning which whether it is bad or not bad, there will be another opportunity to consider.
ὅτι δὴ τὰ περὶ τὰ συσσίτια βέλτιον τέτακται τοῖς Κρησὶν ἢ τοῖς Λάκωσι, φανερόν· τὰ δὲ περὶ τοὺς κόσμους ἔτι χεῖρον τῶν ἐφόρων.
That, then, the matters concerning the common meals are better ordered for the Cretans than for the Laconians is clear; but the matters concerning the kosmoi are even worse than those of the ephors.
ὃ μὲν γὰρ ἔχει κακὸν τὸ τῶν ἐφόρων ἀρχεῖον, ὑπάρχει καὶ τούτοις (γίνονται γὰρ οἱ τυχόντες), ὃ δʼ ἐκεῖ συμφέρει πρὸς τὴν πολιτείαν, ἐνταῦθʼ οὐκ ἔστιν.
For the evil which the office of the ephors has belongs also to these men, (for anyone who happens to come along gets in), but what is beneficial there for the constitution does not exist here.
ἐκεῖ μὲν γάρ, διὰ τὸ τὴν αἵρεσιν ἐκ πάντων εἶναι, μετέχων ὁ δῆμος τῆς μεγίστης ἀρχῆς βούλεται μένειν τὴν πολιτείαν· ἐνταῦθα δʼ οὐκ ἐξ ἁπάντων αἱροῦνται τοὺς κόσμους ἀλλʼ ἐκ τινῶν γενῶν, καὶ τοὺς γέροντας ἐκ τῶν κεκοσμηκότων, περὶ ὧν τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἄν τις εἴπειε λόγους καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐν Λακεδαίμονι γινομένων· τὸ γὰρ ἀνυπεύθυνον καὶ τὸ διὰ βίου μεῖζόν ἐστι γέρας τῆς ἀξίας αὐτοῖς, καὶ τὸ μὴ κατὰ γράμματα ἄρχειν ἀλλʼ αὐτογνώμονας ἐπισφαλές.
For there, because the election is from all, the people, by participating in the greatest office, wish the constitution to remain; but here they do not elect the kosmoi from all but from certain families, and the elders from those who have served as kosmoi, concerning whom one might say the same words as about those in Lacedaemon; for the lack of accountability and the life tenure is a reward greater than their merit, and to rule not according to written laws but by their own judgment is hazardous.
τὸ δʼ ἡσυχάζειν μὴ μετέχοντα τὸν δῆμον οὐδὲν σημεῖον τοῦ τετάχθαι καλῶς.
And the fact that the people remain quiet although not participating is no sign of things being well ordered.
οὐδὲν γὰρ λήμματος ἔστι τοῖς κόσμοις ὥσπερ τοῖς ἐφόροις, πόρρω γʼ ἀποικοῦσιν ἐν νήσῳ τῶν διαφθερούντων.
For there is no profit for the kosmoi as there is for the ephors, since they live far off in an island from those who would corrupt them.