§2.1272bἣν δὲ ποιοῦνται τῆς ἁμαρτίας ταύτης ἰατρείαν, ἄτοπος καὶ οὐ πολιτικὴ ἀλλὰ δυναστευτική.
And the remedy which they adopt for this defect is absurd and not constitutional but characteristic of a cabal.
πολλάκις γὰρ ἐκβάλλουσι συστάντες τινὲς τοὺς κόσμους ἢ τῶν συναρχόντων αὐτῶν ἢ τῶν ἰδιωτῶν· ἔξεστι δὲ καὶ μεταξὺ τοῖς κόσμοις ἀπειπεῖν τὴν ἀρχήν.
For often some individuals form a conspiracy and expel the orderers, either some of their fellow-magistrates or private citizens; and it is also permitted for the orderers to resign their office during their term.
ταῦτα δὴ πάντα βέλτιον γίνεσθαι κατὰ νόμον ἢ κατʼ ἀνθρώπων βούλησιν· οὐ γὰρ ἀσφαλὴς ὁ κανών.
Indeed, it is better for all these things to happen according to law than according to human will; for that rule is not safe.
πάντων δὲ φαυλότατον τὸ τῆς ἀκοσμίας τῶν δυνατῶν, ἣν καθιστᾶσι πολλάκις οἳ ἂν μὴ δίκας βούλωνται δοῦναι τῶν δυνατῶν· ᾗ καὶ δῆλον ὡς ἔχει τι πολιτείας ἡ τάξις, ἀλλʼ οὐ πολιτεία ἐστὶν ἀλλὰ δυναστεία μᾶλλον.
But the worst of all is the lawlessness of the powerful, which those of the powerful who do not wish to submit to justice often establish; whereby it is also clear that the arrangement has something of a constitution, but is not a constitution, but rather a cabal.
εἰώθασι δὲ διαλαμβάνοντες τὸν δῆμον καὶ τοὺς φίλους ἀναρχίαν ποιεῖν καὶ στασιάζειν καὶ μάχεσθαι πρὸς ἀλλήλους·
And they are accustomed, by dividing the people and their friends, to create anarchy and to engage in factional strife and fight against one another.
καίτοι τί διαφέρει τὸ τοιοῦτον ἢ διά τινος χρόνου μηκέτι πόλιν εἶναι τὴν τοιαύτην, ἀλλὰ λύεσθαι τὴν πολιτικὴν κοινωνίαν; ἔστι δʼ ἐπικίνδυνος οὕτως ἔχουσα πόλις, τῶν βουλομένων ἐπιτίθεσθαι καὶ δυναμένων.
And yet, how does such a state differ from no longer being a city for a certain time, but rather having the political association dissolved? A city in this condition is in danger, when there are those who wish and are able to attack it.
ἀλλά, καθάπερ εἴρηται, σῴζεται διὰ τὸν τόπον· ξενηλασίας γὰρ τὸ πόρρω πεποίηκεν.
But, as has been said, it is saved because of its location; for its distance has had the effect of an expulsion of foreigners.
διὸ καὶ τὸ τῶν περιοίκων μένει τοῖς Κρησίν, οἱ δʼ εἵλωτες ἀφίστανται πολλάκις.
Therefore also the condition of the perioikoi remains stable for the Cretans, whereas the helots often revolt.
οὔτε γὰρ ἐξωτερικῆς ἀρχῆς κοινωνοῦσιν οἱ Κρῆτες, νεωστί τε πόλεμος ξενικὸς διαβέβηκεν εἰς τὴν νῆσον, ὃς πεποίηκε φανερὰν τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῶν ἐκεῖ νόμων.
For neither do the Cretans share in any external empire, and recently a foreign war has crossed over into the island, which has made manifest the weakness of the laws there.
περὶ μὲν οὖν ταύτης εἰρήσθω τοσαῦθʼ ἡμῖν τῆς πολιτείας.
Concerning this constitution, then, let so much have been said by us.
πολιτεύεσθαι δὲ δοκοῦσι καὶ Καρχηδόνιοι καλῶς καὶ πολλὰ περιττῶς πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους, μάλιστα δʼ ἔνια παραπλησίως τοῖς Λάκωσιν.
The Carthaginians also seem to be governed well, and in many respects outstandingly compared to others, and especially in some things very similarly to the Laconians.
αὗται γὰρ αἱ τρεῖς πολιτεῖαι ἀλλήλαις τε σύνεγγύς πώς εἰσι καὶ τῶν ἄλλων πολὺ διαφέρουσιν, ἥ τε Κρητικὴ καὶ ἡ Λακωνικὴ καὶ τρίτη τούτων ἡ τῶν Καρχηδονίων.
For these three constitutions are somehow close to one another and differ greatly from the others: the Cretan, the Laconian, and third of these, that of the Carthaginians.
καὶ πολλὰ τῶν τεταγμένων ἔχει παρʼ αὐτοῖς καλῶς· σημεῖον δὲ πολιτείας συντεταγμένης τὸ τὸν δῆμον ἑκουσίον διαμένειν ἐν τῇ τάξει τῆς πολιτείας, καὶ μήτε στάσιν, ὅ τι καὶ ἄξιον εἰπεῖν, γεγενῆσθαι μήτε τύραννον.
And many of their institutions are in a good state; and a sign of a well-ordered constitution is that the people voluntarily remain in the order of the constitution, and that neither factional strife worth mentioning has occurred nor a tyrant.
ἔχει δὲ παραπλήσια τῇ Λακωνικῇ πολιτείᾳ τὰ μὲν συσσίτια τῶν ἑταιριῶν τοῖς φιδιτίοις, τὴν δὲ τῶν ἑκατὸν καὶ τεττάρων ἀρχὴν τοῖς ἐφόροις (πλὴν ὃ οὐ χεῖρον· οἱ μὲν ἐκ τῶν τυχόντων εἰσί, ταύτην δʼ αἱροῦνται τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀριστίνδην), τοὺς δὲ βασιλεῖς καὶ τὴν γερουσίαν ἀνάλογον τοῖς ἐκεῖ βασιλεῦσι καὶ γέρουσιν· καὶ βέλτιον δὲ τοὺς βασιλεῖς μήτε καθʼ αὑτὸ εἶναι γένος μήτε τοῦτο τὸ τυχόν, εἰ δέ τι διαφέρει, ἐκ τούτων αἱρετοὺς μᾶλλον ἢ καθʼ ἡλικίαν.
It has things similar to the Laconian constitution: on the one hand, the common meals of the clubs to the phiditia, and on the other, the office of the One Hundred and Four to the ephors (except for one point which is not worse: while the ephors are from ordinary people, they elect this office based on merit), and their kings and elders analogous to the kings and elders there; and it is better that their kings are neither from one single family nor from any ordinary family, but if there is some outstanding family, they are elective from these rather than by seniority.
μεγάλων γὰρ κύριοι καθεστῶτες, ἂν εὐτελεῖς ὦσι μεγάλα βλάπτουσι,
For having been established as authorities over great matters, if they are of little worth they do great harm,