Aristotle · Politics §6.1321b
Necessary Magistracies and Their Basic Functions
Summary
Concluding the discussion on organizing democracies and oligarchies, the author addresses the division of offices, distinguishing those necessary for a city's existence from those for its good order. He details several essential offices, such as market, town, and country administration, financial reception, and record-keeping, before introducing the highly demanding office of execution and custody.
§6.1321bπῶς μὲν οὖν χρὴ καθιστάναι τὰς δημοκρατίας καὶ τὰς ὀλιγαρχίας, διωρίσθω τὸν τρόπον τοῦτον.
How, then, one must establish democracies and oligarchies, let it be defined in this manner.
ἀκόλουθον δὲ τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἐστὶ τὸ διῃρῆσθαι καλῶς τὰ περὶ τὰς ἀρχάς, πόσαι καὶ τίνες καὶ τίνων, καθάπερ εἴρηται καὶ πρότερον.
What follows upon what has been said is to have divided well the matters concerning the offices—how many, what they are, and of what things—just as was also said before.
τῶν μὲν γὰρ ἀναγκαίων ἀρχῶν χωρὶς ἀδύνατον εἶναι πόλιν, τῶν δὲ πρὸς εὐταξίαν καὶ κόσμον ἀδύνατον οἰκεῖσθαι καλῶς.
For without the necessary offices it is impossible for a city to exist, and without those directed toward good order and adornment it is impossible for it to be well inhabited.
ἔτι δʼ ἀναγκαῖον ἐν μὲν ταῖς μικραῖς ἐλάττους εἶναι τὰς ἀρχάς, ἐν δὲ ταῖς μεγάλαις πλείους, ὥσπερ τυγχάνει πρότερον εἰρημένον·
Furthermore, it is necessary that in small cities the offices be fewer, and in large ones more numerous, just as it happens to have been said before.
ποίας οὖν ἁρμόττει συνάγειν καὶ ποίας χωρίζειν, δεῖ μὴ λανθάνειν.
Therefore, which kinds of offices it is fitting to combine and which to separate must not escape our notice.
πρώτη μὲν οὖν ἐπιμέλεια τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἡ περὶ τὴν ἀγοράν, ἐφʼ ᾗ δεῖ τινα ἀρχὴν εἶναι τὴν ἐφορῶσαν περί τε τὰ συμβόλαια καὶ τὴν εὐκοσμίαν·
First, then, among the necessary supervisions is that concerning the market, over which there must be some office to oversee both contracts and good order.
σχεδὸν γὰρ ἀναγκαῖον πάσαις ταῖς πόλεσι τὰ μὲν ὠνεῖσθαι τὰ δὲ πωλεῖν πρὸς τὴν ἀλλήλων ἀναγκαίαν χρείαν, καὶ τοῦτʼ ἐστὶν ὑπογυιότατον πρὸς αὐτάρκειαν, διʼ ἣν δοκοῦσιν εἰς μίαν πολιτείαν συνελθεῖν.
For it is virtually necessary for all cities to buy some things and sell others for one another's necessary needs, and this is the readiest way to self-sufficiency, for the sake of which people seem to have come together into a single constitution.
ἑτέρα δὲ ἐπιμέλεια ταύτης ἐχομένη καὶ σύνεγγυς ἡ τῶν περὶ τὸ ἄστυ δημοσίων καὶ ἰδίων, ὅπως εὐκοσμία ᾖ, καὶ τῶν πιπτόντων οἰκοδομημάτων καὶ ὁδῶν σωτηρία καὶ διόρθωσις, καὶ τῶν ὁρίων τῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλους, ὅπως ἀνεγκλήτως ἔχωσιν, καὶ ὅσα τούτοις ἄλλα τῆς ἐπιμελείας ὁμοιότροπα.
Another supervision, adjacent to and near this one, is that of public and private matters concerning the town, in order that there may be good order, and the preservation and repair of falling buildings and roads, and of boundaries between one another, so that they may be free from dispute, and all other such matters of supervision similar to these.
καλοῦσι δʼ ἀστυνομίαν οἱ πλεῖστοι τὴν τοιαύτην ἀρχήν, ἔχει δὲ μόρια πλείω τὸν ἀριθμόν, ὧν ἑτέρους ἐφʼ ἕτερα καθιστᾶσιν ἐν ταῖς πολυανθρωποτέραις πόλεσιν, οἷον τειχοποιοὺς καὶ κρηνῶν ἐπιμελητὰς καὶ λιμένων φύλακας.
Most people call such an office town-guardianship, but it has several parts in number, for each of which they appoint different persons in more populous cities, such as wall-builders, superintendents of fountains, and guardians of harbors.
ἄλλη δʼ ἀναγκαία τε καὶ παραπλησία ταύτῃ· περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν μὲν γάρ, ἀλλὰ περὶ τὴν χώραν ἐστὶ καὶ περὶ τὰ ἔξω τοῦ ἄστεως· καλοῦσι δὲ τοὺς ἄρχοντας τούτους οἱ μὲν ἀγρονόμους οἱ δʼ ὑλωρούς.
Another office is both necessary and close to this one; for it concerns the same matters, but is for the countryside and the areas outside the town; and these officers some call country-wardens and others forest-wardens.
αὗται μὲν οὖν ἐπιμέλειαί εἰσι τούτων τρεῖς, ἄλλη δʼ ἀρχὴ πρὸς ἣν αἱ πρόσοδοι τῶν κοινῶν ἀναφέρονται, παρʼ ὧν φυλαττόντων μερίζονται πρὸς ἑκάστην διοίκησιν· καλοῦσι δʼ ἀποδέκτας τούτους καὶ ταμίας.
These, then, are three supervisions of these matters; and there is another office to which the revenues of the public funds are brought, by whom they are guarded and distributed to each administration; and they call these receivers and treasurers.
ἑτέρα δʼ ἀρχὴ πρὸς ἣν ἀναγράφεσθαι δεῖ τά τε ἴδια συμβόλαια καὶ τὰς κρίσεις τὰς ἐκ τῶν δικαστηρίων· παρὰ δὲ τοῖς αὐτοῖς τούτοις καὶ τὰς γραφὰς τῶν δικῶν γίνεσθαι δεῖ καὶ τὰς εἰσαγωγάς.
Another office is that in which private contracts and judgments from the courts must be recorded; and before these same officers, the filings of lawsuits and their introductions must also take place.
ἐνιαχοῦ μὲν οὖν μερίζουσι καὶ ταύτην εἰς πλείους, ἔστι δʼ οὗ μία κυρία τούτων πάντων· καλοῦνται δὲ ἱερομνήμονες καὶ ἐπιστάται καὶ μνήμονες καὶ τούτοις ἄλλα ὀνόματα σύνεγγυς.
In some places, then, they divide this office too into several, but there are places where one is sovereign over all these; and they are called sacred recorders, presidents, recorders, and other names close to these.
μετὰ δὲ ταύτην ἐχομένη μὲν ἀναγκαιοτάτη δὲ σχεδὸν καὶ χαλεπωτάτη τῶν ἀρχῶν ἐστιν ἡ περὶ τὰς πράξεις τῶν καταδικασθέντων καὶ τῶν προτιθεμένων κατὰ τὰς ἐγγραφὰς καὶ περὶ τὰς φυλακὰς τῶν σωμάτων.
After this one, connected with it and virtually the most necessary and yet most difficult of the offices, is that concerning the executions of those condemned and of those posted according to the registrations, and concerning the custodies of bodies.
Notes
- 5τὸ διῃρῆσθαι — This perfect articular infinitive functions as the subject with the predicate adjective ἀκόλουθον. The perfect tense emphasizes the state of a completed and established division, rather than the mere act of dividing.
- 15τὰ μὲν ὠνεῖσθαι τὰ δὲ πωλεῖν — The terms τὰ μὲν ... τὰ δὲ are accusative neuter plurals serving as the direct objects of the infinitives ὠνεῖσθαι ('to buy') and πωλεῖν ('to sell') respectively, meaning 'to buy some things and sell others.' This entire accusative-with-infinitive construction functions as the subject (or logical subject) of the preceding impersonal expression σχεδὸν γὰρ ἀναγκαῖον ('for it is virtually necessary').
- 24ὧν ἑτέρους ἐφʼ ἕτερα καθιστᾶσιν — The genitive relative pronoun ὧν refers back to the antecedent 'parts' (μόρια). The phrase uses the distributive correlation ἑτέρους ... ἐφʼ ἕτερα ('others to other things', meaning 'different persons to different departments') to grammatically express the specialization and division of labor in larger cities.
- 34πρὸς ἣν ἀναγράφεσθαι δεῖ — The relative pronoun ἣν takes the preceding ἑτέρα δʼ ἀρχή ('another office') as its antecedent and is governed by the preposition πρὸς ('to/at which'). It introduces a relative clause with the impersonal verb δεῖ, taking the infinitive phrase ἀναγράφεσθαι ... ('to be recorded') as its subject.
Cite this passage
Aristotle, Politics §6.1321b. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0086.tlg035.humanitext-grc2:6.1321b
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