§6.45.1ἐπὶ δὲ τὴν Κρηταιῶν μεταβάντας ἄξιον ἐπιστῆσαι κατὰ δύο τρόπους πῶς οἱ λογιώτατοι τῶν ἀρχαίων συγγραφέων, Ἔφορος, Ξενοφῶν, Καλλισθένης, Πλάτων, πρῶτον μὲν ὁμοίαν εἶναί φασι καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν τῇ Λακεδαιμονίων, δεύτερον δʼ ἐπαινετὴν ὑπάρχουσαν ἀποφαίνουσιν· §6.45.2ὧν οὐδέτερον ἀληθὲς εἶναί μοι δοκεῖ.
Having passed on to the constitution of the Cretans, it is worth directing our attention in two ways to how the most illustrious of the ancient writers, Ephorus, Xenophon, Callisthenes, and Plato, first say that it is similar to and indeed the same as that of the Lacedaemonians, and second, represent it as being praiseworthy; neither of which claims seems to me to be true.
§6.45.3σκοπεῖν δʼ ἐκ τούτων πάρεστι.
And we may observe this from the following points.
καὶ πρῶτον ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀνομοιότητος διέξιμεν.
And first we shall discuss the dissimilarity.
τῆς μὲν δὴ Λακεδαιμονίων πολιτείας ἴδιον εἶναί φασι πρῶτον μὲν τὰ περὶ τὰς ἐγγαίους κτήσεις, ὧν οὐδενὶ μέτεστι πλεῖον, ἀλλὰ πάντας τοὺς πολίτας ἴσον ἔχειν δεῖ τῆς πολιτικῆς χώρας, §6.45.4δεύτερον τὰ περὶ τὴν τοῦ διαφόρου κτῆσιν, ἧς εἰς τέλος ἀδοκίμου παρʼ αὐτοῖς ὑπαρχούσης ἄρδην ἐκ τῆς πολιτείας ἀνῃρῆσθαι συμβαίνει τὴν περὶ τὸ πλεῖον καὶ τοὔλαττον φιλοτιμίαν.
For they say that it is a peculiarity of the Lacedaemonian constitution, first, in regard to the possession of land, in which no one has a larger share than another, but all citizens must have an equal share of the public territory, second, in regard to the possession of money, which being entirely discredited among them, it happens that ambition concerning the "more" and the "less" is completely eradicated from the state.
§6.45.5τρίτον παρὰ Λακεδαιμονίοις οἱ μὲν βασιλεῖς ἀΐδιον ἔχουσι τὴν ἀρχήν, οἱ δὲ προσαγορευόμενοι γέροντες διὰ βίου, διʼ ὧν καὶ μεθʼ ὧν πάντα
Third, among the Lacedaemonians the kings hold their office permanently, and those called the elders hold theirs for life, through whom and with whom all things