Plato, with an English Translation
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Presented to THE LIBRARY of VICTORIA UNIVERSITY Toronto by The late Dr. Carleton Stanley THE LOEB CLASSICAL LIBRARY EDITED BY E. CAPPS. PH.n., IX.D. T. E. PAGE, utt.d. W. H. D. ROUSE, LHT-D. PLATO PLATO WITH AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION X LAWS R. G. BURY, Lm.D. rORMKRLT SCHOLAR OF TRISTTT COLLEGF, CAMBRISOX IN TWO VOLUMES II LONDON : WILLIAM HEINEMANN NEW YORK : G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS MCMXXVI i2 1. 2 op. 3 Printed in &rea( Britain. 48846 CONTEXTS PAQK BOOK VII 3 BOOK VIII 125 BOOK IX 199 BOOK X 297 BOOK XI 389 BOOK XII 475 INDEX 571 \ LAWS NOMOI TA TOY AIAAOrOY DPOSfinA A0HNAIO2 HEN02, KAEINIA2 KPH2, MEriAAOS AAKEAA1M0NI02 788 A0. Tevo/xevcov Be iraihoiv appevwv kuI Orfkuwv Tpo(f>T)V flip TTov Kol TTaiSeiav TO fxera ravra Xeyeiv opdorar av ^ 'yl'yvoiO^ rj/xlv, fjv elvai fxev apprjTOv iravTox; aSvvarov, Xeyo/xevr) Sk SiSaxfj rivl Kal vovOerijaei fidWov rj v6/j,oi<i sIkvV av r)pZv (paivoiTO. IBla jap Kal Kar oIklu^ iroWa Kal afiiKpa Kal ovk €K(f)avr] irdai yiyvofieva paBico^ VTTO T^9 eKaarcov Xvinj'i re Kal rjBovrj^; B Kal i7n6vfj,ia<;, erepa irapa Ta<i tov vofModerov ^u/u,^ovXa<i Trapayevofieva iravroBaTra Kal ov'^ onoia dXkrj\oi,<i aTrepyd^oir^ av to, tmv ttoXitcov •tjOr]' Tovro Be kukov rai<; TroXeai. Kal yap Bia a/xiKporrfTa avTtov Kal irvKvoTrjTa e7n^7]/jLia ri- Oevra iroieiv v6/j,ov<; aTrpeTre? dp.a Kal da^rjp-ov. BiacfyOetpei Be Kal rov<; ypacpf] redevra^ v6fiov<;, ev T0t9 (TfiiKpoi<; Kal TrvKvoit i6icr0evT(ov tcou C dvdpcoiroyv irapavofxetv Sore diropia fiev irepl avrd vofiodeTelv, aiyav Be dBvvarov. d Be Xeym, ^ 6p06Tar' iv Ast : opdiraTa MSS. — LAWS [or on legislation, political] CHARACTERS Ax Athexiax Stranger, Clinias op Crete, Megillcs or Lacedaemon BOOK VII ath. Now that our children, of both sexes, are born, our proper course will be to deal in the next place with their nurture and education. This is a subject which it is wholly impossible to pass over; but obviously it can be treated more suitably by way of precept and exhortation than by legislation. For in the private life of the family many trivial things are apt to be done which escape general notice, things which are the result of individual feelings of pain, pleasure, or desire, and which contravene the instructions of the lawgiver ; and these will produce in the citizens a multiplicity of contradictor}' ten- dencies. This is bad for a State. For while, on the one hand, it is improper and undignified to impose penalties on these practices by law, because of their triviality and the frequency of their occurrence, on the other hand, it detracts from the authority of the law which stands written when men grow used to breaking the law in trivial matters repeatedly. Hence, while it is impossible to pass over these practices in silence, it is difficult to legislate con- cerning them. The practices I refer to I will try to 3 b2 PLATO hrfkwaai Treipareov olov Sety/jLara i^eveyKovTa et? ^co9* vvv yap \€yo/jLevoi'i eoiKe Kara ti (tk6to<;. KA. ^AXrjdicrrara \6yei<;. A0. OvKovv on /lep crco/jbara /cal x^u^a? r^v ye bpdrjv iravTW^; hel Tpo(f>r}v (^aiveaOai 8vpap,evrjv ft)9 KoXKiara Kal apiara i^epyd^€cr6ai, tovto p.lv bp6(a<i eiprjrai ttov. KA. Tt fi^v ; D A0. XtofJ'ara 8e KoXKiaTa, olfiai, to ye dirXova-- rarov, eo? opOorara Set pecov ovroov evdv<i (pveadai TOiv TralScov. KA. Haw fxev ovv. A0. Tt he ; roBe ouk evvoovp^v, to? 17 TrpcoTij ^Xdcrrrj iravTo^ ^coov ttoXv pLeyiarrj Kal TrXeicTTr] (j)V€Tai, Mare Kal epiv 7roWol<; 'nape(T')(r)Ke firj yiyveadai rd y dvOpcaviva fijjKrj StirXdaia aTTO irevre eroiv ev TOt? \onroi<i ecKoaiv ereaiv av^avofxeva ; KA. WXrjdrj. A0. Tt ovv ; iroWrj av^rj orav eiripper] ttovcov 789 X&>/3t9 TToWoov Kal a-v/xfierpcov, ovk lafiev oti /xvpia KaKa ev Tot9 crco/j,aaLV d'TToreXet ; KA. Hdvv ye. A0. OvKovv Tore BeiTai irXelaTcov ttovoov, orav 7] TrXeiarrj Tpo<pr} Trpoayiyvrjrai T0i<i crcofiacnv. KA. Tt BrjTa, Si ^eve ; rj rot? dpTi yeyovoai Kol veooTdroi<i irovovi TrXetaTOv; Trpocrrd^ofxev ; A0. OvSafjL(o<i ye, a\X' en Kal irpoTepov toi? evT09 rSiv avTMV fxrjrepwv Tpe(f)o/j,evoi<i. KA. Ilco9 Xeyea, w Xuxne ; rj to 49 Kvovp.evoia-1 <}>pd^ei^ ; 1 643Dflf. LAWS, BOOK VII make clear by bringing some specimens, as it were, to the light ; for at present my words rather resemble a "dark speech." cuN. That is quite true. ATH. When we said ^ that right nurture must be manifestly capable of making both bodies and souls in all respects as beautiful and good as possible, we spoke, I presume, truly ? CUN. Certainly we did. ATH. And I suppose that (to take the simplest point) the most beautiful bodies must grow up from earliest infancy as straight as possible. CLIN. Most certainly. ATH. Well then, do we not observe that in every living creature the first shoot makes by far the largest and longest growth ; so that many people stoutly maintain that in point of height men grow more in the first five years of life than in the next twenty ? CUN. That is true. ATH. But we know, don't we, that when growth occurs rapidly, without plenty of suitable exercise, it produces in the body countless evils .^ CUN. Certainly. ATH. And when bodies receive most food, then they require most exercise ? CUN. What is that. Stranger .' Are we to pre- scribe most exercise for new-bom babes and tiny infants .'' ATH. Nay, even earlier than that,—we shall pre- scribe it for those nourished inside the bodies of their mothers. CUN. What do you mean, my dear sir? Is it unborn babes you are talking of.' PLATO B A0. Nat. Oavfiaarov S' ovhev eariv dyvoelv vfia<i rrjv rSiv rrjXtKOVTCov jVfivaaTiKrjv, fjv ^ov- XoifiTjv av vfiiv, Kaiirep arorrov ovaav, hrfKoiaai. KA. Tldvv fiev ovv. A&. "EcTTt Toivvv Trap rjfuv fidWov to tolovtov Kuravoelv Bid to rd^ 7raiBid<; avTodi fiet^ovoyi Tivd(i irai^eLv ^ Bel. Tpe(f)0vcn ydp Brj Trap rjplv ov pbovov TratSe? dWd Kal irpecr^vrepoi Tive^ opi'iOcov Opep-fxara, iirl Td<i p^d'X^a'i Ta? tt/so? dWrfKa dcrKOvvr€<; rd TOiavTa TOiv O^ipiayv. C iroWov Brj Beovcriv rjyela-dai, tov<; irovovi avTol<i elvai TOU? TT/jo? dWrjXa perpiov^i, iv ot? avrd dvaKivovcri <yup,vd^ovT€<;- irpo^ ydp TOUTOt? Xa- ^6vT€<; VTTo p,dXrj<; €KacrTO<;, Tov<i p.€v eXdj7ova<i €t9 Td<i ')(elpa^, p^ei^ovi S' vtto ttjv dyKaXrjv cVto?, TTOpevovTai irepiTraTOvvre^ tnaBiovi irap^TroXXov^ €V€Ka Trj<; ev€^La<; ou ri tt}? t&v avTwv crcop-aTtov, dXXd TTjf; TovTcov twv 6pep,pdTU>v. koI to ye Tocrovrov BrjXovcri rw Bvvapkvw KurapaOelv, on rd awpbara iravra vtto twv creicrp,o)v re kuI D KLvrjcrewv Kivovpceva aKoira ovivaTai iravroiv oaa re VTTO eavTcov rj koX iv alcopaa rj xal Kara ^ ddXarrav rj Kal e'^' ittttcov 6)(^ovp,epa Kal utt' dXXcov OTTOKTOvv Br) (f)epop,€va>v rwv awpbaroav Kivelrai, Kal Bid ravra rd<; rwv alrcov rpo(f)d^ Kal TTorcov KaraKparovvra vyieiav Kal KaXXo'i Kal rrjv dXXtjv p(op,r]v r^plv Bvvard icrri irapaBiBovai. rl OVV av (f)aip€V e^ovrayv ovrco rovrcov to pera rovro rjp,d<i Beiv iroieiv ; ^ovXeaOe apa yeXwri E <f)pd^o)p,ev, riOevre<i v6piov<i rrjv pev Kvovcrav irepi- irarelv, to yevopuevov Be irXdrreiv re olov Krjpivov, la)9 vypbv, KciX p^expi Bvoiv erolv airapyavav ; Kal 6 ; LAWS, BOOK VII ATH. It is. Still it is by no means suq>rising that you know nothing of this pre-natal gymnastic but, strange though it is, I should like to explain it to you. CLIN, By all means do so. ATH, In our country it is easier to "understand a practice of this kind, because there are people there who carry their sports to excess. At Athens we find not only boys but sometimes old men rearing birds and training such creatures to fight one another. But they are far from thinking that the training they give them by exciting their pugnacity provides sufficient exercise ; in addition to this, each man takes up his bird and keeps it tucked away in his fist, if it is small, or under his arm, if it is large, and in this way they walk many a long mile in order to improve the condition, not of their own bodies, but of these creatures. Thus clearly do they show to any observant person that all bodies benefit, as by a tonic, when they are moved by any kind of shaking or motion, whether they are moved by their own action —as in a swing or in a rowing-boat—or are carried along on horseback or by any other rapidly moving bodies ; and that this is the reason why bodies can deal successfully with their supplies of meat and drink and provide us with health and beauty, and strength as well. This being the state of the case, what does it behove us to do in the future } Shall we risk ridicule, and lay down a law that the pregnant woman shall walk, and that the child, while still soft, shall be moulded like wax, and be kept in swaddling clothes till it is two years * oxovfitva Ast : oxovfidruv MSS. ; PLATO Sij Koi TO? Tpoif)ov'i dvayKa^cofiev vofia ^7j/jLiovvre<; ra Traihia rj tt/jo? aypov<i rj npk Upa rj irpo^ OLKCLOvj det TTT] (f)€peiv, fiexpt-rrep dv Uavm laraaOai bvvard yiyvr^rai,, xal t6t€ SievXa^ov- ixeva<i hi viwv ovtcov /mtJ -rrrj /Sia eirepeiSo/jLevcop aTp€(f}7]Tai TO.