Ath.Then let us invoke God at the settlement of our state;may he hear and be propitious to us,and come and set in order the State and the laws!
Cle.May he come!
Ath.But what form of polity are we going to give the city?
Cle.Tell us what you mean a little more clearly.Do you mean some form of democracy,or oligarchy,or aristocracy,or monarchy?For we cannot suppose that you would include tyranny.
Ath.Which of you will first tell me to which of these classes his own government is to be referred?
Megillus.Ought I to answer first,since I am the elder?
Cle.Perhaps you should.
Meg.And yet,Stranger,I perceive that I cannot say,without more thought,what I should call the government of Lacedaemon,for it seems to me to be like a tyranny-the power of our Ephors is marvellously tyrannical;and sometimes it appears to me to be of all cities the most democratical;and who can reasonably deny that it is an aristocracy?We have also a monarchy which is held for life,and is said by all mankind,and not by ourselves only,to be the most ancient of all monarchies;and,therefore,when asked on a sudden,I cannot precisely say which form of government the Spartan is.
Cle.I am in the same difficulty,Megillus;for I do not feel confident that the polity of Cnosus is any of these.
Ath.The reason is,my excellent friends,that you really have polities,but the states of which we were just now speaking are merely aggregations of men dwelling in cities who are the subjects and servants of a part of their own state,and each of them is named after the dominant power;they are not polities at all.But if states are to be named after their rulers,the true state ought to be called by the name of the God who rules over wise men.
Cle.And who is this God?
Ath.May I still make use of fable to some extent,in the hope that I may be better able to answer your question:shall I?
Cle.By all means.
Ath.In the primeval world,and a long while before the cities came into being whose settlements we have described,there is said to have been in the time of Cronos a blessed rule and life,of which the best-ordered of existing states is a copy.
Cle.It will be very necessary to hear about that.
Ath.I quite agree with you;and therefore I have introduced the subject.
Cle.Most appropriately;and since the tale is to the point,you will do well in giving us the whole story.
Ath.I will do as you suggest.There is a tradition of the happy life of mankind in days when all things were spontaneous and abundant.
And of this the reason is said to have been as follows:-Cronos knew what we ourselves were declaring,that no human nature invested with supreme power is able to order human affairs and not overflow with insolence and wrong.Which reflection led him to appoint not men but demigods,who are of a higher and more divine race,to be the kings and rulers of our cities;he did as we do with flocks of sheep and other tame animals.For we do not appoint oxen to be the lords of oxen,or goats of goats;but we ourselves are a superior race,and rule over them.In like manner God,in his love of mankind,placed over us the demons,who are a superior race,and they with great case and pleasure to themselves,and no less to us,taking care us and giving us peace and reverence and order and justice never failing,made the tribes of men happy and united.And this tradition,which is true,declares that cities of which some mortal man and not God is the ruler,have no escape from evils and toils.Still we must do all that we can to imitate the life which is said to have existed in the days of Cronos,and,as far as the principle of immortality dwells in us,to that we must hearken,both in private and public life,and regulate our cities and houses according to law,meaning by the very term "law,"the distribution of mind.But if either a single person or an oligarchy or a democracy has a soul eager after pleasures and desires-wanting to be filled with them,yet retaining none of them,and perpetually afflicted with an endless and insatiable disorder;and this evil spirit,having first trampled the laws under foot,becomes the master either of a state or of an individual-then,as I was saying,salvation is hopeless.And now,Cleinias,we have to consider whether you will or will not accept this tale of mine.
Cle.Certainly we will.
Ath.You are aware-are you not?-that there are of said to be as many forms of laws as there are of governments,and of the latter we have already mentioned all those which are commonly recognized.Now you must regard this as a matter of first-rate importance.For what is to be the standard of just and unjust,is once more the point at issue.Men say that the law ought not to regard either military virtue,or virtue in general,but only the interests and power and preservation of the established form of government;this is thought by them to be the best way of expressing the natural definition of justice.
Cle.How?
Ath.Justice is said by them to be the interest of the stronger.
Cle.Speak plainer.
Ath.I will:-"Surely,"they say,"the governing power makes whatever laws have authority in any state?"Cle.True.
Ath."Well,"they would add,"and do you suppose that tyranny or democracy,or any other conquering power,does not make the continuance of the power which is possessed by them the first or principal object of their laws?"Cle.How can they have any other?
Ath."And whoever transgresses these laws is punished as an evil-doer by the legislator,who calls the laws just?"Cle.Naturally.
Ath."This,then,is always the mode and fashion in which justice exists."Cle.Certainly,if they are correct in their view.
Ath.Why,yes,this is one of those false principles of government to which we were referring.
Cle.Which do you mean?