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Cleinias. But why, Stranger, do not you and Megillus take a part in our new
city?
Athenian. O, Cleinias, Athens is proud, and Sparta too; and they are both a
long way off. But you and likewise the other colonists are conveniently
situated as you describe. I have been speaking of the way in which the new
citizens may be best managed under present circumstances; but in after–ages,
if the city continues to exist, let the election be on this wise. All who are horse
or foot soldiers, or have seen military service at the proper ages when they
were severally fitted for it, shall share in the election of magistrates; and the
election shall be held in whatever temple the state deems most venerable, and
every one shall carry his vote to the altar of the God, writing down on a tablet
the name of the person for whom he votes, and his father’s name, and his
tribe, and ward; and at the side he shall write his own name in like manner.
Any one who pleases may take away any tablet which he does not think
properly filled up, and exhibit it in the Agara for a period of not less than
thirty days. The tablets which are judged to be first, to the number of 300,
shall be shown by the magistrates to the whole city, and the citizens shall in
like manner select from these the candidates whom they prefer; and this
second selection, to the number of 100, shall be again exhibited to the
citizens; in the third, let any one who pleases select whom pleases out of the
100, walking through the parts of victims, and let them choose for magistrates
and proclaim the seven and thirty who have the greatest number of votes. But
who, Cleinias and Megillus, will order for us in the colony all this matter of
the magistrates, and the scrutinies of them? If we reflect, we shall see that
cities which are in process of construction like ours must have some such
persons, who cannot possibly be elected before there are any magistrates; and
yet they must be elected in some way, and they are not to be inferior men, but
the best possible. For as the proverb says, “a good beginning is half the
business”; and “to have begun well” is praised by all, and in my opinion is a
great deal more than half the business, and has never been praised by any one
enough.
Cleinias. That is very true.
Athenian. Then let us recognize the difficulty, and make clear to our own
minds how the beginning is to be accomplished. There is only one proposal
which I have to offer, and that is one which, under our circumstances, is both
necessary and expedient.
Cleinias. What is it?
Athenian. I maintain that this colony of ours has a father and mother, who
are no other than the colonizing state. Well I know that many colonies have
been, and will be, at enmity with their parents. But in early days the child, as
1432
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book The Complete Plato"
The Complete Plato
- Title
- The Complete Plato
- Author
- Plato
- Date
- ~347 B.C.
- Language
- English
- License
- PD
- Size
- 21.0 x 29.7 cm
- Pages
- 1612
- Keywords
- Philosophy, Antique, Philosophie, Antike, Dialogues, Metaphysik, Metaphysics, Ideologie, Ideology, Englisch
- Categories
- Geisteswissenschaften
- International