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Book IX
Next to all the matters which have preceded in the natural order of legislation
will come suits of law. Of suits those which relate to agriculture have been
already described, but the more important have not been described. Having
mentioned them severally under their usual names, we will proceed to say
what punishments are to be inflicted for each offence, and who are to be the
judges of them.
Cleinias. Very good.
Athenian Stranger. There is a sense of disgrace in legislating, as we are
about to do, for all the details of crime in a state which, as we say, is to be
well regulated and will be perfectly adapted to the practice of virtue. To
assume that in such a state there will arise some one who will be guilty of
crimes as heinous as any which are ever perpetrated in other states, and that
we must legislate for him by anticipation, and threaten and make laws against
him if he should arise, in order to deter him, and punish his acts, under the
idea that he will arise—this, as I was saying, is in a manner disgraceful. Yet
seeing that we are not like the ancient legislators, who gave laws to heroes
and sons of gods, being, according to the popular belief, themselves the
offspring of the gods, and legislating for others, who were also the children of
divine parents, but that we are only men who are legislating for the sons of
men, there is no uncharitableness in apprehending that some one of our
citizens may be like a seed which has touched the ox’s horn, having a heart so
hard that it cannot be softened any more than those seeds can be softened by
fire. Among our citizens there may be those who cannot be subdued by all the
strength of the laws; and for their sake, though an ungracious task, I will
proclaim my first law about the robbing of temples, in case any one should
dare to commit such a crime. I do not expect or imagine that any well–
brought–up citizen will ever take the infection, but their servants, and
strangers, and strangers’ servants may be guilty of many impieties. And with
a view to them especially, and yet not without a provident eye to the weakness
of human nature generally, I will proclaim the law about robbers of temples
and similar incurable, or almost incurable, criminals. Having already agreed
that such enactments ought always to have a short prelude, we may speak to
the criminal, whom some tormenting desire by night and by day tempts to go
and rob a temple, the fewest possible words of admonition and exhortation:—
O sir, we will say to him, the impulse which moves you to rob temples is not
an ordinary human malady, nor yet a visitation of heaven, but a madness
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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