Greek Texts & Translations

Who is that God?

May we, then, do a little more story-telling, if we are to answer this question suitably?

Should we not do so?

We should. Long ages before even those cities existed 713bwhose formation we have described above, there existed in the time of Cronos, it is said, a most prosperous government and settlement, on which the best of the States now existing is modelled. ^note

Evidently it is most important to hear about it.

I, for one, think so; and that is why I have introduced the mention of it.

You were perfectly right to do so; and, since your story 713cis pertinent, you will be quite right in going on with it to the end.

I must do as you say. Well, then, tradition tells us how blissful was the life of men in that age, furnished with everything in abundance, and of spontaneous growth. And the cause thereof is said to have been this: Cronos was aware of the fact that no human being (as we have explained ^note) is capable of having irresponsible control of all human affairs without becoming filled with pride and injustice; so, pondering this fact, he then appointed as kings 713dand rulers for our cities, not men, but beings of a race that was nobler and more divine, namely, daemons. He acted just as we now do in the case of sheep and herds of tame animals: we do not set oxen as rulers over oxen, or goats over goats, but we, who are of a nobler race, ourselves rule over them. In like manner the God, in his love for humanity, set over us at that time the nobler race of daemons who, with much comfort to themselves and much to us, took charge of us and furnished peace 713eand modesty and orderliness and justice without stint, and thus made the tribes of men free from feud and happy. And even today this tale has a truth to tell, namely, that wherever a State has a mortal, and no god, for ruler, there the people have no rest from ills and toils; and it deems that we ought by every means to imitate the life of the age of Cronos, as tradition paints it, and order both 714aour homes and our States in obedience to the immortal element within us, giving to reason's ordering the name of “law.” ^note But if an individual man or an oligarchy or a democracy, possessed of a soul which strives after pleasures and lusts and seeks to surfeit itself therewith, having no continence and being the victim of a plague that is endless and insatiate of evil,— if such an one shall rule over a State or an individual by trampling on the laws, then there is (as I said just now) 714bno means of salvation. This, then, is the statement, Clinias, which we have to examine, to see whether we believe it, or what we are to do.

We must, of course, believe it.

Are you aware that, according to some, there are as many kinds of laws as there are kinds of constitutions? And how many constitutions are commonly recognized we have recently recounted. ^note Please do not suppose that the problem now raised is one of small importance; rather it is of the highest importance. For we are again ^note faced with the problem as to what ought to be the aim of justice and injustice. The assertion of the people I refer to is this,— 714cthat the laws ought not to aim either at war or at goodness in general, but ought to have regard to the benefit of the established polity, whatever it may be, so that it may keep in power forever and never be dissolved; and that the natural definition of justice is best stated in this way.

In what way?

That justice is “what benefits the stronger.” ^note.

Explain yourself more clearly.

This is how it is:—the laws (they say) in a State are always enacted by the stronger power? Is it not so?

That is quite true.

Do you suppose, then (so they argue), that a democracy 714dor any other government—even a tyrant—if it has gained the mastery, will of its own accord set up laws with any other primary aim than that of securing the permanence of its own authority?

Certainly not.

Then the lawgiver will style these enactments “justice,” and will punish every transgressor as guilty of injustice.

That is certainly probable.

So these enactments will thus and herein always constitute justice.

That is, at any rate, what the argument asserts. 714e

Yes, for this is one of those “agreed claims” concerning government. ^note

What “claims”?

Those which we dealt with before,—claims as to who should govern whom. It was shown that parents should govern children, the older the younger, the high-born the low-born, and (if you remember) there were many other claims, some of which were conflicting. The claim before us is one of these, and we said that ^note—to quote Pindar—“the law marches with nature