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Concerning marriages? The law knows only of intercourse that is according to nature, that with a woman, and this only if it is for the sake of having children. But it has abhorred that of males with males, and death is the penalty 8.8.33 if anyone should attempt it. It commands to marry not with a view to a dowry, nor by violent seizures, nor again by persuading through craft and deceit, but by seeking marriage from one who has authority to give and is suitable in kinship. A woman is inferior, he says, to a man in all things; therefore let her be obedient, not to her insult, but so that she may be ruled; for God 8.8.34 has given authority to man. The one who marries must have relations with this one alone; but to make an attempt on another's wife is unholy. And if anyone should do this, there is no escape from death, neither if he should violate a virgin betrothed to another, nor if he should persuade a married woman. 8.8.35 He commanded to raise all children. And he forbade women either to cause an abortion of what is sown or to destroy it; but if she should be found out, she would be a child-killer, destroying a soul 8.8.36 and diminishing the race. Therefore, not even if someone should go to bed for a discharge is it proper for him to be pure then. And after lawful intercourse between a man and a woman, to wash themselves; he supposed this to be a partitioning of the soul to another place; for it suffers when it is implanted in bodies and again when it is separated from them by death. 8.8.37 Wherefore he appointed purifications for all such things. Nor indeed at the birth of children did he permit to hold a feast and to make pretexts for drunkenness, but he ordained a temperate beginning immediately for their nourishment and commanded that they be taught letters, to understand the things concerning the laws and the deeds of their ancestors, the one so that they might imitate them, the other so that being raised with them they might neither transgress nor have an excuse 8.8.38 of ignorance. He took thought for the piety toward the dead, not by costly burial clothes nor by the constructions of conspicuous monuments, but he ordained that the matters of the funeral should be performed by the closest relatives, and made it customary for all who pass by when someone is being buried to approach and mourn with them. And he commands to purify both the house and its inhabitants from mourning, so that anyone who has committed murder may be as far as possible from appearing to be 8.8.39 pure. He established honor of parents as second after that towards God; and he hands over for stoning the one who does not repay their kindness, but is deficient in any way 8.8.40 whatsoever. He commands the young also to have honor for every elder, 8.8.41 since God is the most ancient. He allows nothing to be hidden from friends, for there is no friendship that does not trust in all things; and if any 8.8.42 enmity should occur, he has forbidden to speak of their secrets. If a judge should take bribes, death is the penalty. One who overlooks a suppliant, when it is possible to help, is held responsible. What someone did not deposit, he shall not take up. He shall touch nothing that belongs to others. Having lent, he shall not take interest. These and many similar things hold together our community 8.8.43 with one another. But how the lawgiver also cared for fairness towards foreigners is worth seeing; for he will be shown to have provided for all things in the best way so that we neither corrupt our own ways nor begrudge those who choose to share in ours. 8.8.44 For as many as wish to come and live under the same laws as we, he receives kindly, believing kinship to be not only in race, but also in the choice of one's way of life; but those who approach casually he did not wish to be mixed in with our customs. 8.8.45 But he has specified the other things of which sharing is necessary; to provide fire, water, food to all who are in need, to show the ways, not to overlook an unburied body. 8.8.46 And the things decreed towards enemies are also fair; for he does not allow their land to be set on fire, nor has he permitted cultivated trees to be cut down; but he has also forbidden the despoiling of those fallen in battle and took thought for the captives of war, so that 8.8.47 insolence towards them may be absent, especially towards women. And so earnestly has he striven from afar to teach us gentleness and humanity that he did not even neglect irrational animals, but allowed only the customary use of them, and forbade every other. which
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περὶ γάμων; μῖξιν μόνην οἶδεν ὁ νόμος τὴν κατὰ φύσιν τὴν πρὸς γυναῖκα, καὶ ταύτην, εἰ μέλλοι τέκνων ἕνεκα γενήσεσθαι. τὴν δὲ πρὸς ἄρρενα ἀρρένων ἐστύγηκε, καὶ θάνατος τὸ ἐπιτίμιον 8.8.33 εἴ τις ἐπιχειρήσειε. γαμεῖν δὲ κελεύει μὴ προικὶ προσέχοντας μηδὲ βιαίοις ἁρπαγαῖς μηδ' αὖ δόλῳ καὶ δι' ἀπάτης πείσαντας, ἀλλὰ μνηστεύειν παρὰ τοῦ δοῦναι κυρίου καὶ κατὰ συγγένειαν ἐπιτηδείου. γυνὴ χείρων, φησίν, ἀνδρὸς εἰς ἅπαντα· τοιγαροῦν ὑπακουέτω, μὴ πρὸς ὕβριν, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἄρχηται· θεὸς γὰρ 8.8.34 ἀνδρὶ κράτος ἔδωκε. ταύτῃ συνεῖναι δεῖ τὸν γήμαντα μόνῃ· τὸ δὲ τὴν ἄλλου πειρᾶν ἀνόσιον. εἰ δέ τις τοῦτο πράξειεν, οὐδεμία θανάτου παραίτησις, οὔτε εἰ βιάσαιτο παρθένον ἑτέρῳ συνωμολογημένην οὔτ' εἰ πείσαι γεγαμημένην. 8.8.35 τέκνα τρέφειν ἅπαντα προσέταξε. καὶ γυναιξὶν ἀπεῖπε μήτ' ἀμβλοῦν τὸ σπαρὲν μήτε διαφθείρειν, ἀλλ' ἢν φανείη, τεκνοκτόνος ἂν εἴη ψυχὴν ἀφανίζουσα 8.8.36 καὶ τὸ γένος ἐλαττοῦσα. τοιγαροῦν οὐδ' εἴ τις ἐπὶ λέχους φθορὰν παρέλθοι, καθαρὸς εἶναι τότε προσήκει. καὶ μετὰ τὴν νόμιμον συνουσίαν ἀνδρὸς καὶ γυναικὸς ἀπολούεσθαι· ψυχῆς ἔχειν τοῦτο μερισμὸν πρὸς ἄλλην χώραν ὑπέλαβε· καὶ γὰρ ἐμφυομένη σώμασι κακοπαθεῖ καὶ τούτων αὖ πάλιν θανάτῳ διακριθεῖσα. 8.8.37 διόπερ ἁγνείας ἐπὶ πᾶσι τοῖς τοιούτοις ἔταξεν. οὐ μὴν οὐδ' ἐπὶ ταῖς τῶν παίδων γενέσεσιν ἐπέτρεψεν εὐωχίαν συντελεῖν καὶ προφάσεις ποιεῖσθαι μέθης, ἀλλὰ σώφρονα τὴν ἀρχὴν εὐθὺς τῆς τροφῆς ἔταξε καὶ γράμματα παιδεύειν ἐκέλευσε τὰ περὶ τοὺς νόμους καὶ τῶν προγόνων τὰς πράξεις ἐπίστασθαι, τὰς μὲν ἵνα μιμῶνται, τοῖς δ' ἵνα συντρεφόμενοι μήτε παραβαίνωσι μήτε σκῆψιν 8.8.38 ἀγνοίας ἔχωσι. τῆς εἰς τοὺς τετελευτηκότας προὐνόησεν ὁσίας οὐ πολυτελείαις ἐνταφίων οὐδὲ κατασκευαῖς μνημείων ἐπιφανῶν, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν περὶ τὴν κηδείαν ἔταξε τοῖς οἰκειοτάτοις ἐπιτελεῖν, πᾶσι δὲ τοῖς παριοῦσι θαπτομένου τινὸς καὶ προσελθεῖν καὶ συναποδύρεσθαι νόμιμον ἐποίησε. καθαίρειν δὲ κελεύει καὶ τὸν οἶκον καὶ τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας ἀπὸ κήδους, ἵνα πλεῖστον ἀπέχῃ τοῦ δοκεῖν κα8.8.39 θαρὸς εἶναί τις φόνον ἐργασάμενος. γονέων τιμὴν μετὰ τὴν πρὸς θεὸν δευτέραν ἔταξε· καὶ τὸν οὐκ ἀμειβόμενον τὰς παρ' αὐτῶν χάριτας, ἀλλ' εἰς ὁτιοῦν 8.8.40 ἐλλείποντα, λευσθησόμενον παραδίδωσι. κελεύει καὶ παντὸς τοῦ πρεσβυ8.8.41 τέρου τιμὴν ἔχειν τοὺς νέους, ἐπεὶ πρεσβύτατον ὁ θεός. κρύπτειν οὐδὲν ἐᾷ πρὸς φίλους, οὐ γὰρ εἶναι φιλίαν τὴν μὴ πάντα πιστεύουσαν· κἂν συμβῇ τις 8.8.42 ἔχθρα, τούτων ἀπόρρητα λέγειν κεκώλυκε. δικάζων εἰ δῶρά τις λάβοι, θάνατος ἡ ζημία. περιορῶν ἱκέτην, βοηθεῖν ἐνόν, ὑπεύθυνος. ὃ μὴ κατέθηκέ τις, οὐκ ἀναιρήσεται. τῶν ἀλλοτρίων οὐδενὸς ἅψεται. δανείσας τόκον οὐ λήψεται. ταῦτα καὶ πολλὰ τούτοις ὅμοια τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἡμῶν συνέχει κοι8.8.43 νωνίαν. πῶς δὲ καὶ τῆς περὶ τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους ἐπιεικείας ἐφρόντισεν ὁ νομοθέτης ἄξιον ἰδεῖν· φανεῖται γὰρ ἄριστα πάντων προνοησάμενος ὅπως μήτε τὰ οἰκεῖα διαφθείρωμεν μήτε φθονήσωμεν τοῖς μετέχειν τῶν ἡμετέρων προαιρουμένοις. 8.8.44 ὅσοι μὲν γὰρ θέλουσιν ὑπὸ τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἡμῖν νόμους ζῆν ὑπελθόντες, δέχεται φιλοφρόνως, οὐ τῷ γένει μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ προαιρέσει τοῦ βίου νομίζων εἶναι τὴν οἰκειότητα· τοὺς δ' ἐκ παρέργου προσιόντας ἀναμίγνυσθαι ταῖς συνηθείαις 8.8.45 οὐκ ἠθέλησε. τὰ ἄλλα δὲ προείρηκεν ὧν ἐστιν ἡ μετάδοσις ἀναγκαία· πᾶσι παρέχειν τοῖς δεομένοις πῦρ, ὕδωρ, τροφήν, ὁδοὺς φράζειν, ἄταφον μὴ περιορᾶν. 8.8.46 ἐπιεικῆ δὲ καὶ τὰ πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους κριθέντα εἶναι· οὐ γὰρ ἐᾷ τὴν γῆν αὐτῶν πυρπολεῖν οὐδὲ κόπτειν ἥμερα δένδρα συγκεχώρηκεν· ἀλλὰ καὶ σκυλεύειν ἀπείρηκε τοὺς ἐν τῇ μάχῃ πεσόντας καὶ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων προὐνόησεν, ὅπως 8.8.47 αὐτῶν ὕβρις ἀπῇ, μάλιστα δὲ γυναικῶν. οὕτως δὲ πόρρωθεν ἡμερότητα καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν διδάσκειν ἡμᾶς ἐσπούδασεν ὥστε οὐδὲ τῶν ἀλόγων ζῴων ὠλιγώρησεν, ἀλλὰ μόνην μὲν ἀφῆκε τούτων χρῆσιν τὴν νενομισμένην, πᾶσαν δ' ἑτέραν ἐκώλυσεν. ἃ