163

12.25.1 25. THAT THE DRINKING OF WINE IS NOT TO BE PERMITTED TO ALL “If a city, treating it as a serious matter, should use the practice now mentioned with laws and order, employing it as an exercise for the sake of acquiring self-control, and not abstain likewise and for the same reason from other pleasures, contriving to master them, in this way all these things may be used; but if it is used as a game, and it will be permitted for anyone who wishes, and whenever he wishes and with whomever he wishes, to drink along with any other pursuits whatsoever, I would not cast this vote, that this city or this man ought ever to make use of drunkenness, but rather, even more than the practice of the Cretans and Lacedaemonians, I would add my support to the Carthaginian law, that no one on a military campaign should ever taste of this drink, but should partake of water-drinking for all this time, and that in the city neither a female slave nor a male slave should ever taste of it, nor magistrates during their year of office, nor again pilots nor judges on duty taste of wine at all, nor anyone who is going to attend a council worthy of any account, nor indeed anyone at all by day, unless for the sake of bodily exercise or because of diseases, nor again at night, when any man or woman is planning to beget children. And one could mention very many other instances where wine is not to be drunk by those who have intelligence and a right law, so that according to this reasoning, there would be no need for many vineyards for any city, and other agricultural products and the whole diet would be regulated.” 12.25.2 And Moses, anticipating this, legislates that priests must not taste wine during the time of their sacred service, saying: “And the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying: You and your sons with you shall not drink wine and strong drink, when you go into the tabernacle of witness, or when you approach the altar, and you shall not die: it is an everlasting statute throughout your generations.” And the same man also legislates for those who make a vow, saying: “A man or a woman who shall make a great vow to be consecrated with a consecration to the Lord, shall be consecrated from wine and strong drink; and he shall not drink vinegar of wine, and vinegar of strong drink.” But Solomon also forbids its use to rulers and judges, saying: “Do all things with counsel, drink wine with counsel. Rulers are wrathful, let them not drink wine, lest when they drink they forget wisdom and their troubles.” And the apostle also permits it to Timothy for the sake of sickness, saying: “Use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent infirmities.”

12.26.1 26. THAT PLATO WAS NOT IGNORANT THAT THE THINGS LEGISLATED BY HIM WERE THE CONSTITUTION OF SOME BARBARIANS

“If, then, some necessity has befallen the supreme philosophers to take charge of a city, either in the infinite time that is past, or is now in some barbaric place, far away somewhere beyond our ken, or will hereafter come to be, on this point we are ready to contend in argument, that the said polity has been, and is, and will be, whenever this Muse herself becomes mistress of a city. For it is not impossible for it to come to be, nor are we speaking of impossibilities.”

27. THAT WE HAVE A WAR AGAINST OURSELVES AND THE PASSIONS WITHIN US

163

12.25.1 κεʹ. ΟΤΙ ΟΥ ΠΑΣΙΝ ΕΠΙΤΡΕΠΤΕΟΝ ΤΗΝ ΤΟΥ ΟΙΝΟΥ ΠΟΣΙΝ «Εἰ μέν τις πόλις, ὡς οὔσης σπουδῆς, τῷ ἐπιτηδεύματι τῷ νῦν εἰρημένῳ χρήσεται μετὰ νόμων καὶ τάξεως, ὡς τοῦ σωφρονεῖν εἵνεκα μελέτῃ χρωμένη, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἡδονῶν μὴ ἀφέξεται ὡσαύτως καὶ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον, τοῦ κρατεῖν αὐτῶν ἕνεκα μηχανωμένη, τοῦτον μὲν τὸν τρόπον ἅπασι τούτοις χρηστέον· εἰ δ' ὡς παιδιᾷ τε καὶ ἐξέσται τῷ βουλομένῳ, καὶ ὅταν βούληται καὶ μεθ' ὧν ἂν βούληται, πίνειν μετ' ἐπιτηδευμάτων ὡντινωνοῦν ἄλλων, οὐκ ἂν τιθείμην ταύτην τὴν ψῆφον, ὡς δεῖ ποτε μέθῃ χρῆσθαι ταύτην τὴν πόλιν ἢ τοῦτον τὸν ἄνδρα, ἀλλ' ἔτι μᾶλλον τῆς Κρητῶν καὶ Λακεδαιμονίων χρείας προσθείμην ἂν τῷ Καρχηδονίων νόμῳ, μηδέποτε μηδένα ἐπὶ στρατοπέδου γεύεσθαι τούτου τοῦ πόματος, ἀλλ' ὑδροποσίαις συγγίγνεσθαι τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον ἅπαντα, καὶ κατὰ πόλιν μήτε δούλην μήτε δοῦλον γεύεσθαι μηδέποτε μηδὲ ἄρχοντας τοῦτον τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν ὃν ἂν ἄρχωσι μηδ' αὖ κυβερνήτας μηδὲ δικαστὰς ἐνεργοὺς ὄντας οἴνου γεύεσθαι τὸ παράπαν μηδὲ ὅστις βουλευσό μενος εἰς βουλὴν ἀξίαν τινὰ λόγου συνέρχεται μηδέ γε μεθ' ἡμέραν μηδένα τὸ παράπαν, εἰ μὴ σωμασκίας ἢ νόσων ἕνεκα, μηδ' αὖ νύκτωρ, ὅταν ἐπινοῇ τις παῖδας ποιεῖσθαι ἀνὴρ ἢ καὶ γυνή. καὶ ἄλλα δὲ πάμπολλα ἄν τις λέγοι, ὡς τοῖς νοῦν τε καὶ νόμον ἔχουσιν ὀρθὸν οὐ ποτέος οἶνος, ὥστε κατὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦτον οὐδ' ἀμπελώνων ἂν πολλῶν δέοι οὐδ' ᾗτινι πόλει, τακτὰ δὲ τἄλλα ἂν εἴη γεωργήματα καὶ πᾶσα ἡ δίαιτα.» 12.25.2 Καὶ Μωσῆς δὲ προλαβὼν μὴ δεῖν τοὺς ἱερέας οἴνου ἀπογεύεσθαι κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἱερουργίας καιρὸν νομοθετεῖ φάσκων· «Καὶ ἐλάλησε κύριος τῷ Ἀαρὼν λέγων· Οἶνον καὶ σίκερα οὐ πίεσθε σὺ καὶ οἱ υἱοί σου μετὰ σοῦ, ἡνίκα ἂν εἰσπορεύησθε εἰς τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ μαρτυρίου ἢ προσπορευομένων ὑμῶν πρὸς τὸ θυσιαστήριον, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνητε· νόμιμον αἰώνιον εἰς τὰς γενεὰς ὑμῶν.» ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς καὶ τοῖς εὐχὴν εὐχομένοις νομοθετεῖ λέγων· «Ἀνὴρ ἢ γυνή, ὃς ἂν μεγάλως εὔξηται εὐχὴν ἀφαγνίσασθαι ἁγνείαν κυρίῳ, ἀπὸ οἴνου καὶ σίκερα ἁγνισθήσεται· καὶ ὄξος ἐξ οἴνου, καὶ ὄξος ἐκ σίκερα οὐ πίεται.» ἀλλὰ καὶ Σολομῶν τοὺς ἄρχοντας καὶ τοὺς δικαστὰς εἴργει τῆς χρήσεως λέγων· «Μετὰ βουλῆς πάντα ποίει, μετὰ βουλῆς οἰνοπότει. οἱ δυνάσται θυμώδεις εἰσίν, οἶνον μὴ πινέτωσαν, ἵνα μὴ πιόντες ἐπιλάθωνται τῆς σοφίας καὶ τῶν πόνων.» καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος δὲ νόσων ἕνεκα ἐπιτρέπει Τιμοθέῳ λέγων· «Ὀλίγῳ οἴνῳ χρῶ διὰ τὸν στόμαχόν σου καὶ τὰς πυκνάς σου ἀσθενείας.»

12.26.1 κʹ. ΟΤΙ ΟΥΚ ΗΓΝΟΕΙ Ο ΠΛΑΤΩΝ ΤΑ ΠΑΡ' ΑΥΤΟΥ ΝΟΜΟΘΕΤΟΥΜΕΝΑ ΠΑΡΑ ΤΙΣΙ ΒΑΡΒΑΡΟΙΣ ΠΟΛΙΤΕΥΕΣΘΑΙ

«Εἰ τοίνυν ἄκροις εἰς φιλοσοφίαν πόλεώς τις ἀνάγκη ἐπιμεληθῆναι ἢ γέγονεν ἐν τῷ ἀπείρῳ τῷ παρεληλυθότι χρόνῳ ἢ καὶ νῦν ἐστιν ἔν τινι βαρβαρικῷ τόπῳ, πόρρω που ἐκτὸς ὄντι τῆς ἡμετέρας ὄψεως, ἢ καὶ ἔπειτα γενήσεται, περὶ τούτου ἕτοιμοι τῷ λόγῳ διαμάχεσθαι, ὡς γέγονεν ἡ εἰρημένη πολιτεία καὶ ἔστι καὶ γενήσεταί γε, ὅταν αὐτὴ ἡ Μοῦσα πόλεως ἐγκρατὴς γένηται. οὐ γὰρ ἀδύνατος γενέσθαι οὐδ' ἡμεῖς ἀδύνατα λέγομεν.»

κζʹ. ΟΤΙ ΠΟΛΕΜΟΣ ΗΜΙΝ ΕΣΤΙ ΠΡΟΣ ΗΜΑΣ ΑΥΤΟΥΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΑ ΕΝ ΗΜΙΝ

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