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and the long-distance race, competing in the same course; but for those of thirteen years remaining until marriage a partnership of not more than twenty years nor less than eighteen, and having been equipped in suitable attire, these must go down to the 13.19.9 competition of these races. And let these be the things concerning races for both men and women; but as to matters of strength, instead of wrestling and such things now, whatever is heavy, the combat in armor, with one fighting against one and two against two.” 13.19.10 And after saying in sequence: “The same, indeed, and those excelling in armed combat, they must urge them to legislate” he adds, saying: “And let the same things be legislated concerning females, those up to marriage.” 13.19.11 Then again, connecting to these in sequence the laws concerning light-armed fighting and the pancratium and the bow and the throwing of stones from the hand and with a sling, and concerning the contest of horses, again here also he adds concerning females, saying: “But as for females, concerning these things, it is not right to compel them to partnership by laws and commands; but if, from these external trainings becoming habit, nature allows it and does not find it difficult for girls or maidens to participate, to permit it and not to find fault.” 13.19.12 So much from Plato concerning women. And from the same author also happens this wonderful law: “If someone leaves female children, through brothers and nephews going back before the males, but after the females in one generation; and let a judge, observing, decide the right and wrong measure of the time of marriage, viewing the males naked, and the females naked to the navel.” But he also says they must dance naked in festivals, speaking thus in the sixth book of the Laws: 13.19.13 “For the sake of such zeal, therefore, it is necessary also to conduct the trainings with boys and girls dancing, and at the same time both seeing and being seen with reason and of a certain age which has plausible pretexts, naked and nude up to a point of modest shame for each.” 13.19.14 In addition to all these, hear also these things from the Republic concerning the law that women are to be in common: “To these, I said, follows a law, and to the other things before it, as I think, this one: that these women of these men are all to be common to all, and that none is to cohabit with any man privately; and the children in turn common, and that neither parent should know his own offspring, nor child his parent.” 13.19.15 And in sequence he adds: “It is likely, then, I said; the lawgiver, having selected for them the women just as the men, will hand them over, being of like nature as far as possible; and they, since they have common houses and common messes, and no one possessing anything of the sort privately, will indeed be together, and being mixed together both in gymnasia and in the rest of their upbringing, they will be led by innate necessity, I think, to intercourse with one another. Or do I not seem to you to speak of necessities? Not by geometrical necessities, he said, but by erotic ones, which are likely to be sharper than those for persuading and drawing the great mass of people.” 13.19.16 But of these things, perhaps someone will explain the meaning of the argument differently, saying it does not suggest what is commonly supposed. For he did not say without distinction that all women are to be common, so that it is permitted for any to be licentious, but that their distribution to the men rests on the authority of the rulers. For they are common in this way, just as someone might say public funds are common, being distributed to whom it is proper by those in charge. And indeed let these things 13.19.17 be so. But what would you say, having learned that he also commands that what is conceived not be brought forth to the light, speaking thus? “For a woman, I said, beginning from twenty years of age to bear children for the city; and for a man, when he has passed the sharpest prime of his course, from this point to beget for the city until fifty-five.” 13.19.18 To which he adds: “But when, I suppose, both the women and the men pass the age of procreating, we shall somewhere set them free to have intercourse with whomever they wish.” And he adds:

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καὶ δόλιχον, ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ δρόμῳ ἁμιλλωμέναις· ταῖς δὲ τριακαιδεκέτεσι μέχρι γάμου μενούσαις κοινωνίας μὴ μακρότερον εἴκοσιν ἐτῶν μηδ' ἔλαττον ὀκτωκαίδεκα, πρεπούσῃ δὲ στολῇ ταύταις ἐσταλμέναις καταβατέον ἐπὶ τὴν 13.19.9 ἅμιλλαν τούτων τῶν δρόμων. καὶ τὰ μὲν περὶ δρόμους ἀνδράσι τε καὶ γυναιξὶ ταῦτ' ἔστω· τὰ δὲ κατ' ἰσχύν, ἀντὶ μὲν πάλης καὶ τῶν τοιούτων τὰ νῦν, ὅσα βαρέα, τὴν ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις μάχην ἕνα τε πρὸς ἕνα διαμαχομένους καὶ δύο πρὸς δύο.» 13.19.10 Καὶ ἑξῆς εἰπών· «Ταὐτὸν δὴ καὶ τοὺς περὶ ὁπλομαχίαν ἄκρους παρακαλοῦντας χρὴ τούτους νομοθετεῖν κελεύειν» ἐπιφέρει λέγων· «Τὰ αὐτὰ δὲ καὶ περὶ τῶν θηλειῶν ἔστω νομοθετούμενα, τῶν μέχρι γάμων.» 13.19.11 Εἶτα πάλιν τούτοις ἑξῆς συνάψας τοὺς περὶ πελταστικῆς καὶ παγκρατίου καὶ τόξου λίθων τε ἐκ χειρὸς βολῆς καὶ διὰ σφενδόνης νόμους ἵππων τε πέρι ἀγῶνος, πάλιν κἀνταῦθα περὶ τῶν θηλειῶν ἐπάγει λέγων· «Θηλείας δὲ περὶ τούτων νόμοις μὲν καὶ ἐπιτάξεσιν οὐκ ἄξια βιάζεσθαι τῆς κοινωνίας· ἐὰν δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν ἔξωθεν παιδεύματα εἰς ἔθος ἰόντων ἡ φύσις ἐνδέχηται καὶ μὴ δυσχεραίνῃ παῖδας ἢ παρθένους κοινωνεῖν, ἐᾶν καὶ μὴ ψέγειν.» 13.19.12 Τοσαῦτα τοῦ Πλάτωνος τὰ περὶ γυναικῶν. τοῦ δ' αὐτοῦ καὶ ὁ θαυμάσιος ὅδε τυγχάνει νόμος· «Ἐάν τις παῖδας θηλείας καταλίπῃ, δι' ἀδελφῶν τε καὶ ἀδελφιδῶν ἐπανιὼν ἔμπροσθεν μὲν τῶν ἀρρένων, ὕστερον δὲ θηλειῶν ἑνὶ γένει· τὴν δὲ τοῦ τῶν γάμων χρόνου συμμετρίαν τε καὶ ἀμετρίαν δικαστὴς σκοπῶν κρινέτω, γυμνοὺς μὲν τοὺς ἄρρενας, γυμνὰς δὲ ὀμφαλοῦ μέχρι θεώμενος τὰς θηλείας.» Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἑορταῖς δεῖν αὐτάς φησι γυμνὰς χορεύειν ἐν ἕκτῳ τῶν Νόμων λέγων οὕτως· 13.19.13 «Τῆς οὖν τοιαύτης σπουδῆς ἕνεκα χρὴ καὶ τὰς παιδείας ποιεῖσθαι χορεύοντάς τε καὶ χορευούσας κόρους τε καὶ κόρας καὶ ἅμα δὴ θεωροῦντάς τε καὶ θεωρουμένους μετὰ λόγου τε καὶ ἡλικίας τινὸς ἐχούσης εἰκυίας προφάσεις γυμνοὺς καὶ γυμνὰς μέχρι περ αἰδοῦς σώφρονος ἑκάστων.» 13.19.14 Πρὸς τούτοις ἅπασιν ἐπάκουσον καὶ τῶνδε τῶν ἐν Πολιτείᾳ περὶ τοῦ κοινὰς εἶναι τὰς γυναῖκας νόμου· «Τούτων, ἦν δ' ἐγώ, ἕπεται νόμος καὶ τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν τοῖς ἄλλοις, ὡς ἐγᾦμαι, ὅδε· τὰς γυναῖκας ταύτας τῶν ἀνδρῶν τούτων πάντων πάσας εἶναι κοινάς, ἰδίᾳ δὲ μηδενὶ μηδεμίαν συνοικεῖν· καὶ τοὺς παῖδας αὖ κοινοὺς καὶ μήτε γονέα ἔκγονον εἰδέναι τὸν αὑτοῦ μήτε παῖδα γονέα.» 13.19.15 Καὶ ἑξῆς ἐπιλέγει· «Εἰκὸς μὲν τοίνυν, ἦν δ' ἐγώ· ὁ νομοθέτης αὐτοῖς ὥσπερ τοὺς ἄνδρας οὕτω καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας ἐκλέξας παραδώσει καθ' ὅσον οἷόν τε ὁμοφυεῖς· οἱ δὲ ἅτε οἰκίας τε καὶ ξυσσίτια κοινὰ ἔχοντες, ἰδίᾳ δὲ οὐδενὸς οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον κεκτημένου, ὁμοῦ δὴ ἔσονται, ὁμοῦ δὲ ἀναμεμιγμένων καὶ ἐν γυμνασίοις καὶ ἐν τῇ ἄλλῃ τροφῇ ὑπ' ἀνάγκης, οἶμαι, τῆς ἐμφύτου ἄξονται πρὸς τὴν ἀλλήλων μῖξιν. ἢ οὐκ ἀναγκαῖά σοι δοκῶ λέγειν; Οὐ γεωμετρικαῖς γε, ἦ δ' ὅς, ἀλλ' ἐρωτικαῖς ἀνάγκαις, αἳ κινδυνεύουσιν ἐκείνων δριμύτεραι εἶναι πρὸς τὸ πείθειν τε καὶ ἕλκειν τὸν πολὺν λεών.» 13.19.16 Ἀλλὰ τούτων μὲν ἴσως τις ἑτέρως διηγήσεται τὴν τοῦ λόγου διάνοιαν, μὴ τὸ νομιζόμενον φὰς ὑποβάλλειν. μὴ γὰρ ἀδιαστόλως εἰπεῖν πάσας εἶναι κοινὰς τὰς γυναῖκας, ὡς καὶ τοῖς τυχοῦσιν ἀκολασταίνειν ἐξεῖναι, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν ἀρχόντων ἐξουσίᾳ κεῖσθαι τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ἄνδρας διανέμησιν αὐτῶν. οὕτως γὰρ εἶναι κοινάς, ὡς ἂν καὶ τὰ δημόσια χρήματα φαίη τις εἶναι κοινὰ οἷς προσήκει διανεμόμενα πρὸς τῶν ἐπιτετραμμένων. καὶ δὴ ταῦθ' 13.19.17 οὕτως ἐχέτω. τί δ' ἂν εἴποις μαθὼν ὡς καὶ μὴ ἐκφέρειν εἰς φῶς τὰ κυούμενα προστάττει, λέγων ὧδε; «Γυναικί, ἦν δ' ἐγώ, ἀρξαμένῃ ἀπὸ εἰκοσαέτιδος τίκτειν τῇ πόλει· ἀνδρὶ δέ, ἐπειδὰν τὴν ὀξυτάτην δρόμου ἀκμὴν παρῇ, τὸ ἀπὸ τούτου γεννᾶν τῇ πόλει μέχρι πεντεκαιπεντηκονταέτους.» 13.19.18 Οἷς ἐπιλέγει· «Ὅταν δὲ δή, οἶμαι, αἵ τε γυναῖκες καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες τοῦ γεννᾶν ἐκβῶσι τὴν ἡλικίαν, ἀφήσομέν που ἐλευθέρους αὐτοὺς συγγίνεσθαι ᾧ ἐὰν ἐθέλωσι.» Καὶ ἐπιλέγει·