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Let him learn, therefore, to sing psalms to God, so that he may not have leisure for shameful songs and untimely stories. And let this gate be thus secured, and let those citizens be enrolled; but the others within let us put to death, just as bees do the drones, not allowing them to go out or to buzz. Let us go now to another gate; which one is this? The one lying near it and having great kinship with it, I mean hearing. For that one has the citizens going out from within, and no one enters through it, but this one has them entering from without, and no one goes out through it. Therefore, this one has a great kinship with that one; for if it allows none of the corrupt and depraved to step on its thresholds, it does not present much difficulty for the mouth; for he who does not hear shameful or evil things does not utter shameful things; so that if this one is thrown open to all, it will defile that one and will cause a disturbance for all within. And perhaps I should have said everything about this one first and blocked up this entrance first. Let the children, then, hear nothing improper, neither from servants, nor from a tutor, nor from nurses. But just as plants then most of all have need of much care, when they are tender, so also do children; so that we should provide good nurses, in order that a good foundation may be laid for them from the base and they may accept nothing evil at all from the beginning. Therefore, let them not even hear nonsensical and old wives' tales. ‘So-and-so,’ it says, ‘loved so-and-so.’ ‘The king’s son and the younger daughter did this.’ Let them hear none of these things; but let them hear other things without any elaborate phrasing, with much simplicity. For it is possible also from children and from attendants; not all of them; for let it not be permitted for all the servants to mingle with them, but let those be clearly designated who assist us in our art, as if they were clearly designated when approaching a statue. For how is it not absurd, if we were builders and were building a house for a ruler, not to allow all the servants simply to approach our building, but now when we are building a city and citizens for the heavenly King, to entrust the work to everyone? But only as many of the servants as are useful to assist; and if there is no one, seek a free man for hire, a virtuous man, and entrust the whole matter mostly to him, so that he may assist in the work. Therefore, let them not hear such myths. But when he is relaxing from the toils of his studies—for the soul loves to dwell on ancient tales—speak to him, leading him away from all childishness; for you are raising a philosopher and an athlete and a citizen of the heavens; speak therefore to him and narrate that ‘In the beginning there were two children of one father, two brothers.’ Then, after a pause, add: ‘And they came forth from the same womb. And one was older, the other younger. And the older one was a farmer, but the younger a shepherd. And the latter led his flocks to glens and lakes.’ And sweeten the narratives, so that there may be some delight for the child and his soul may not grow weary. ‘But the other sowed and planted. It seemed good then at one time to them to honor God. And the shepherd took the firstlings of the flocks and offered them to God.’ Is it not much better to narrate these things instead of the golden-fleeced sheep and that monstrosity? Then also rouse him up—for the narrative also has something of this—adding nothing false, but things from the Scripture. ‘For when he offered the firstlings to God, immediately fire came down from heaven and snatched up everything to the altar above. The older, however, did not do so, but he goes and having stored up for himself the first-fruits from his labors, he offered to God the second-best. And God did not pay attention to them, but turned away and left them to remain on the earth; those

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Μανθανέτω τοίνυν τῷ Θεῷ ψάλλειν, ἵνα μὴ σχολάζῃ αἰσχραῖς ᾠδαῖς καὶ διηγήμασιν ἀκαίροις. Καὶ αὕτη μὲν ἡ πύλη οὕτως ἀσφαλιζέσθω καὶ οἱ πολῖται καταλεγέσθωσαν ἐκεῖνοι· τοὺς δὲ ἄλλους ἔνδον θανατῶμεν, καθάπερ αἱ μέλισσαι τοὺς κηφῆνας, μὴ ἐῶντες ἔξω προχωρεῖν μηδὲ βομβεῖν. Ἴωμεν δὴ καὶ ἐφ' ἑτέραν πύλην· ποίαν δὴ ταύτην; τὴν ἐγγὺς αὐτῆς κειμένην καὶ πολλὴν πρὸς αὐτὴν συγγένειαν ἔχουσαν, τὴν ἀκοὴν λέγω. Ἐκείνη μὲν γὰρ ἔσωθεν ἐξιόντας ἔχει τοὺς πολίτας, καὶ οὐδεὶς δι' ἐκείνης εἰσέρχεται, αὕτη δὲ ἔξωθεν εἰσιόντας, καὶ οὐδεὶς δι' αὐτῆς ἐξέρχεται. Πολλὴν τοίνυν ἔχει τὴν συγγένειαν αὕτη πρὸς ἐκείνην· ἂν γὰρ μηδένα τῶν φθόρων καὶ διεφθαρμένων συγχωρῇ τῶν οὐδῶν ἐπιβαίνειν τῶν αὑτῆς, οὐ πολλὴν παρέχει τῷ στόματι τὴν δυσκολίαν· ὁ γὰρ μὴ ἀκούων αἰσχρὰ μηδὲ πονηρὰ οὐδὲ φθέγγεται αἰσχρά· ὡς ἐὰν αὕτη ἀναπεπταμένη πᾶσιν ᾖ, ἐκείνῃ λυμανεῖται καὶ τοῖς ἔνδον πᾶσι ποιήσει θόρυβον. Καὶ τάχα περὶ ταύτης προτέρας ἐχρῆν ἅπαντα εἰπεῖν καὶ προτέραν ἀποφράξαι τὴν εἴσοδον. Μηδὲν οὖν ἄτοπον ἀκουέτωσαν οἱ παῖδες μήτε παρὰ οἰκετῶν μήτε παρὰ παιδαγωγοῦ μήτε παρὰ τροφέων. Ἀλλὰ καθάπερ τὰ φυτὰ τότε μάλιστα πολλῆς χρείαν ἔχει τῆς ἐπιμελείας, ὅταν ἁπαλὰ ᾖ, οὕτω καὶ οἱ παῖδες· ὥστε τροφέων προνοῶμεν ἀγαθῶν, ἵνα αὐτοῖς ἐκ κρηπῖδος καλὸς θεμέλιος βάλληται καὶ μηδὲν ὅλως ἐξ ἀρχῆς παραδέχωνται πονηρόν. Μὴ τοίνυν, μηδὲ μύθους ἀκουέτωσαν ληρώδεις καὶ γραώδεις. «Ὁ δεῖνα, φησί, τὸν δεῖνα ἐφίλησεν.» «Ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως υἱὸς καὶ ἡ μικροτέρα θυγάτηρ τόδε ἐποίησαν.» Μηδὲν τούτων ἀκουέτωσαν· ἀλλ' ἀκουέτωσαν ἕτερα χωρὶς πάσης περιόδου μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἁπλότητος. ∆υνατὸν γὰρ καὶ παρὰ παίδων καὶ παρὰ ἀκολούθων· μὴ πάντων· μηδὲ γὰρ πᾶσιν ἐξέστω τοῖς οἰκέταις ἀναμίγνυσθαι, ἀλλ' ἔστωσαν φανεροί, ὥσπερ ἀγάλματι προσιόντες φανεροί, οἱ συναντιλαμβανόμενοι τῆς τέχνης ἡμῖν. Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἄτοπον, εἰ μὲν οἰκοδόμοι ἦμεν καὶ ἄρχοντι οἰκίαν ἐκτίζομεν, μὴ πάντας ἁπλῶς τοὺς οἰκέτας ἡμῖν ἐᾶν προσιέναι τῇ οἰκοδομίᾳ, νῦν δὲ τῷ βασιλεῖ τῷ ἐπουρανίῳ πόλιν κτίζοντες καὶ πολίτας πᾶσιν ἐπιτρέπειν τὸ ἔργον; Ἀλλ' ὅσοι τῶν οἰκετῶν χρήσιμοι συναντιλαβέσθαι· εἰ δὲ μηδείς ἐστιν, ἐλεύθερον μισθῷ ζήτησον, ἄνδρα ἐνάρετον, κἀκείνῳ μάλιστα τὸ πᾶν ἐπίτρεψον, ὥστε συναντιλαβέσθαι τοῦ ἔργου. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀκουέτωσαν μύθους τοιούτους. Ἀλλ' ὅταν τῶν πόνων ἀνιῆται τῶν ἀπὸ τῶν μαθημάτων-φιλεῖ γὰρ ἡ ψυχὴ τοῖς παλαιοῖς ἐνδιατρίβειν διηγήμασιν-, λέγε πρὸς αὐτόν, πάσης αὐτὸν παιδιᾶς ἀπάγων· φιλόσοφον γὰρ τρέφεις καὶ ἀθλητὴν καὶ πολίτην τῶν οὐρανῶν· λέγε τοίνυν πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ διηγοῦ ὅτι «Ἦσαν παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν δύο τινὲς παῖδες πατρὸς ἑνός, ἀδελφοὶ δύο.» Εἶτα διαστήσας ἐπάγαγε· «Καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐξελθόντες γαστρός. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ἦν πρεσβύτερος, ὁ δὲ νεώτερος. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ἦν γεωργός, ὁ πρεσβυτέρος, ὁ δὲ ποιμήν, ὁ νεώτερος. Κἀκεῖνος μὲν ἐξῆγε τὰ ποίμνια ἐπὶ νάπας καὶ λίμνας.» Καὶ καταγλύκαινε τὰ διηγήματα, ὥστε τινὰ εἶναι τῷ παιδὶ καὶ τερπνότητα καὶ μὴ ἀποκάμνειν αὐτῷ τὴν ψυχήν. «Ὁ δὲ ἔσπειρεν καὶ ἐφύτευεν. Ἔδοξεν δή ποτε τούτοις τιμῆσαι τὸν Θεόν. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ποιμὴν τὰ πρωτεῖα τῶν ποιμνίων λαβὼν προσήνεγκε τῷ Θεῷ.» Οὐ πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἀντὶ τῶν χρυσομάλλων προβάτων καὶ τῆς τερατείας ἐκείνης ταῦτα διηγεῖσθαι καλόν; Εἶτα αὐτὸν καὶ διανάστησον-ἔχει γάρ τι καὶ ἡ διήγησις-μηδὲν ψευδὲς ἐπιφέρων, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς Γραφῆς. «Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ προσήνεγκεν τῷ Θεῷ τὰ πρωτεῖα, εὐθέως κατηνέχθη πῦρ ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ πάντα ἀνήρπασεν εἰς τὸ ἄνω θυσιαστήριον. Ὁ μέντοι πρεσβύτερος οὐχ οὕτως ἐποίησεν, ἀλλ' ἀπέρχεται καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν πόνων αὑτοῦ τὰ πρωτεῖα ἑαυτῷ ταμιευσάμενος προσήνεγκε τῷ Θεῷ τὰ δευτερεῖα. Καὶ οὐδὲ προσέσχεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Θεός, ἀλλ' ἀπεστράφη καὶ ἀφῆκεν αὐτὰ μένειν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· ἐκεῖνα