To these arguments Simonides in turn made answer: Nay, Hiero, I am far from stating that you have not all these divers matters to attend to. They are serious duties,[1] I admit. But still, what strikes me is, if half these grave responsibilities do lend themselves undoubtedly to hatred,[2] the remaining half are altogether gratifying. Thus, to teach others[3] arts of highest virtue, and to praise and honour each most fair performance of the same, that is a type of duty not to be discharged save graciously. Whilst, on the other hand, to scold at people guilty of remissness, to drive and fine and chasten, these are proceedings doubtless which go hand in hand with hate and bitterness.
[1] Cf. "Econ." vii. 41.
[2] Or, "tend indisputably to enmity." [3] Or, "people," "the learner."What I would say then to the hero-ruler is: Wherever force is needed, the duty of inflicting chastisement should be assigned to others, but the distribution of rewards and prizes must be kept in his own hands.[4]
[4] Cf. "Cyrop." VIII. ii. 27; ib. i. 18; "Hipparch," i. 26.
Common experience attests the excellence of such a system.[5] Thus when we[6] wish to set on foot a competition between choruses,[7] it is the function of the archon[8] to offer prizes, whilst to the choregoi[9] is assigned the duty of assembling the members of the band;[10] and to others[11] that of teaching and applying force to those who come behindhand in their duties. There, then, you have the principle at once: The gracious and agreeable devolves on him who rules, the archon; the repellent counterpart[12] on others. What is there to prevent the application of the principle to matters politic in general?[13]
[5] Or, "current incidents bear witness to the beauty of the principle."[6] {emin}. The author makes Simonides talk as an Athenian. [7] Lit. "when we wish our sacred choirs to compete."[8] Or, "magistrate"; at Athens the Archon Eponymos. See Boeckh, "P.
E. A." p. 454 foll. Al. the {athlethetai}. See Pollux, viii. 93;cf. Aeschin. "c. Ctes." 13.
[9] Or more correctly at Athens the choragoi = leaders of the chorus. [10] i.e. the choreutai.
[11] Sc. the choro-didaskaloi, or chorus-masters.
[12] {ta antitupa}, "the repellent obverse," "the seamy side." Cf. Theogn. 1244, {ethos ekhon solion pistios antitupon}. "Hell." VI. iii.
11.
[13] Or, "Well then, what reason is there why other matters of political concern--all other branches of our civic life, in fact-- should not be carried out on this same principle?"All states as units are divided into tribes ({thulas}), or regiments ({moras}), or companies ({lokhous}), and there are officers ({arkhontes}) appointed in command of each division.[14]
[14] e.g. Attica into ten phylae, Lacedaemon into six morae, Thebes and Argos into lochi. See Aristot. "Pol." v. 8 (Jowett, i. 166); "Hell."VI. iv. 13; VII. ii. 4.
