Now of artisans, let the regulations be as follows:-In the firstplace, let no citizen or servant of a citizen be occupied inhandicraft arts; for he who is to secure and preserve the public orderof the state, has an art which requires much study and many kinds ofknowledge, and does not admit of being made a secondary occupation;and hardly any human being is capable of pursuing two professions ortwo arts rightly, or of practising one art himself, and superintendingsome one else who is practising another. Let this, then, be ourfirst principle in the state:-No one who is a smith shall also be acarpenter, and if he be a carpenter, he shall not superintend thesmith"s art rather than his own, under the pretext that insuperintending many servants who are working for him, he is likelyto superintend them better, because more revenue will accrue to himfrom them than from his own art; but let every man in the state haveone art, and get his living by that. Let the wardens of the citylabour to maintain this law, and if any citizen incline to any otherart than the study of virtue, let them punish him with disgrace andinfamy, until they bring him back into his own right course; and ifany stranger profess two arts, let them chastise him with bonds andmoney penalties, and expulsion from the state, until they compel himto be one only and not many.
But as touching payments for hire, and contracts of work, or in caseany one does wrong to any of the citizens or they do wrong to anyother, up to fifty drachmae, let the wardens of the city decide thecase; but if greater amount be involved, then let the public courtsdecide according to law. Let no one pay any duty either on theimportation or exportation of goods; and as to frankincense andsimilar perfumes, used in the service of the Gods, which come fromabroad, and purple and other dyes which are not produced in thecountry, or the materials of any art which have to be imported, andwhich are not necessary-no one should import them; nor again, shouldany one export anything which is wanted in the country. Of all thesethings let there be inspectors and superintendents, taken from theguardians of the law; and they shall be the twelve next in order tothe five seniors. Concerning arms, and all implements which are formilitary purposes, if there be need of introducing any art, orplant, or metal, or chains of any kind, or animals for use in war, letthe commanders of the horse and the generals have authority over theirimportation and exportation; the city shall send them out and alsoreceive them, and the guardians of the law shall make fit and properlaws about them. But let there be no retail trade for the sake ofmoney-making, either in these or any other articles, in the city orcountry at all.
With respect to food and the distribution of the produce of thecountry, the right and proper way seems to be nearly that which is thecustom of Crete; for all should be required to distribute the fruitsof the soil into twelve parts, and in this way consume them. Let thetwelfth portion of each (as for instance of wheat and barley, to whichthe rest of the fruits of the earth shall be added, as well as theanimals which are for sale in each of the twelve divisions) be dividedin due proportion into three parts; one part for freemen, anotherfor their servants, and a third for craftsmen and in general forstrangers, whether sojourners who may be dwelling in the city, andlike other men must live, or those who come on some business whichthey have with the state, or with some individual. Let only this thirdpart of all necessaries be required to be sold; out of the othertwo-thirds no one shall be compelled to sell. And how will they bebest distributed? In the first place, we see clearly that thedistribution will be of equals in one point of view, and in anotherpoint of view of unequals.
Cle. What do you mean?
Ath. I mean that the earth of necessity produces and nourishes thevarious articles of food, sometimes better and sometimes worse.
Cle. Of course.
Ath. Such being the case, let no one of the three portions begreater than either of the other two-neither that which is assigned tomasters or to slaves, nor again that of the stranger; but let thedistribution to all be equal and alike, and let every citizen take histwo portions and distribute them among slaves and freemen, he havingpower to determine the quantity and quality. And what remains he shalldistribute by measure and numb among the animals who have to besustained from the earth, taking the whole number of them.