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1、LAWSbyPlatotranslatedbyBenjaminJowettBOOKIPERSONSOFTHEDIALOGUE:AnATHENIANSTRANGER;CLEINIAS,aCretan;MEGILLUS,aLacedaemonianAthenianStranger.Tellme,Strangers,isaGodorsomemansupposedtobetheauthorofyourlaws?Cleinias.AGod,Stranger;inverytrutha,God:amongusCretansheissaidtohavebeenZeus,butinLacedaem
2、on,whenceourfriendherecomes,IbelievetheywouldsaythatApolloistheirlawgiver:wouldtheynot,Megillus?Megillus.Certainly.Ath.Anddoyou,Cleinias,believe,asHomertells,thateveryninthyearMinoswenttoconversewithhisOlympiansire,andwasinspiredbyhimtomakelawsforyourcities?Cle.Yes,thatisourtradition;andthere
3、wasRhadamanthus,abrotherofhis,withwhosenameyouarefamiliar;heisreputedtohavebeenthejustestofmen,andweCretansareofopinionthatheearnedthisreputationfromhisrighteousadministrationofjusticewhenhewasalive.Ath.Yes,andanoblereputationitwas,worthyofasonofZeus.AsyouandMegillushavebeentrainedintheseinst
4、itutions,Idaresaythatyouwillnotbeunwillingtogiveanaccountofyourgovernmentandlaws;onourwaywecanpassthetimepleasantlyinaboutthem,forIamtoldthatthedistancefromCnosustothecaveandtempleofZeusisconsiderable;anddoubtlessthereareshadyplacesundertheloftytrees,whichwillprotectusfromthisscorchingsun.Bei
5、ngnolongeryoung,wemayoftenstoptorestbeneaththem,andgetoverthewholejourneywithoutdifficulty,beguilingthetimebyconversation.Cle.Yes,Stranger,andifweproceedonwardweshallcometogrovesofcypresses,whichareofrareheightandbeauty,andtherearegreenmeadows,inwhichwemayreposeandconverse.Ath.Verygood.Cle.Ve
6、rygood,indeed;andstillbetterwhenweseethem;letusmoveoncheerily.Ath.Iamwilling-Andfirst,Iwanttoknowwhythelawhasordainedthatyoushallhavecommonmealsandgymnasticexercises,andweararms.Cle.Ithink,Stranger,thattheaimofourinstitutionsiseasilyintelligibletoanyone.Lookatthecharacterofourcountry:Creteisn
7、otlikeThessaly,alargeplain;andforthisreasontheyhavehorsemeninThessaly,andwehaverunners-theinequalityofthegroundinourcountryismoreadaptedtolocomotiononfoot;butthen,ifyouhaverunnersyoumusthavelightarms-noonecancarryaheavyweightwhenrunning,andbo
