Let everything have a guard as far as possible. Let the defence ofthe city be commited to the generals, and taxiarchs, and hipparchs,and phylarchs, and prytanes, and the wardens of the city, and of theagora, when the election of them has been completed. The defence ofthe country shall be provided for as follows:-The entire land has beenalready distributed into twelve as nearly as possible equal parts, andlet the tribe allotted to a division provide annually for it fivewardens of the country and commanders of the watch; and let eachbody of five have the power of selecting twelve others out of theyouth of their own tribe-these shall be not less than twenty-fiveyears of age, and not more than thirty. And let there be allotted tothem severally every month the various districts, in order that theymay all acquire knowledge and experience of the whole country. Theterm of service for commanders and for watchers shall continueduring two years. After having had their stations allotted to them,they will go from place to place in regular order, making theirround from left to right as their commanders direct them; (when Ispeak of going to the right, I mean that they are to go to theeast). And at the commencement of the second year, in order that asmany as possible of the guards may not only get a knowledge of thecountry at any one season of the year, but may also have experience ofthe manner in which different places are affected at different seasonsof the year, their then commanders shall lead them again towards theleft, from place to place in succession, until they have completed thesecond year. In the third year other wardens of the country shall bechosen and commanders of the watch, five for each division, who are tobe the superintendents of the bands of twelve. While on service ateach station, their attention shall be directed to the followingpoints:-In the first place, they shall see that the country is wellprotected against enemies; they shall trench and dig wherever thisis required, and, as far as they can, they shall by fortificationskeep off the evil-disposed, in order to prevent them from doing anyharm to the country or the property; they shall use the beasts ofburden and the labourers whom they find on the spot: these will betheir instruments whom they will superintend, taking them, as far aspossible, at the times when they are not engaged in their regularbusiness. They shall make every part of the country inaccessible toenemies, and as accessible as possible to friends; there shall be waysfor man and beasts of burden and for cattle, and they shall takecare to have them always as smooth as they can; and shall provideagainst the rains doing harm instead of good to the land, when theycome down from the mountains into the hollow dells; and shall keepin the overflow by the help of works and ditches, in order that thevalleys, receiving and drinking up the rain from heaven, and providingfountains and streams in the fields and regions which lieunderneath, may furnish even to the dry places plenty of good water.
The fountains of water, whether of rivers or of springs, shall beornamented with plantations and buildings for beauty; and let thembring together the streams in subterraneous channels, and make allthings plenteous; and if there be a sacred grove or dedicated precinctin the neighbourhood, they shall conduct the water to the actualtemples of the Gods, and so beautify them at all seasons of theyear. Everywhere in such places the youth shall make gymnasia forthemselves, and warm baths for the aged, placing by them abundanceof dry wood, for the benefit of those labouring under disease-therethe weary frame of the rustic, worn with toil, will receive a kindlywelcome, far better than he would at the hands of a not over-wisedoctor.
The building of these and the like works will be useful andornamental; they will provide a pleasing amusement, but they will be aserious employment too; for the sixty wardens will have to guard theirseveral divisions, not only with a view to enemies, but also with aneye to professing friends. When a quarrel arises among neighbours orcitizens, and any one, whether slave or freeman wrongs another, letthe five wardens decide small matters on their own authority; butwhere the charge against another relates to greater matters, theseventeen composed of the fives and twelves, shall determine anycharges which one man brings against another, not involving morethan three minae. Every judge and magistrate shall be liable to givean account of his conduct in office, except those who, like kings,have the final decision. Moreover, as regards the aforesaid wardens ofthe country, if they do any wrong to those of whom they have the care,whether by imposing upon them unequal tasks, or by taking theproduce of the soil or implements of husbandry without theirconsent; also if they receive anything in the way of a bribe, ordecide suits unjustly, or if they yield to the influences of flattery,let them be publicly dishonoured; and in regard to any other wrongwhich they do to the inhabitants of the country, if the question be ofa mina, let them submit to the decision of the villagers in theneighbourhood; but in suits of greater amount, or in case of lesser,if they refuse to submit, trusting that their monthly removal intoanother part of the country will enable them to escape-in such casesthe injured party may bring his suit in the common court, and if heobtain a verdict he may exact from the defendant, who refused tosubmit, a double penalty.
