Texte grec :
| [218] τοὺς λειτουργήσοντας (218) τήνδε τὴν λειτουργίαν· καὶ ὡς εὕρετε,
ὁμοῦ τῆς τε πατρίδος ἀπηλλάξατε καὶ τὴν ὑμετέραν αὐτῶν πόλιν ἀντέδοτε
αὐτοῖς· ὥστε καὶ αἰσχυνθῆναι τὸ λοιπὸν αὐτοὺς
ἐκείνους γ´ ἂν εἰπεῖν, ὅθεν ἦσαν τὸ ἀρχαῖον. ποιησάμενοι δὲ πολίτας,
οὕτως καὶ στρατιώτας ἐποιήσατε ὥστε
τούς τε ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως μὴ στρατεύεσθαι καὶ τοὺς στρατευομένους μηδ´ ὁτιοῦν
ἧττον εἶναι πολίτας, τῆς μὲν ἀρχαίας ἀπόλιδας γεγενημένους ἅμα τῇ στρατείᾳ,
τῆς δ´ ὑμετέρας πολίτας τε καὶ φρουροὺς ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς ἡμέρας.
καὶ πάντες τε οὕτως ἕπονται καὶ πόλις οὐδεμία δυσμεναίνει,
ἀλλὰ τοσούτους γε ἀφ´ ἑκάστων ᾐτήσατε, ὅσοι
μήτε τοῖς διδοῦσιν ἔμελλον ἄχθος ποιήσειν μήτε αὐτάρκεις ἔσεσθαι πλήρωμα
ἑνὸς οἰκείου στρατεύματος παρασχέσθαι· ὥστε εὔνοιαν μὲν ἅπασαν ἔχειν τὰς
πόλεις τοῖς ἐκπεμφθεῖσιν, ὡς κοινοῖς ἑαυτῶν, ἰδίᾳ δὲ ἑκάστῃ μηδ´
ἡντινοῦν εἶναι δύναμιν ἀπὸ τῶν αὑτῆς, μηδὲ βλέπειν
ἄλλοσε τοὺς ἐξελθόντας ἢ πρὸς ὑμᾶς, διὰ τὸ πρὸς τοῦτο
μόνον καλῶς συντετάχθαι. καὶ μὴν τούς γε ἐπιτηδειοτάτους
ἑκασταχόθεν ἐπιλέξαντες κέρδος οὐ μικρὸν τοῦτο
εὕρεσθε· οὐ γὰρ ᾤεσθε δεῖν ἐπὶ μὲν τὰς πανηγύρεις καὶ
τοὺς στεφανίτας ἀγῶνας τοὺς ἄριστα πεφυκότας καὶ τοῖς
σώμασι προὔχοντας ἐγκριθέντας ἀσκεῖσθαι, τοὺς δὲ τῶν
μεγίστων καὶ ἀληθινῶν ἔργων ἀγωνιστὰς καὶ νικηφόρους
ἐσομένους ὁπόσοις ἂν τύχῃ νικᾶν ὑπὲρ ἀρχῆς τοιαύτης,
τούτους δὲ ἐπὶ καιροῦ συνελθεῖν καὶ μὴ πόρρωθεν τοὺς
μεγίστους τε καὶ μάλιστα ἐπιτηδειοτάτους ἐξ ἁπάντων
ἐπιλεχθέντας ἀσκεῖσθαι, ὅπως εὐθὺς ἑστῶτες ὑπερέχοιεν.
τούτους δὴ ἄρα καθάραντες καὶ φυλοκρινήσαντες τὸ κοινὸν
τῶν ἀρχόντων, οὐ χωρὶς ὧν εἶπον οὐδ´ ὥστε φθονεῖν
ἐξεῖναι μᾶλλον τοῖς ἄλλοις τοῖς ἐπὶ τῆς πόλεως μένουσιν,
ἅτε οὐκ οὖσιν ὁμοτίμοις τὸ ἀρχαῖον, ἀλλ´ ἐν τιμῆς αὐτοὺς
μέρει λήψεσθαι τὴν μετουσίαν τῆς πολιτείας, οὕτως εὑρόντες τε καὶ διαθέντες
αὐτοὺς ἠγάγετε ἐπὶ τὰ πέρατα τῆς ἀρχῆς, κἀνταῦθα διαστήσαντες
ἄλλοις ἄλλα φυλάττειν ἀπενείματε.
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Traduction française :
| [218] for men to perform this duty. When you have found them, you
remove them from their country, and at the same time give them your
city instead, so that henceforth they are ashamed to identify themselves
with their original home. In making new citizens, you have also made
soldiers. Thus, the men of your city do not serve, while the men in
service are nonetheless citizens. The army alienates them from their
city of origin, but on the same day they become citizens and defenders
of yours. Everyone falls in with this; no city takes offense. You have
asked for only so many from each as would neither burden the city
supplying them nor be enough to form one full-sized homogeneous
army. Therefore all cities think of the soldiers away on service with
good will, as their boys; and no city individually has any forces of its
own whatsoever. The soldiers shipped out look nowhere but to you,
since the system is well devised for this sole purpose. You profit not a
little from this innovation of recruiting the best qualified men from all
over. You felt that if men with the best physique and superior build are
picked out and trained for mere exhibitions and prizefights, then it is
wrong that men destined for really great and serious prize-fights, deeds of
combat, and for every victory which may be won for such an empire —
that they should be an emergency militia, instead of the tallest and best
qualified of all men being chosen well in advance and trained so that
they will have the upper hand the moment they are in formation. They
are screened and classified {by the board of offiicials,} and receive what
I mentioned. They will not be inclined to resent the civilian sitting
here in town, while they do not hold such privileges from the beginning.
Instead, they will take their share of citizenship for a privilege. Having
thus procured and indoctrinated them, you lead them to the frontiers
of the empire, where you split them up and assign them different sectors
to guard.
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