[7,110] ὀνομάσαι δὲ αὐτὰς πάσας κατὰ μέρος οὐ ῥᾴδιον διὰ τὸ πλῆθος καὶ τὴν ἀτοπίαν οὐχ ἧττον. οὐκοῦν ὅδε εἰρήσθω περὶ αὐτῶν ἐν βραχεῖ ψόγος τε καὶ ἔπαινος. ὅσαι μὲν σώματι βλαβεραὶ πρὸς ὑγίειαν ἢ πρὸς ἰσχὺν τὴν ἱκανὴν δι´ ἀργίαν τε καὶ ἑδραιότητα ἢ ψυχῇ ἀσχημοσύνην τε καὶ ἀνελευθερίαν ἐντίκτουσαι ἢ ἄλλως ἀχρεῖοι καὶ πρὸς οὐδὲν ὄφελός εἰσιν εὑρημέναι δι´ ἀβελτερίαν τε καὶ τρυφὴν τῶν πόλεων, ἅς γε τὴν ἀρχὴν μήτε τέχνας μήτε ἐργασίας τό γε ὀρθὸν καλεῖν· οὐ γὰρ ἄν ποτε Ἡσίοδος σοφὸς ὢν ἐπῄνεσεν ὁμοίως πᾶν ἔργον, εἴ τι τῶν πονηρῶν ἢ τῶν αἰσχρῶν ἠξίου ταύτης τῆς προσηγορίας· (7,111) οἷς μὲν ἄν τις προσῇ τούτων τῶν βλαβῶν καὶ ἡτισοῦν, μηδένα ἅπτεσθαι τῶν ἐλευθέρων τε καὶ ἐπιεικῶν μηδὲ ἐπίστασθαι μήτε αὐτὸν μήτε παῖδας τοὺς αὑτοῦ διδάσκειν, ὡς οὔτε καθ´ Ἡσίοδον οὔτε καθ´ ἡμᾶς ἐργάτην ἐσόμενον, ἄν τι μεταχειρίζηται τοιοῦτον, ἀλλὰ ἀργίας τε ἅμα καὶ αἰσχροκερδείας ἀνελεύθερον ἕξοντα ὄνειδος, βάναυσον καὶ ἀχρεῖον καὶ πονηρὸν ἁπλῶς ὀνομαζόμενον. (7,112) ὅσα δὲ αὖ μήτε ἀπρεπῆ τοῖς μετιοῦσι μοχθηρίαν τε μηδεμίαν ἐμποιοῦντα τῇ ψυχῇ μήτε νοσώδη τῶν τε ἄλλων νοσημάτων καὶ δῆτα ἀσθενείας τε καὶ ὄκνου καὶ μαλακίας διὰ πολλὴν ἡσυχίαν ἐγγιγνομένης ἐν τῷ σώματι, καὶ μὴν χρείαν γε ἱκανὴν παρέχοντα πρὸς τὸν βίον, (7,113) πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα πράττοντες προθύμως καὶ φιλοπόνως οὔποτ´ ἂν ἐνδεεῖς ἔργου καὶ βίου γίγνοιντο, οὐδ´ ἂν ἀληθῆ τὴν ἐπίκλησιν παρέχοιεν τοῖς πλουσίοις καλεῖν αὐτούς, ᾗπερ εἰώθασιν, ἀπόρους ὀνομάζοντες, τοὐναντίον μᾶλλον ἐκείνων ὄντες πορισταὶ καὶ μηδενὸς ἀποροῦντες, ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν, τῶν ἀναγκαίων καὶ χρησίμων. (7,114) φέρε οὖν μνησθῶμεν ἀφ´ ἑκατέρου τοῦ γένους, εἰ καὶ μὴ πάνυ ἀκριβῶς ἕκαστα φράζοντες, ἀλλ´ ὡς τύπῳ γε κατιδεῖν, τὰ ποῖ´ ἄττα καὶ ὧν ἕνεκα οὐ προσιέμεθα, καὶ ποῖα θαρροῦντας ἐπιχειρεῖν κελεύομεν, μηδὲν φροντίζοντας τῶν ἄλλως τὰ τοιαῦτα προφερόντων, οἷον εἰώθασι λοιδορούμενοι προφέρειν πολλάκις οὐ μόνον τὰς αὐτῶν ἐργασίας, αἷς οὐδὲν ἄτοπον πρόσεστιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν γονέων, ἄν τινος ἔριθος ἡ μήτηρ ἢ τρυγήτρια ἐξελθοῦσά ποτε ἢ μισθοῦ τιτθεύσῃ παῖδα τῶν ὀρφανῶν ἢ πλουσίων ἢ ὁ πατὴρ διδάξῃ γράμματα ἢ παιδαγωγήσῃ· μηδὲν οὖν τοιοῦτον αἰσχυνομένους ὁμόσε ἰέναι. (7,115) οὐ γὰρ ἄλλως αὐτὰ ἐροῦσιν, ἂν λέγωσιν, ἢ ὡς σημεῖα πενίας, πενίαν αὐτὴν λοιδοροῦντες δῆλον ὅτι καὶ προφέροντες ὡς κακὸν δή τι καὶ δυστυχές, οὐ τῶν ἔργων οὐδέν. ὥστε ἐπειδὴ οὔ φαμεν χεῖρον οὐδὲ δυστυχέστερον πλούτου πενίαν, τοῖς δὲ πολλοῖς ἴσως καὶ ξυμφορώτερον, οὐδὲ τὸ ὄνειδος τοῦ ὀνείδους μᾶλλόν τι βαρυντέον τοῦτ´ ἐκείνου. (7,116) εἰ γάρ τοι δέοι μὴ ὀνομάζοντας τὸ πρᾶγμα, ὃ ψέγουσι, τὰ καθ´ ἡμέραν συμβαίνοντα δι´ αὐτὸ βλασφημεῖν προφέροντας, πολὺ πλείω ἂν ἔχοιεν καὶ τῷ ὄντι αἰσχρὰ διὰ πλοῦτον γιγνόμενα, οὐχ ἥκιστα δὲ τὸ παρὰ τῷ Ἡσιόδῳ κεκριμένον ἐπονείδιστον προφέρειν, τὸ τῆς ἀργίας, λέγοντες, ὅτι σε, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, οὔτε σκαπτῆρα θεοὶ θέσαν οὔτ´ ἀροτῆρα, καὶ ὅτι ἄλλως τὰς χεῖρας ἔχεις κατὰ τοὺς μνηστῆρας ἀτρίπτους καὶ ἁπαλάς. (7,117) οὐκοῦν τόδε μὲν οἶμαι παντί τῳ δῆλον καὶ πολλάκις λεγόμενον ἴσως ὅτι βαφεῖς μὲν καὶ μυρεψοὺς {καὶ βυρσοδέψας} σὺν κουρικῇ γυναικῶν τε καὶ ἀνδρῶν, οὐ πολύ τι διαφερούσαις τὰ νῦν, καὶ ποικιλτικῇ πάσῃ σχεδὸν οὐκ ἐσθῆτος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τριχῶν καὶ χρωτός, ἐγχούσῃ καὶ ψιμυθίῳ καὶ πᾶσι φαρμάκοις μηχανωμένῃ ὥρας ψευδεῖς καὶ νόθα εἴδωλα, ἔτι δὲ ἐν οἰκιῶν ὀροφαῖς καὶ τοίχοις καὶ ἐδάφει τὰ μὲν χρώμασι, τὰ δὲ λίθοις, τὰ δὲ χρυσῷ, τὰ δ´ ἐλέφαντι ποικιλλόντων, (7,118) τὰ δὲ αὐτῶν τοίχων γλυφαῖς, τὸ μὲν ἄριστον μὴ παραδέχεσθαι καθόλου τὰς πόλεις, τὸ δὲ * ἡμῖν ἐν τῷ παρόντι λόγῳ διορίσαι μηδένα ἂν τοιοῦτον γίγνεσθαι τῶν ἡμετέρων πενήτων, οἷς πρὸς τοὺς πλουσίους ἡμεῖς ἀγωνιζόμεθα ὥσπερ χορῷ τὰ νῦν, οὐχ ὑπὲρ εὐδαιμονίας προκειμένου τοῦ ἀγῶνος· οὐ γὰρ πενίᾳ τοῦτό γε πρόκειται τὸ ἆθλον οὐδὲ αὖ πλούτῳ, μόνης δὲ ἀρετῆς ἐστιν ἐξαίρετον· (7,119) ἄλλως δὲ ὑπὲρ ἀγωγῆς τινος καὶ μετριότητος βίου. καὶ τοίνυν οὐδ´ ὑποκριτὰς τραγικοὺς ἢ κωμικοὺς ἢ διά τινων μίμων ἀκράτου γέλωτος δημιουργοὺς οὐδὲ ὀρχηστὰς οὐδὲ χορευτὰς, πλήν γε τῶν ἱερῶν χορῶν, ἀλλ´ οὐκ ἐπί γε τοῖς Νιόβης ἢ Θυέστου πάθεσιν ᾄδοντας ἢ ὀρχουμένους, οὐδὲ κιθαρῳδοὺς οὐδὲ αὐλητὰς περὶ νίκης ἐν θεάτροις ἁμιλλωμένους, εἰ καί τινες τῶν ἐνδόξων πόλεων ἐπὶ τούτοις ἡμῖν δυσχερῶς ἕξουσι, Σμύρνα καὶ Χίος, καὶ δῆτα σὺν ταύταις καὶ τὸ Ἄργος, ὡς τὴν Ὁμήρου τε καὶ Ἀγαμέμνονος δόξαν οὐκ ἐώντων αὔξεσθαι τὸ γοῦν ἐφ´ ἡμῖν·

[7,110] But it is not easy to name them all separately on account of their multitude, and equally because that would be out of place here. Therefore, let this brief criticism and praise of them suffice: All which are injurious to the body by impairing its health or by preventing the maintenance of its adequate strength through their inactive or sedentary character, or which engender in the soul either turpitude or illiberality or, in general, are useless and good for nothing since they owe their origin to (p349) the silly luxury of the cities — these cannot properly be called trades or occupations at all; for Hesiod, a wise man, would never have commended all occupations alike if he had thought that any evil or disgraceful thing was entitled to that name — 111 so where any of these evils, be it what it may, is attached to these activities, no self-respecting and honourable man should himself have anything to do with them or know anything about them or teach them to his sons, for he knows that he will not be what either Hesiod or we mean by "workman" if he engages in any such business, but will incur the shameful reproach of being an idler living on disgraceful gains and hear himself bluntly called sordid, good for nothing, and wicked. 112 But, on the other hand, where the occupations are not unbecoming to those who follow them and create no evil condition in their souls nor injure their health by inducing, among other diseases, physical weakness in particular, sluggishness, and softness on account of the almost complete lack of exercise, and, further, enable one to make a satisfactory living — 113 the men who engage zealously and industriously in any of these will never lack work and a living from it, nor will they give the rich any justification for calling them the "poor class," as is their wont; on the contrary, they will be rather purveyors to the rich and lack practically nothing that is necessary and useful. 114 Now without describing in detail each and every (p351) occupation, but simply offering a general outline, let us mention in these two classes the kinds we do not approve of, giving our reasons, and the kinds we urge men to undertake without hesitation. Let them pay no heed to those idle objectors who are wont often to sneer obviously not only at a man's occupation when it has nothing at all objectionable in it, but even at that of his parents, when, for instance, his mother was once on occasion someone's hired servant or a harvester of grapes, or was a paid wet-nurse for a motherless child or a rich man's, or when his father was a schoolmaster or a tutor. Let them, I say, feel no shame before such persons but go right ahead. 115 For if they refer to such things, they will simply be mentioning them as indications of poverty, evidently abusing and holding up poverty itself as something evil and unfortunate, and not any of these occupations. Therefore, since we maintain that to be poor is no worse and no more unfortunate than to be rich, and perhaps no less advantageous to many, the sneer at one's occupation ought not to give any greater offence than the sneer at one's poverty. 116 You see, if, without mentioning the thing with which they found fault, they had to bring up and denounce the things it caused from day to day, they would have a great many more and really disgraceful things caused by the possession of wealth to bring up, and not least of all what in Hesiod is adjudged the greatest shame, namely, the charge of idleness, and exclaim, "Sir, "Never a delver did the gods make thee, nor a ploughman," p353 adding, "In vain hast thou hands; soft and tender are they like those of the suitors." 117 Now what I have to say next is, I imagine, apparent to every man and perhaps often remarked — that dyeing and perfumery, along with the dressing of men's and women's hair — nearly the same for both sexes to-day — and practically all adorning, not only of clothing, but even of the hair and skin by the use of alkanet, white lead, and all kinds of chemicals in the attempt to counterfeit youthfulness make a spurious image of the person, and further, the decorating of the roofs, walls, and floor of houses, now with paints, now with precious stones, here with gold and there with ivory, 118 and, again, with carving of the walls themselves — that as for these occupations, the best thing would be that cities should admit none of them at all, but that for us in our present discussion the next best thing would be to rule that none of our poor should adopt any such trade; for we are at present contending against the rich as if with a chorus, and the contest is not for happiness — that is not the prize set before poverty, or before wealth either, but is the especial reward of virtue alone — no, it is for a certain manner of life and moderation therein. 119 Furthermore, we shall not permit our poor to become tragic or comic actors or creators of immoderate laughter by means of certain mimes, or dancers or chorus- men either. We except, however, the sacred choruses, but not if they represent the (p355) sorrows of Niobe or Thyestes by song or dance. Nor shall the poor become harpers or flute-players contending for victory in the theatres, even if we shall offend certain distinguished cities by so doing, cities such as Smyrna or Chios, for example, and, of course, Argos too, for not permitting the glory of Homer and Agamemnon to be magnified, at least so far as we can help it.