[7,130] καὶ ἑλόντες τὸ ἐμπεσὸν ὕστερον --- ἴσως οὖν οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνο μεμπτέον, ὅστις περὶ ἀνδρὸς δικαίου καὶ δικαιοσύνης λέγειν ἀρξάμενος, μνησθεὶς πόλεως παραδείγματος ἕνεκεν, πολλαπλάσιον λόγον ἀνάλωσεν περὶ πολιτείας, καὶ οὐ πρότερον ἀπέκαμε πρὶν ἢ πάσας μεταβολὰς καὶ ἅπαντα γένη πολιτειῶν διεξῆλθε, πάνυ ἐναργῶς τε καὶ μεγαλοπρεπῶς τὰ ξυμβαίνοντα περὶ ἑκάστην ἐπιδεικνύς· (7,131) εἰ καὶ παρά τισιν αἰτίαν ἔχει περὶ τοῦ μήκους τῶν λόγων καὶ τῆς διατριβῆς τῆς περὶ τὸ παράδειγμα δήπουθεν· ἀλλ´ ὡς οὐδὲν ὄντα πρὸς τὸ προκείμενον τὰ εἰρημένα καὶ οὐδ´ ὁπωστιοῦν σαφεστέρου δι´ αὐτὰ τοῦ ζητουμένου γεγονότος, οὗπερ ἕνεκεν ἐξ ἀρχῆς εἰς τὸν λόγον παρελήφθη, διὰ ταῦτα, εἴπερ ἄρα, οὐ παντάπασιν ἀδίκως εὐθύνεται. (7,132) ἐὰν οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς μὴ προσήκοντα μηδὲ οἰκεῖα τῷ προκειμένῳ φαινώμεθα διεξιόντες, μακρολογεῖν εἰκότως ἂν λεγοίμεθα. καθ´ αὑτὸ δὲ ἄλλως οὔτε μῆκος οὔτε βραχύτητα ἐν λόγοις ἐπαινεῖν ἢ ψέγειν δίκαιον. περὶ δὲ τῶν λοιπῶν τῶν ἐν ταῖς πόλεσι πράξεων χρὴ θαρροῦντας διαπερᾶναι, τῶν μὲν μιμνησκομένους, τὰ δὲ καὶ ἐῶντας ἄρρητά τε καὶ ἀμνημόνευτα. (7,133) οὐ γὰρ δὴ περί γε πορνοβοσκῶν καὶ περὶ πορνοβοσκίας ὡς ἀμφιβόλων ἀπαγορευτέον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάνυ ἰσχυριστέον τε καὶ ἀπορρητέον, λέγοντι μηδένα προσχρῆσθαι μήτε οὖν πένητα μήτε πλούσιον ἐργασίᾳ τοιαύτῃ, μισθὸν ὕβρεως καὶ ἀκολασίας ὁμοίως παρὰ πᾶσιν ἐπονείδιστον ἐκλέγοντας, ἀναφροδίτου μίξεως καὶ ἀνεράστων ἐρώτων κέρδους ἕνεκα γιγνομένους συναγωγούς, αἰχμάλωτα σώματα γυναικῶν ἢ παίδων ἢ ἄλλως ἀργυρώνητα ἐπ´ αἰσχύνῃ προϊστάντας ἐπ´ οἰκημάτων ῥυπαρῶν, πανταχοῦ τῆς πόλεως ἀποδεδειγμένων, ἔν τε παρόδοις ἀρχόντων καὶ ἀγοραῖς, (7,134) πλησίον ἀρχείων τε καὶ ἱερῶν, μεταξὺ τῶν ὁσιωτάτων, μήτ´ οὖν βαρβαρικὰ σώματα μήτε Ἑλλήνων πρότερον μὲν οὐ πάνυ, τὰ νῦν δὲ ἀφθόνῳ τε καὶ πολλῇ δουλείᾳ κεχρημένων, ἐπὶ τὴν τοιαύτην λώβην καὶ ἀνάγκην ἄγοντας, ἱπποφορβῶν καὶ ὀνοφορβῶν πολὺ κάκιον καὶ ἀκαθαρτότερον ἔργον ἐργαζομένους, οὐ κτήνεσι κτήνη δίχα βίας ἑκόντα ἑκοῦσιν ἐπιβάλλοντας οὐδὲν αἰσχυνομένοις, ἀλλὰ ἀνθρώποις αἰσχυνομένοις καὶ ἄκουσιν οἰστρῶντας καὶ ἀκολάστους ἀνθρώπους ἐπ´ ἀτελεῖ καὶ ἀκάρπῳ συμπλοκῇ σωμάτων φθορὰν μᾶλλον ἢ γένεσιν ἀποτελούσῃ, οὐκ αἰσχυνομένους οὐδένα ἀνθρώπων ἢ θεῶν, (7,135) οὔτε Δία γενέθλιον οὔτε Ἥραν γαμήλιον οὔτε Μοίρας τελεσφόρους ἢ λοχίαν Ἄρτεμιν ἢ μητέρα Ῥέαν, οὐδὲ τὰς προεστώσας ἀνθρωπίνης γενέσεως Εἰλειθυίας οὐδὲ Ἀφροδίτην (7,136) ἐπώνυμον τῆς κατὰ φύσιν πρὸς τὸ θῆλυ τοῦ ἄρρενος συνόδου τε καὶ ὁμιλίας· μὴ δὴ ἐπιτρέπειν τὰ τοιαῦτα κέρδη μηδὲ νομοθετεῖν μήτε ἄρχοντα μήτε νομοθέτην μήτ´ ἐν ταῖς ἄκρως πρὸς ἀρετὴν (7,137) οἰκησομέναις πόλεσιν μήτ´ ἐν ταῖς δευτέραις ἢ τρίταις ἢ τετάρταις ἢ ὁποιαισοῦν, ἐὰν ἐπ´ αὐτῶν τινι ᾖ τὰ τοιαῦτα κωλύειν. ἐὰν δ´ ἄρα παλαιὰ ἔθη καὶ νοσήματα ἐσκιρωμένα χρόνῳ παραλάβῃ, μήτοι γε παντελῶς ἐᾶν ἀθεράπευτα καὶ ἀκόλαστα, ἀλλὰ σκοποῦντα τὸ δυνατὸν ἁμῃγέπῃ στέλλειν καὶ κολάζειν. ὡς οὔποτε φιλεῖ τὰ μοχθηρὰ μένειν ἐπὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς, ἀλλ´ ἀεὶ κινεῖται καὶ πρόεισιν ἐπὶ τὸ ἀσελγέστερον, μηδενὸς ἀναγκαίου μέτρου τυγχάνοντα. (7,138) δεῖ δὴ ποιεῖσθαί τινα ἐπιμέλειαν, μὴ πάνυ τι πρᾴως μηδὲ ῥᾳθύμως φέροντας τὴν εἰς τὰ ἄτιμα καὶ δοῦλα σώματα ὕβριν, οὐ ταύτῃ μόνον, ᾗ κοινῇ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον γένος ἅπαν ἔντιμον καὶ ὁμότιμον ὑπὸ τοῦ φύσαντος θεοῦ ταὐτὰ σημεῖα καὶ σύμβολα ἔχον τοῦ τιμᾶσθαι δικαίως καὶ λόγον καὶ ἐμπειρίαν καλῶν τε καὶ αἰσχρῶν γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ κἀκεῖνο ἐνθυμουμένους, ὅτι χαλεπὸν ὕβρει τρεφομένῃ δι´ ἐξουσίαν ὅρον τινὰ εὑρεῖν, ὃν οὐκ ἂν ἔτι τολμήσαι διὰ φόβον ὑπερβαίνειν· ἀλλ´ ἀπὸ τῆς ἐν τοῖς ἐλάττοσι δοκοῦσι καὶ ἐφειμένοις μελέτης καὶ συνηθείας ἀκάθεκτον τὴν ἰσχὺν καὶ ῥώμην λαβοῦσα οὐδενὸς ἔτι φείδεται τῶν λοιπῶν. (7,139) ἤδη οὖν χρὴ παντὸς μᾶλλον οἴεσθαι τὰς ἐν τῷ μέσῳ ταύτας φανερὰς καὶ ἀτίμους μοιχείας καὶ λίαν ἀναισχύντως καὶ ἀνέδην γιγνομένας, ὅτι τῶν ἀδήλων καὶ ἀφανῶν εἰς ἐντίμους γυναῖκάς τε καὶ παῖδας ὕβρεων οὐχ ἥκιστα παρέχουσι τὴν αἰτίαν, τοῦ πάνυ ῥᾳδίως τὰ τοιαῦτα τολμᾶσθαι, τῆς αἰσχύνης ἐν κοινῷ καταφρονουμένης, ἀλλ´ οὐχ, ὥσπερ οἴονταί τινες, ὑπὲρ ἀσφαλείας καὶ ἀποχῆς ἐκείνων εὑρῆσθαι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων.

[7,130] Neither should we, perhaps, find fault with a man who set out to discuss the just man and justice and then, having mentioned a city for the sake of illustration, expatiated at much greater length on the constitution of a state and did not grow weary until he had enumerated all the variations and the kinds of such organizations, setting forth very clearly and magnificently the features characteristic of each; 131 even though he does find critics here and there who take him to task for the length of his discussion and the time spent upon "the illustration, forsooth!" But if the criticism be that his remarks on the state have no bearing on the matter in hand and that not the least light has been thrown on the subject of investigation which led him into the discussion at the start — for these reasons, if for any, it is not altogether unfair to call him to task. 132 So if we too shall be found to be expounding matters that are not pertinent or germane to the question before us, then we might be found guilty of prolixity. But, strictly speaking, it is not fair on other grounds to commend or to criticize either length or brevity in a discourse. (p363) Now we must confidently go on and finish our discussion of the other activities of city life, mentioning some of them and leaving others unmentioned and unrecorded. 133 In dealing with brothel-keepers and their trade we must certainly betray no weakness as though something were to be said on both sides, but must sternly forbid them and insist that no one, be he poor or be he rich, shall pursue such a business, thus levying a fee, which all the world condemns as shameful, upon brutality and lust. Such men bring individuals together in union without love and intercourse without affection, and all for the sake of filthy lucre. They must not take hapless women or children, captured in war or else purchased with money, and expose them for shameful ends in dirty booths which are flaunted before the eyes in every part of the city, at the doors of the houses of magistrates and in market-places, near government buildings and temples, 134 in the midst of all that is holiest. Neither barbarian women, I say, nor Greeks — of whom the latter were in former times almost free but now live in bondage utter and complete — shall they put in such shameful constraint, doing a much more evil and unclean business than breeders of horses and of asses carry on, not mating beasts with beasts where both are willing and feel no shame, but mating human beings that do feel shame and revulsion, with lecherous and dissolute men in an ineffectual and fruitless physical union that breeds destruction rather than life. Yes, and they respect no man nor god — (p365) 135 not Zeus, the god of family life, not Hera, the goddess of marriage, not the Fates, who bring fulfilment, not Artemis, protectress of the child-bed, not mother Rhea, not the Eileithyiae, who preside over human birth, not Aphrodite, whose name stands for the normal intercourse and union of male and female. 136 No, we must proclaim that neither magistrate nor lawgiver shall allow such merchandising or legalize it, whether our cities are to house a people of the highest virtue or to fall into a second, third, fourth, or any other class, so long as it is in the power of any one of them to prevent such things. 137 But if old customs and diseases that have become entrenched in the course of time fall to the care of our ruler, he shall by no means leave them without attention and correction, but, with an eye to what is practicable, he shall curb and correct them in some way or other. For evils are never wont to remain as they are; they are ever active and advancing to greater wantonness if they meet no compelling check. 138 It is our duty, therefore, to give some heed to this and under no condition to bear this mistreatment of outcast and enslaved creatures with calmness and indifference, not only because all humanity has been held in honour and in equal honour by God, who begat it, having the same marks and tokens to show that it deserves honour, to wit, reason and the knowledge of evil and good, but also because of the following consideration, which we must always remember: that for flagrant wrong fostered by licence it is difficult to set a limit that it will no longer, through fear of the consequences, dare to transgress. Indeed, beginning with practices and (p367) habits that seem trivial and allowable, it acquires a strength and force that are uncontrollable, and no longer stops at anything. 139 Now at this point we must assuredly remember that this adultery committed with outcasts, so evident in our midst and becoming so brazen and unchecked, is to a very great extent paving the way to hidden and secret assaults upon the chastity of women and boys of good family, such crimes being only too boldly committed when modesty is openly trampled upon, and that it was not invented, as some think, to afford security and abstinence from these crimes.