uty, keeping watch and ward while
others sleep, brave mercenaries.

(7) The author is perhaps thinking of some personal experiences. He
works out his theory of a wage-earning militia for the protection
of the state in the "Cyropaedia." See esp. VII. v. 69 foll.

And what will be the effect on the neighbour states conterminous with
yours? (8) Will not this standing army lead them to desire peace beyond
all other things? In fact, a compact force like this, so organised,
will prove most potent to preserve the interests of their friends and to
damage those of their opponents.

(8) Or, "that lie upon your borders," as Thebes and Megara were
"nigh-bordering" to Athens. Cf. Eur. "Rhes." 426; Soph. "Fr." 349.

And when, finally, the citizens discover it is not the habit of these
mercenaries to injure those who do no wrong, but their vocation rather
is to hinder all attempts at evil-doing; whereby they exercise a kindly
providence and bear the brunt of danger on behalf of the community,
I say it must needs be, the citizens will rejoice to pay the expenses
which the force entails. At any rate, it is for objects of far less
importance that at present guards (9) are kept in private life.

(9) "Police or other."

XI

But, Hiero, you must not grudge to spend a portion of your private
substance for the common weal. For myself, I hold to the opinion that
the sums expended by the monarch on the state form items of disbursement
more legitimate (1) than those expended on his personal account. But let
us look into the question point by point.

(1) {eis to deon}. Holden cf. "Anab." I. iii. 8. Aristoph. "Clouds,"
859, {osper Periklees eis to deon apolesa}: "Like Pericles, for a
necessary purpose, I have lost them."

First, the palace: do you imagine that a building, beautified in every
way at an enormous cost, will afford you greater pride and ornament than
a whole city ringed with walls and battlements, whose furniture consists
of temples and pillared porticoes, (2) harbours, market-places?

(2) Reading {parastasi}, properly "pillasters" (Poll. i. 76. 10. 25) =
"antae," hence "templum in antis" (see Vitruv. iii. 2. 2); or more
widely the entrance of a temple or other building. (Possibly the
author is thinking of "the Propylea").Cf. Eur. "Phoen." 415; "I.
T." 1159. = {stathmoi}, Herod. i. 179; Hom. "Il." xiv. 167; "Od."
vii. 89, {stathmoi d' argureoi en khalkeo estasan oudio}.