own personal
instruction.

Soc. A good suggestion, Critobulus, for the base mechanic arts, so
called, have got a bad name; and what is more, are held in ill repute by
civilised communities, and not unreasonably; seeing they are the ruin
of the bodies of all concerned in them, workers and overseers alike, who
are forced to remain in sitting postures and to hug the loom, or else
to crouch whole days confronting a furnace. Hand in hand with physical
enervation follows apace enfeeblement of soul: while the demand which
these base mechanic arts makes on the time of those employed in them
leaves them no leisure to devote to the claims of friendship and the
state. How can such folk be other than sorry friends and ill defenders
of the fatherland? So much so that in some states, especially those
reputed to be warlike, no citizen [1] is allowed to exercise any
mechanical craft at all.

[1] "In the strict sense," e.g. the Spartiates in Sparta. See "Pol.
Lac." vii.; Newman, op. cit. i. 99, 103 foll.

Crit. Then which are the arts you would counsel us to engage in?

Soc. Well, we shall not be ashamed, I hope, to imitate the kings of
Persia? [2] That monarch, it is said, regards amongst the noblest
and most necessary pursuits two in particular, which are the arts of
husbandry and war, and in these two he takes the strongest interest.

[2] "It won't make us blush actually to take a leaf out of the great
king's book." As to the Greek text at this point see the
commentators, and also a note by Mr. H. Richers in the "Classical
Review," x. 102.

What! (Critobulus exclaimed); do you, Socrates, really believe that the
king of Persia pays a personal regard to husbandry, along with all his
other cares?

Soc. We have only to investigate the matter, Critobulus, and I daresay
we shall discover whether this is so or not. We are agreed that he
takes strong interest in military matters; since, however numerous the
tributary nations, there is a governor to each, and every governor
has orders from the king what number of cavalry, archers, slingers and
targeteers [3] it is his business to support, as adequate to control the
subject population, or in case of hostile attack to defend the country.
Apart from these the king keeps garrisons in all the citadels. The
actual support of these devolves upon the governor, to whom the duty is
assigned. The king himself meanwhile conducts the annual inspection and
review of troops, both