[1269b]
[1]
even when at war with one another, in no instance
ally themselves with the rebels, because as they themselves also possess a serf
class this would not be for their interest; whereas the Laconians were entirely
surrounded by hostile neighbors, Argives, Messenians and Arcadians. For with the
Thessalians too the serf risings originally began because they were still at war
with their neighbors, the Achaeans, Perraebi and Magnesians. Also, apart from other drawbacks, the mere
necessity of policing a serf class is an irksome burden—the problem of
how intercourse with them is to be carried on: if allowed freedom they grow
insolent and claim equal rights with their masters, and if made to live a hard
life they plot against them and hate them. It is clear therefore that those
whose helot-system works out in this way do not discover the best mode of
treating the problem. Again, the
freedom in regard to women is detrimental both in regard to the purpose of the
constitution and in regard to the happiness of the state. For just as man and
wife are part of a household, it is clear that the state also is divided nearly
in half into its male and female population, so that in all constitutions in
which the position of the women is badly regulated one half of the state must be
deemed to have been neglected in framing the law. And this has taken place in
the state under consideration,
[20]
for the
lawgiver wishing the whole city to be of strong character displays his intention
clearly in relation to the men, but in the case of the women has entirely
neglected the matter; for they live dissolutely1 in respect of every sort of
dissoluteness, and luxuriously. So
that the inevitable result is that in a state thus constituted wealth is held in
honor, especially if it is the case that the people are under the sway of their
women, as most of the military and warlike races are, except the Celts and such
other races as have openly held in honor passionate friendship between males.
For it appears that the original teller of the legend had good reason for
uniting Ares with Aphrodite, for all men of martial spirit appear to be
attracted to the companionship either of male associates or of women. Hence this characteristic existed among the
Spartans, and in the time of their empire many things were controlled by the
women; yet what difference does it make whether the women rule or the rulers are
ruled by the women? The result is the same. And although bravery is of service
for none of the regular duties of life, but if at all, in war, even in this
respect the Spartans' women were most harmful; and they showed this at the time
of the Theban invasion,2 for they rendered no useful
service, as the women do in other states, while they caused more confusion than
the enemy. It is true therefore that
at the outset the freedom allowed to women at Sparta seems to have come about with good reason,
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