Let everything have a guard as far as possible.Let the defence of the city be commited to the generals,and taxiarchs,and hipparchs,and phylarchs,and prytanes,and the wardens of the city,and of the agora,when the election of them has been completed.The defence of the country shall be provided for as follows:-The entire land has been already distributed into twelve as nearly as possible equal parts,and let the tribe allotted to a division provide annually for it five wardens of the country and commanders of the watch;and let each body of five have the power of selecting twelve others out of the youth of their own tribe-these shall be not less than twenty-five years of age,and not more than thirty.And let there be allotted to them severally every month the various districts,in order that they may all acquire knowledge and experience of the whole country.The term of service for commanders and for watchers shall continue during two years.After having had their stations allotted to them,they will go from place to place in regular order,making their round from left to right as their commanders direct them;(when Ispeak of going to the right,I mean that they are to go to the east).And at the commencement of the second year,in order that as many as possible of the guards may not only get a knowledge of the country at any one season of the year,but may also have experience of the manner in which different places are affected at different seasons of the year,their then commanders shall lead them again towards the left,from place to place in succession,until they have completed the second year.In the third year other wardens of the country shall be chosen and commanders of the watch,five for each division,who are to be the superintendents of the bands of twelve.While on service at each station,their attention shall be directed to the following points:-In the first place,they shall see that the country is well protected against enemies;they shall trench and dig wherever this is required,and,as far as they can,they shall by fortifications keep off the evil-disposed,in order to prevent them from doing any harm to the country or the property;they shall use the beasts of burden and the labourers whom they find on the spot:these will be their instruments whom they will superintend,taking them,as far as possible,at the times when they are not engaged in their regular business.They shall make every part of the country inaccessible to enemies,and as accessible as possible to friends;there shall be ways for man and beasts of burden and for cattle,and they shall take care to have them always as smooth as they can;and shall provide against the rains doing harm instead of good to the land,when they come down from the mountains into the hollow dells;and shall keep in the overflow by the help of works and ditches,in order that the valleys,receiving and drinking up the rain from heaven,and providing fountains and streams in the fields and regions which lie underneath,may furnish even to the dry places plenty of good water.
The fountains of water,whether of rivers or of springs,shall be ornamented with plantations and buildings for beauty;and let them bring together the streams in subterraneous channels,and make all things plenteous;and if there be a sacred grove or dedicated precinct in the neighbourhood,they shall conduct the water to the actual temples of the Gods,and so beautify them at all seasons of the year.Everywhere in such places the youth shall make gymnasia for themselves,and warm baths for the aged,placing by them abundance of dry wood,for the benefit of those labouring under disease-there the weary frame of the rustic,worn with toil,will receive a kindly welcome,far better than he would at the hands of a not over-wise doctor.
The building of these and the like works will be useful and ornamental;they will provide a pleasing amusement,but they will be a serious employment too;for the sixty wardens will have to guard their several divisions,not only with a view to enemies,but also with an eye to professing friends.When a quarrel arises among neighbours or citizens,and any one,whether slave or freeman wrongs another,let the five wardens decide small matters on their own authority;but where the charge against another relates to greater matters,the seventeen composed of the fives and twelves,shall determine any charges which one man brings against another,not involving more than three minae.Every judge and magistrate shall be liable to give an account of his conduct in office,except those who,like kings,have the final decision.Moreover,as regards the aforesaid wardens of the country,if they do any wrong to those of whom they have the care,whether by imposing upon them unequal tasks,or by taking the produce of the soil or implements of husbandry without their consent;also if they receive anything in the way of a bribe,or decide suits unjustly,or if they yield to the influences of flattery,let them be publicly dishonoured;and in regard to any other wrong which they do to the inhabitants of the country,if the question be of a mina,let them submit to the decision of the villagers in the neighbourhood;but in suits of greater amount,or in case of lesser,if they refuse to submit,trusting that their monthly removal into another part of the country will enable them to escape-in such cases the injured party may bring his suit in the common court,and if he obtain a verdict he may exact from the defendant,who refused to submit,a double penalty.