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equality in the order of the state
Cle. What makes you say so?
Ath. I think that from UGG Boots Clearance his youth upwards he was a soldier, andentrusted the education of his children to the women; and they broughtthem up from their childhood as the favourites of fortune, who wereblessed already, and needed no more blessings. They thought thatthey were happy enough, and that no one should be allowed to opposethem in any way, and they compelled every one to praise all thatthey said or did. This was how they brought them up.
Cle. A splendid education truly!
Ath. Such an one as women were likely to give them, and especiallyprincesses who had recently grown rich, and in the absence of the men,too, who were occupied in wars and dangers, and had no time to lookafter them.
Cle. What would you expect?
Ath. Their father had possessions of cattle and sheep, and manyherds of men and other animals, but he did not ugg boots clearance consider that thoseto whom he was about to make them over were not trained in his owncalling, which was Persian; for the Persians are shepherds-sons of arugged land, which is a stern mother, and well fitted to producesturdy race able to live in the open air and go without sleep, andalso to fight, if fighting is required. He did not observe that hissons were trained differently; through the so-called blessing of beingroyal they were educated in the Median fashion by women and eunuchs,which led to their becoming such as people do become when they arebrought up unreproved. And so, after the death of Cyrus, his sons,in the fulness of luxury and licence, took the kingdom, and firstone slew the other because he could not endure a rival; and,afterwards, the slayer himself, mad with wine and brutality, losthis kingdom UGGS Clearance through the Medes and the Eunuch, as they called him,who despised the folly of Cambyses.
Cle. So runs the tale, and such probably were the facts.
Ath. Yes; and the tradition says, that the empire came back to thePersians, through Darius and the seven chiefs.
Cle. True.
Ath. Let us note the rest of the story. Observe, that Darius was notthe son of a king, and had not received a luxurious education. When hecame to the throne, being one of the seven, he divided the countryinto seven portions, and of this arrangement there are some shadowytraces still remaining; he made laws upon the principle of introducinguniversal equality in the order of the state, and he embodied in hislaws the settlement of the tribute which Cyrus promised-thuscreating a feeling of friendship and community among all the Persians,and attaching the people to him with Christmas UGG Sale money and gifts. Hence his armiescheerfully acquired for him countries as large as those which Cyrushad left behind him. Darius was succeeded by his son Xerxes; and heagain was brought up in the royal and luxurious fashion. Might wenot most justly say: "O Darius, how came you to bring up Xerxes in thesame way in which Cyrus brought up Cambyses, and not to see hisfatal mistake?" For Xerxes, being the creation of the sameeducation, met with much the same fortune as Cambyses; and from thattime until now there has never been a really great king among thePersians, although they are all called Great. And their degeneracyis not to be attributed to chance, as I maintain; the reason is ratherthe evil life which is generally led by the sons of very rich androyal persons; for never will boy or UGGS Clearance man, young or old, excel invirtue, who has been thus educated. And this, I say, is what thelegislator has to consider, and what at the present moment has to beconsidered by us. Justly may you, O Lacedaemonians, be praised, inthat you do not give special honour or a special education to wealthrather than to poverty, or to a royal rather than to a privatestation, where the divine and inspired lawgiver has not originallycommanded them to be given. For no man ought to have pre-eminenthonour in a state because he surpasses others in wealth, any more thanbecause he is swift of foot or fair or strong, unless he have somevirtue in him; nor even if he have virtue, unless he have thisparticular virtue of temperance.
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