Laws
Plato (428–347 BC)
Plato's Laws in the Greek text edited by John Burnet, with R. G. Bury's English translation.
Book 1
Section 624
Section 625
Section 626
Section 627
Section 628
Section 629
Section 630
Section 631
Section 632
Section 633
Section 634
Section 635
Section 636
Section 637
Section 638
Section 639
Section 640
Section 641
Section 642
Section 643
Section 644
Section 645
Section 646
Section 647
Section 648
Section 649
Section 650
Book 2
Section 652
Section 653
Section 654
Section 655
Section 656
Section 657
Section 658
Section 659
Section 660
Section 661
Section 662
Section 663
Section 664
Section 665
Section 666
Section 667
Section 668
Section 669
Section 670
Section 671
Section 672
Section 673
Section 674
Book 3
Section 676
Section 677
Section 678
Section 679
Section 680
Section 681
Section 682
Section 683
Section 684
Section 685
Section 686
Section 687
Section 688
Section 689
Section 690
Section 691
Section 692
Section 693
Section 694
Section 695
Section 696
Section 697
Section 698
Section 699
Section 700
Section 701
Section 702
Book 4
Section 704
Section 705
Section 706
Section 707
Section 708
Section 709
Section 710
Section 711
Section 712
Section 713
Section 714
Section 715
Section 716
Section 717
Section 718
Section 719
Section 720
Section 721
Section 722
Section 723
Section 724
Book 5
Section 726
Section 727
Section 728
Section 729
Section 730
Section 731
Section 732
Section 733
Section 734
Section 735
Section 736
Section 737
Section 738
Section 739
Section 740
Section 741
Section 742
Section 743
Section 744
Section 745
Section 746
Section 747
Book 6
Section 751
Section 752
Section 753
Section 754
Section 755
Section 756
Section 757
Section 758
Section 759
Section 760
Section 761
Section 762
Section 763
Section 764
Section 765
Section 766
Section 767
Section 768
Section 769
Section 770
Section 771
Section 772
Section 773
Section 774
Section 775
Section 776
Section 777
Section 778
Section 779
Section 780
Section 781
Section 782
Section 783
Section 784
Section 785
Book 7
Section 788
Section 789
Section 790
Section 791
Section 792
Section 793
Section 794
Section 795
Section 796
Section 797
Section 798
Section 799
Section 800
Section 801
Section 802
Section 803
Section 804
Section 805
Section 806
Section 807
Section 808
Section 809
Section 810
Section 811
Section 812
Section 813
Section 814
Section 815
Section 816
Section 817
Section 818
Section 819
Section 820
Section 821
Section 822
Section 823
Section 824
Book 8
Section 828
Section 829
Section 830
Section 831
Section 832
Section 833
Section 834
Section 835
Section 836
Section 837
Section 838
Section 839
Section 840
Section 841
Section 842
Section 843
Section 844
Section 845
Section 846
Section 847
Section 848
Section 849
Section 850
Book 9
Section 853
Section 854
Section 855
Section 856
Section 857
Section 858
Section 859
Section 860
Section 861
Section 862
Section 863
Section 864
Section 865
Section 866
Section 867
Section 868
Section 869
Section 870
Section 871
Section 872
Section 873
Section 874
Section 875
Section 876
Section 877
Section 878
Section 879
Section 880
Section 881
Section 882
Book 10
Section 884
Section 885
Section 886
Section 887
Section 888
Section 889
Section 890
Section 891
Section 892
Section 893
Section 894
Section 895
Section 896
Section 897
Section 898
Section 899
Section 900
Section 901
Section 902
Section 903
Section 904
Section 905
Section 906
Section 907
Section 908
Section 909
Section 910
Book 11
Section 913
Section 914
Section 915
Ath. and if anyone removes a slave contrary to these conditions, he shall be liable for assault, and if convicted he shall pay double his registered due to the man deprived. And a man may arrest also a freedman, if in any case he fails to attend, or to attend sufficiently, on those who have freed him; and such tendance shall consist in the coming of the freedman three times a month to the home of the man that freed him, and there undertaking to do those duties which are both just and feasible, and in regard to marriage also to act as may seem good also to his former master. The freedman shall not be permitted to be more wealthy than the man who freed him; and, if he is, the excess shall be made to his master. He that is let go free shall not remain in the country more than twenty years, but shall depart, like all other foreigners, taking with him all the property he owns, unless he gains the consent of the magistrates and also of the man who freed him. And if a freedman, or any other foreigner, acquired property exceeding in amount the third evaluation, within thirty days from the day on which he acquires this excess he shall take his own property and depart, and he shall have no further right to request from the magistrates permission to remain; and if he disobeys these rules and is summoned before the court and convicted, he shall be punished by death, and his goods shall be confiscated. Such cases shall be tried before the tribal courts, unless the parties first get a settlement of their charges against one another before neighbors or chosen jurors. If anyone claims as his own the beast of any other man, or any other of his chattels, the man who holds it shall refer the matter to the person who, as being its substantial and lawful owner, sold it, or gave it, or made it over to him in some other way; and this he shall do within thirty days, if the reference be made to a citizen or metic in the city, or, in the case of a foreign delivery, within three months, of which the middle month shall be at which includes the summer solstice. And when the man makes an exchange with another by an act buying or selling, the exchange shall be made by transfer of the article in the place appointed therefore in the market, and nowhere else, and by payment the price on the spot, and no purchase or sale shall be made on credit; and if anyone makes an exchange with another otherwise or in other places, trusting the man with whom he is dealing, he shall do so on the understanding that there are no suits by law touching things not sold according to the laws now prescribed. As regards club-collections, whoso wishes may collect as a friend among friends; but if any dispute arises concerning the collection, they must act on the understanding that in regard to these matters no legal actions are possible.