Kitap 7
801
Ath. The third law, I suppose, will be this,—that the poets, knowing that prayers are requests addressed to gods, must take the utmost care lest unwittingly they request a bad thing as though it were a good thing; for if such a prayer were made, it would prove, I fancy, a ludicrous blunder.
801
Clin. Of course.
801
Ath. Did not our argument convince us, a little while ago,Plat. Laws 742d. Plutus is the god of wealth. that no Plutus either in gold or in silver should dwell enshrined within the State?
801
Clin. It did.
801
Ath. What then shall we say that this statement serves to illustrate? Is it not this,—that the tribe of poets is not wholly capable of discerning very well what is good and what not? For surely when a poet, suffering from this error, composes prayers either in speech or in song, he will be making our citizens contradict ourselves in their prayers for things of the greatest moment; yet this, as we have said,Plat. Laws 801b. is an error than which few are greater. So shall we also lay down this as one of our laws and typical cases regarding music?
801
Clin. What law? Explain it to us more clearly.
801
Ath. The law that the poet shall compose nothing which goes beyond the limits of what the State holds to be legal and right, fair and good; nor shall he show his compositions to any private person until they have first been shown to the judges appointed to deal with these matters, and to the Law-wardens, and have been approved by them. And in fact we have judges appointed in those whom we selected to be the legislators of music and in the supervisor of education. Well then, I repeat my question,—is this to be laid down as our third law, typical case, and example? What think you?
801
Clin. Be it laid down by all means.
801
Ath. Next to these, it will be most proper to sing hymns and praise to the gods, coupled with prayers; and after the gods will come prayers combined with praise to daemons and heroes, as is befitting to each.
801
Clin. To be sure.
