ns you could bestow so many benefits upon them as by means of
mercenaries.

(1) Lit. "spear-bearers"; the title given to the body-guard of kings
and tyrants.

(2) Lit. "the beautiful and good," the {kalois kagathois}. See "Econ."
vi. 11 foll.

Let me explain: You keep them, I presume, in the first instance, for
yourself, as guards of your own person. But for masters, owners of
estates and others, to be done to death with violence by their own
slaves is no unheard-of thing. Supposing, then, the first and foremost
duty laid on mercenary troops were this: they are the body-guards of the
whole public, and bound as such to come to the assistance of all members
of the state alike, in case they shall detect some mischief brewing (3)
(and miscreants do spring up in the hearts of states, as we all know);
I say then, if these mercenary troops were under orders to act as
guardians of the citizens, (4) the latter would recognise to whom they
were indebted.

(3) "If they become aware of anything of that sort." Is not this
modelled on the {krupteia}? See Pater, "Plato and Platonism," ch.
viii. "Lacedaemon," p. 186.

(4) Or, "as their police." {toutous}, sc. "the citizens"; al. "the
evil-doers." If so, transl. "to keep watch and ward on evil-doers;
the citizens would soon recognise the benefit they owe them for
that service."

But in addition to these functions, such a body might with reason be
expected to create a sense of courage and security, by which the country
labourers with their flocks and herds would greatly benefit, a benefit
not limited to your demesne, but shared by every farm throughout the
rural district.

Again, these mercenaries, if set to guard strategic points, (5) would
leave the citizens full leisure to attend to matters of more private
interest.

(5) Or, "as garrisons of critical positions," like Phyle or Decelia
near Athens.

And again, a further function: Can you conceive a service better
qualified to gain intelligence beforehand and to hinder the secret
sudden onslaughts of a hostile force, than a set of troopers always
under arms and fully organised? (6)

(6) Or, "trained to act as one man." See Sturz, s.v.

Moreover, on an actual campaign, where will you find an arm of greater
service to the citizens than these wage-earning troops? (7) than whom,
it is likely, there will none be found more resolute to take the lion's
share of toil or peril, or do outpost d