dling, do I demand more than the removal of obligations which, whilst
they confer no benefit on the state, have an air of inflicting various
disabilities on the resident aliens. (4) And I would further relieve
them from the obligation of serving as hoplites side by side with the
citizen proper; since, beside the personal risk, which is great, the
trouble of quitting trades and homesteads is no trifle. (5) Incidentally
the state itself would benefit by this exemption, if the citizens were
more in the habit of campaigning with one another, rather than (6)
shoulder to shoulder with Lydians, Phrygians, Syrians, and barbarians
from all quarters of the world, who form the staple of our resident
alien class. Besides the advantage (of so weeding the ranks), (7) it
would add a positive lustre to our city, were it admitted that the
men of Athens, her sons, have reliance on themselves rather than on
foreigners to fight her battles. And further, supposing we offered our
resident aliens a share in various other honourable duties, including
the cavalry service, (8) I shall be surprised if we do not increase
the goodwill of the aliens themselves, whilst at the same time we add
distinctly to the strength and grandeur of our city.

(1) Lit. "metics" or "metoecs."

(2) {misthos}, e.g. of the assembly, the senate, and the dicasts.

(3) The {metoikion}. See Plat. "Laws," 850 B; according to Isaeus, ap.
Harpocr. s.v., it was 12 drachmae per annum for a male and 6
drachmae for a female.

(4) Or, "the class in question." According to Schneider (who cites the
{atimetos metanastes} of Homer, "Il." ix. 648), the reference is
not to disabilities in the technical sense, but to humiliating
duties, such as the {skaphephoria} imposed on the men, or the
{udriaphoria} and {skiadephoria} imposed on their wives and
daughters in attendance on the {kanephoroi} at the Panathenaic and
other festival processions. See Arist. "Eccles." 730 foll.;
Boeckh, "P. E. A." IV. x. (Eng. tr. G. Cornewall Lewis, p. 538).

(5) Or, reading {megas men gar o agon, mega de kai to apo ton tekhnon
kai ton oikeion apienai}, after Zurborg ("Xen. de Reditibus
Libellus," Berolini, MDCCCLXXVI.), transl. "since it is severe
enough to enter the arena of war, but all the worse when that
implies the abandonment of your trade and your domestic concerns."

(6) Or, "instead of finding themselves brigaded as nowadays with a