purse,
little strength, and mean ancestry. But when we have taken away
self-love, there remains only love for the State.

G.M. Under such circumstances no one will be willing to labor, while
he expects others to work, on the fruit of whose labors he can live, as
Aristotle argues against Plato.

Capt. I do not know how to deal with that argument, but I declare to
you that they burn with so great a love for their fatherland, as I could
scarcely have believed possible; and indeed with much more than the
histories tell us belonged to the Romans, who fell willingly for their
country, inasmuch as they have to a greater extent surrendered their
private property. I think truly that the friars and monks and clergy
of our country, if they were not weakened by love for their kindred and
friends or by the ambition to rise to higher dignities, would be less
fond of property, and more imbued with a spirit of charity toward all,
as it was in the time of the apostles, and is now in a great many cases.

G.M. St. Augustine may say that, but I say that among this race of
men, friendship is worth nothing, since they have not the chance of
conferring mutual benefits on one another.

Capt. Nay, indeed. For it is worth the trouble to see that no one
can receive gifts from another. Whatever is necessary they have, they
receive it from the community, and the magistrate takes care that no
one receives more than he deserves. Yet nothing necessary is denied to
anyone. Friendship is recognized among them in war, in infirmity, in the
art contests, by which means they aid one another mutually by
teaching. Sometimes they improve themselves mutually with praises, with
conversation, with actions, and out of the things they need. All those
of the same age call one another brothers. They call all over twenty-two
years of age, fathers; those that are less than twenty-two are named
sons. Moreover, the magistrates govern well, so that no one in the
fraternity can do injury to another.

G.M. And how?

Capt. As many names of virtues as there are among us, so many
magistrates there are among them. There is a magistrate who is named
Magnanimity, another Fortitude, a third Chastity, a fourth Liberality,
a fifth Criminal and Civil Justice, a sixth Comfort, a seventh Truth, an
eighth Kindness, a tenth Gratitude, an eleventh Cheerfulness, a twelfth
Exercise, a thirteenth Sobriety, etc. They are elected to duties of that
kind, each one to that duty