For every one who is guilty of *****eration in the agora tells a falsehood,and deceives,and when he invokes the Gods,according to the customs and cautions of the wardens of the agora,he does but swear without any respect for God or man.Certainly,it is an excellent rule not lightly to defile the names of the Gods,after the fashion of men in general,who care little about piety and purity in their religious actions.But if a man will not conform to this rule,let the law be as follows:-He who sells anything in the agora shall not ask two prices for that which he sells,but he shall ask one price,and if he do not obtain this,he shall take away his goods;and on that day he shall not value them either at more or less;and there shall be no praising of any goods,or oath taken about them.
If a person disobeys this command,any citizen who is present,not being less than thirty years of age,may with impunity chastise and beat the swearer,but if instead of obeying the laws he takes no heed,he shall be liable to the charge of having betrayed them.If a man sells any *****erated goods and will not obey these regulations,he who knows and can prove the fact,and does prove it in the presence of the magistrates,if he be a slave or a metic,shall have the *****erated goods;but if he be a citizen,and do not pursue the charge,he shall be called a rogue,and deemed to have robbed the Gods of the agora;or if he proves the charge,he shall dedicate the goods to the Gods of the agora.He who is proved to have sold any *****erated goods,in addition to losing the goods themselves,shall be beaten with stripes-a stripe for a drachma,according to the price of the goods;and the herald shall proclaim in the agora the offence for which he is going to be beaten.The warden of the agora and the guardians of the law shall obtain information from experienced persons about the rogueries and *****erations of the sellers,and shall write up what the seller ought and ought not to do in each case;and let them inscribe their laws on a column in front of the court of the wardens of the agora,that they may be clear instructors of those who have business in the agora.Enough has been said in what has preceded about the wardens of the city,and if anything seems to be wanting,let them communicate with the guardians of the law,and write down the omission,and place on a column in the court of the wardens of the city the primary and secondary regulations which are laid down for them about their office.
After the practices of *****eration naturally follow the practices of retail trade.Concerning these,we will first of all give a word of counsel and reason,and the law shall come afterwards.Retail trade in a city is not by nature intended to do any harm,but quite the contrary;for is not he a benefactor who reduces the inequalities and incommensurabilities of goods to equality and common measure?
And this is what the power of money accomplishes,and the merchant may be said to be appointed for this purpose.The hireling and the tavern-keeper,and many other occupations,some of them more and others less seemly-alike have this object;-they seek to satisfy our needs and equalize our possessions.Let us then endeavour to see what has brought retail trade into ill-odour,and wherein,lies the dishonour and unseemliness of it,in order that if not entirely,we may yet partially,cure the evil by legislation.To effect this is no easy matter,and requires a great deal of virtue.
Cleinias.What do you mean?