That in a
well-ordered state the citizens should have leisure and not have to
provide for their daily wants is generally acknowledged, but there
is a difficulty in seeing how this leisure is to be attained. The
Thessalian Penestae have often risen against their masters, and the
Helots in like manner against the Lacedaemonians, for whose
misfortunes they are always lying in wait. Nothing, however, of this
kind has as yet happened to the Cretans; the reason probably is that
the neighboring cities, even when at war with one another, never
form an alliance with rebellious serfs, rebellions not being for their
interest, since they themselves have a dependent population. Whereas
all the neighbors of the Lacedaemonians, whether Argives,
Messenians, or Arcadians, were their enemies. In Thessaly, again,
the original revolt of the slaves occurred because the Thessalians
were still at war with the neighboring Achaeans, Perrhaebians, and
Magnesians. Besides, if there were no other difficulty, the
treatment or management of slaves is a troublesome affair; for, if not
kept in hand, they are insolent, and think that they are as good as
their masters, and, if harshly treated, they hate and conspire against
them. Now it is clear that when these are the results the citizens
of a state have not found out the secret of managing their subject
population.
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