Four royal tutors

Use in the book

Socrates describes education as beginning before formal lessons. The Spartan ephors publicly guard royal wives to protect the dynasty’s descent; the Persian king’s wife is said to be guarded by fear. When the Persian heir is born, distinguished eunuchs are charged with his care and bodily formation. At seven the boys begin riding instruction and hunting; at twice seven the four tutors take over. Each superlative has a different educational task. The wisest teaches Magian lore, explained as service of the gods, and royal matters. The most just teaches lifelong truthfulness. The most temperate teaches freedom from domination by pleasure, making rule over oneself the first condition of genuine kingship. The most courageous makes the pupil fearless, since fear is characterized as enslavement.

This description gives concrete content to education rather than merely praising foreign nobility. It also prepares the later connection between virtue and freedom. Nevertheless, the account belongs to Socrates’ persuasive comparison and should not be certified as the actual constitution of Persian education. The four are said to be the selected best men; the passage does not assert that they are selected from some separately defined larger college of the best. The immediate antithesis with Zopyrus supplies its dramatic purpose.

Places to read

1. 121b–121c2Spartan ephors and Persian fear protect royal succession.
2. 121dEunuchs provide early attendance and physical formation.
3. 121eSeven and fourteen mark successive stages of the programme.
4. 122a–122b2Four tutors’ differentiated tasks lead into the Zopyrus contrast.

Translation in this edition

The translation preserves “twice seven” and identifies the four themselves as those judged best. “Ephors” and “eunuchs” refer to different peoples and functions; conflating them would erase the contrast. The ethical vocabulary is developed separately in its own entries.

ἀνδρεῖος

Attested: ἀνδρειότατος (andreiotatos; 122a). Courageous; the superlative identifies the tutor who makes the prince unafraid. Lexical identification: lemma: ἀνδρεῖος. See Four royal tutors.

δίκαιος

Attested: δικαιότατος (dikaiotatos; 121e). Just; the superlative identifies the tutor responsible for truthfulness. Lexical identification: lemma: δίκαιος. See Four royal tutors.

ἑπτέτης

Attested: ἑπτέτεις (hepteteis; 121e). Seven years old, the age for riding and hunting in the account of the royal boys. Lexical identification: lemma: ἑπτέτης. See Four royal tutors.

εὐνοῦχος

Attested: εὐνούχων (eunouchōn; 121d). Eunuch, the kind of attendant charged with the royal child’s early care and bodily formation. Lexical identification: lemma: εὐνοῦχος. See Four royal tutors.

ἔφορος

Attested: ἐφόρων (ephorōn; 121b). Ephor, the Spartan official said to guard royal wives for the integrity of succession. Lexical identification: lemma: ἔφορος. See Four royal tutors.

σοφός

Attested: σοφὸς (sophos; 118c); σοφώτατος (sophōtatos; 121e). At 118c: Knowledgeable in a subject, as the writing teacher is; the local claim is tested through the ability to make another knowledgeable. Wise; the superlative identifies the tutor responsible for religious lore and royal matters. Lexical identification: lemma: σοφός. See Wisdom; Four royal tutors.

σώφρων

Attested: ὁ σωφρονέστατος (ho sōphronestatos; 121e); σώφρων (sōphrōn; 131b); σωφρονέστατος (sōphronestatos; 121e). At 121e: The most temperate royal tutor, charged with teaching the prince not to be ruled by pleasure. At 131b: Possessing temperance: the adjective occurs in the qualified claim that a craftsman is not temperate simply by his craft. Temperate; the superlative identifies the tutor who teaches freedom from domination by pleasures. Lexical identification: lemma: σώφρων. See Temperance; Four royal tutors.

τέτταρες

Attested: τέτταρες (tettares; 121e). Four, specifying the selected royal tutors. Lexical identification: lemma: τέτταρες. See Four royal tutors.