Republic, with its property-system and community of wives for the guardians, and absence of written law. Also, whereas the Republic is a dialogue between Socrates and several young men, the Laws is a discussion among three old men contriving a device for reproductive law, with a view of hiding from virile youth their rhetorical strategy of piety, rituals and virtue. The city of the Laws is described as "second best" not because the city of the Republic is the best, but because it is the city of gods and their children. Traditionally, the Minos is thought to be the preface, and the Epinomis the epilogue, to the Laws, but these are generally considered by scholars to be spurious. Comparisons to other works on Greek law Plato was not the only Ancient Greek author writing about the law systems of his day, and making comparisons between the Athenian and the Spartan laws. Notably, the Constitution of the Spartans by Xenophon, the Constitution of the Athenians, wrongly attributed to Xenophon, and the Constitution of the Athenians, possibly by Aristotle or one of his students, have also survived. Some centuries later Plutarch would also devote attention to the topic of Ancient Greek law systems, e.g. in his Life of Lycurgus. Lycurgus was the legendary law-giver of the Lacedaemonians. Plutarch compares Lycurgus and his Spartan laws to the law system Numa Pompilius introduced in Rome around 700 BC. Both pseudo-Xenophon and Plutarch are stark admirers of the Spartan system, showing less reserve than Plato in expressing that admiration. Manuscripts Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 23 Published editions (Greek text only) (literal translation) Also available in audio. (nonliteral translation) Also available via Project Gutenberg (Greek text only, no English translation) (Greek and English text parallel) Volume 1, Volume 2 See also Gymnasium Gymnopaedia Highly composite number Mixed government References Further reading Domanski, Andrew. (2007). "Principles of Early Education in Plato's 'Laws'." Acta Classica 50: 65–80. Folch, Marcus. (2015). The City and the Stage: Performance, Genre, and Gender in Plato's Laws. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press. Hunter, Virginia. (2009). "Crime and Criminals in Plato's Laws." Mouseion 9.1: 1–19. Klosko, George. (2006). The Development of Plato’s Political Theory. 2d ed. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press. Levin, S. B. (2000). "Plato on Women’s Nature: Reflections on the Laws." Ancient Philosophy 20.1: 81–97. Menn, Stephen. 1995. Plato on God as Nous. Carbondale: Southern Illinois Univ. Press. Morrow, G. R. 1960. Plato’s Cretan City: A