Plato, Laws wrote:Ἀθηναῖος:
θεὸς ἤ τις ἀνθρώπων ὑμῖν, ὦ ξένοι, εἴληφε τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς τῶν νόμων διαθέσεως;[1]
Κλεινίας :
θεός, ὦ ξένε, θεός, ὥς γε τὸ δικαιότατον [2] εἰπεῖν: παρὰ μὲν ἡμῖν Ζεύς, παρὰ δὲ Λακεδαιμονίοις, ὅθεν [3] ὅδε [4] ἐστίν, οἶμαι [5] φάναι [6] τούτους Ἀπόλλωνα. ἦ γάρ; [7]
Μέγιλλος:
ναί.
Ἀθηναῖος:
μῶν [8] οὖν καθ᾽ [9] Ὅμηρον λέγεις ὡς τοῦ Μίνω φοιτῶντος [10] πρὸς τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς ἑκάστοτε [11] συνουσίαν [12] δι᾽ [13] ἐνάτου [14] ἔτους καὶ κατὰ τὰς παρ᾽ ἐκείνου φήμας [15] ταῖς πόλεσιν ὑμῖν θέντος τοὺς νόμους;
Κλεινίας:
λέγεται γὰρ οὕτω παρ᾽ ἡμῖν: καὶ δὴ καὶ [16] τὸν ἀδελφόν γε αὐτοῦ Ῥαδάμανθυν—ἀκούετε γὰρ τὸ ὄνομα—δικαιότατον [2]
[1] ἡ διάθεσις: placing in order, arranging, composing
[2] δικαιότατον: accusative superlative
[3] ὅθεν: therefore, where, from where
[4] ὅδε: If I understand this word correctly, it is declined like the article with enclitic -δε attached and ὅδε is approximately equivalent to οὗτος.
[5] οἴομαι: suppose, think, deem, imagine
[6] φάναι: to declare, make known, say
[7] ἧ γάρ: Is it not so?
[8] μῶν: question word expecting a negative answer ‘but surely not? is it so?’
[9] καθά (not κατά): according as, just as (think καθάπερ)
[10] φοιτάω: I go back and forth; visit
[11] ἑκάστοτε: =ἕκαστος
[12] ἡ συνουσία: visit, commune
[13] δι᾽: marking a standing trip once every nine years here?
[14] ἔνατος: ninth
[15] ἡ φήμη: oracle, report
[16] καὶ δὴ καὶ: and especially; and in particular; and what is more