When a son or brother blasphemes at a sacrifice there is a sound of ill-omen heard in the family; and many a chorus stands by the altar uttering inauspicious words, and he is crowned victor who excites the hearers most with lamentations.

Such lamentations should be reserved for evil days, and should be uttered only by hired mourners; and let the singers not wear circlets or ornaments of gold.

To avoid every evil word, then, shall be our first type.

'Agreed.' Our second law or type shall be, that prayers ever accompany sacrifices; and our third, that, inasmuch as all prayers are requests, they shall be only for good; this the poets must be made to understand.

'Certainly.' Have we not already decided that no gold or silver Plutus shall be allowed in our city?
And did not this show that we were dissatisfied with the poets?
And may we not fear that, if they are allowed to utter injudicious prayers, they will bring the greatest misfortunes on the state?
And we must therefore make a law that the poet is not to contradict the laws or ideas of the state; nor is he to show his poems to any private persons until they have first received the imprimatur of the director of education.