Plato, Laws 685b

ἠρχόμεθα πορεύεσθαι. τί μήν; καὶ ποιητέον γε ὡς λέγεις. τίνʼ οὖν ἂν σκέψιν καλλίω ποιησαίμεθα περὶ νόμων ἢ τούτων οἳ ταύτας διακεκοσμήκασιν; ἢ πόλεων περὶ τίνων εὐδοκιμωτέρων τε καὶ μειζόνων κατοικίσεων σκοποίμεθʼ ἄν; οὐ ῥᾴδιον ἀντὶ τούτων ἑτέρας λέγειν. οὐκοῦν ὅτι μὲν διενοοῦντό γε οἱ τότε τὴν κατασκευὴν ταύτην οὐ Πελοποννήσῳ μόνον ἔσεσθαι βοηθὸν

painlessly, as we said when we first started out. Certainly, we must do as you say. Well, what laws would offer a better subject for investigation than the laws by which those States were regulated? Or what larger or more famous States are there about whose settling we might enquire? It would be hard to mention better instances than these. It is fairly evident that the men of that age intended this organization of theirs to serve as an adequate protection