Plato, Laws 858c

νόμων λέγειν ὡς τιθέμενα, τὰ δʼ ὡς παρατιθέμενα. γένοιτο γοῦν ἄν, ὦ Κλεινία, κατὰ φύσιν μᾶλλον ἡμῖν ἡ σύνοψις τῶν νόμων. ἴδωμεν γὰρ οὖν, ὦ πρὸς θεῶν, τὸ τοιόνδε περὶ νομοθετῶν. τὸ ποῖον δή; γράμματα μέν που καὶ ἐν γράμμασιν λόγοι καὶ ἄλλων εἰσὶ πολλῶν ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν γεγραμμένοι, γράμματα δὲ καὶ τὰ τοῦ νομοθέτου καὶ λόγοι. πῶς γὰρ οὔ; πότερον οὖν τοῖς μὲν τῶν ἄλλων συγγράμμασιν,

already erected and in part collected. In this way, Clinias, our survey of laws will at any rate follow nature’s course more closely. Now let us consider, I adjure you, the following point about legislators. What point? We have in our States not only the writings and written speeches of many other people, but also the writings and speeches of the lawgiver. Certainly. Are we, then, to pay attention to the compositions of the others—