Politics: A Treatise on Government eBook

were reserved for the rich:  and these afterwards turned to tyrannies and these in their turn gave rise to democracies; for the power of the tyrants continually decreasing, on account of their rapacious avarice, the people grew powerful enough to frame and establish democracies:  and as cities after that happened to increase, probably it was not easy for them to be under any other government than a democracy.  But if any person prefers a kingly government in a state, what is to be done with the king’s children?  Is the family also to reign?  But should they have such children as some persons usually have, it will be very detrimental.  It may be said, that then the king who has it in his power will never permit such children to succeed to his kingdom.  But it is not easy to trust to that; for it is very hard and requires greater virtue than is to be met with in human nature.  There is also a doubt concerning the power with which a king should be entrusted:  whether he should be allowed force sufficient to compel those who do not choose to be obedient to the laws, and how he is to support his government? for if he is to govern according to law and do nothing of his own will which is contrary thereunto, at the same time it will be necessary to protect that power with which he guards the law, This matter however may not be very difficult to determine; for he ought to have a proper power, and such a one is that which will be sufficient to make the king superior to any one person or even a large part of the community, but inferior to the whole, as the ancients always appointed guards for that person whom they created aesumnetes or tyrant; and some one advised the Syracusians, when Dionysius asked for guards, to allow him such.

CHAPTER XVI

[1287a] We will next consider the absolute monarch that we have just mentioned, who does everything according to his own will:  for a king governing under the direction of laws which he is obliged to follow does not of himself create any particular species of government, as we have already said:  for in every state whatsoever, either aristocracy or democracy, it is easy to appoint a general for life; and there are many who entrust the administration of affairs to one person only; such is the government at Dyrrachium, and nearly the same at Opus.  As for an absolute monarchy as it is called, that is to say, when the whole state is wholly subject to the will of one person, namely the king, it seems to many that it is unnatural that one man should have the entire rule over his fellow-citizens when the state consists of equals:  for nature requires that the same right and the same rank should necessarily take place amongst all those who are equal by nature:  for as it would be hurtful to the body for those who are of different constitutions to observe the same regimen, either of diet or clothing, so is it with respect to the honours of the state as hurtful, that those who are equal in merit should be