of the management of others: for a free state,
a war-like people, formed by nature both to govern
and be governed by laws which admit the poorest citizen
to share the honours of the commonwealth according
to his worth. But whenever a whole family or
any one of another shall happen so far to excel in
virtue as to exceed all other persons in the community,
the n it is right that the kingly power should be
in them, or if it is an individual who does so, that
he should be king and lord of all; for this, as we
have just mentioned, is not only correspondent to
that principle of right which all founders of all
states, whether aristocracies, oligarchies, or democracies,
have a regard to (for in placing the supreme power
they all think it right to fix it to excellence, though
not the same); but it is also agreeable to what has
been already said; as it would not be right to kill,
or banish, or ostracise such a one for his superior
merit. Nor would it be proper to let him have
the supreme power only in turn; for it is contrary
to nature that what is highest should ever be lowest:
but this would be the case should such a one ever be
governed by others. So that there can nothing
else be done but to submit, and permit him continually
to enjoy the supreme power. And thus much with
respect to kingly power in different states, and whether
it is or is not advantageous to them, and to what,
and in what manner.
CHAPTER XVIII
Since then we have said that there are three sorts
of regular governments, and of these the best must
necessarily be that which is administered by the best
men (and this must be that which happens to have one
man, or one family, or a number of persons excelling
all the rest in virtue, who are able to govern and
be governed in such a manner as will make life most
agreeable, and we have already shown that the virtue
of a good man and of a citizen in the most perfect
government will be the same), it is evident, that in
the same manner, and for those very qualities which
would procure a man the character of good, any one
would say, that the government of a state was a well-established
aristocracy or kingdom; so that it will be found to
be education and [1288b] morals that are almost the
whole which go to make a good man, and the same qualities
will make a good citizen or good king.
These particulars being treated of, we will now proceed
to consider what sort of government is best, how it
naturally arises, and how it is established; for it
is necessary to make a proper inquiry concerning this.
BOOK IV
CHAPTER I
Copyrights
Politics: A Treatise on Government from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.
