still men of worth and approved goodness. Whatever
state, then, like the Carthaginians, favours the rich,
the virtuous, and the citizens at large, is a sort
of aristocracy: when only the two latter are held
in esteem, as at Lacedaemon, and the state is jointly
composed of these, it is a virtuous democracy.
These are the two species of aristocracies after the
first, which is the best of all governments. There
is also a third, which is, whenever a free state inclines
to the dominion of a few.
CHAPTER VIII
It now remains for us to treat of that government
which is particularly called a free state, and also
of a tyranny; and the reason for my choosing to place
that free state here is, because this, as well as
those aristocracies already mentioned, although they
do not seem excesses, yet, to speak true, they have
all departed from what a perfect government is.
Nay, they are deviations both of them equally from
other forms, as I said at the beginning. It is
proper to mention a tyranny the last of all governments,
for it is of all others the least like one: but
as my intention is to treat of all governments in
general, for this reason that also, as I have said,
will be taken into consideration in its proper place.
I shall now inquire into a free state and show what
it is; and we shall the better understand its positive
nature as we have already described an oligarchy and
a democracy; for a free state is indeed nothing more
than a mixture of them, and it has been usual to call
those which incline most to a democracy, a free state;
those which incline most to an oligarchy, an aristocracy,
because those who are rich are generally men of family
and education; besides, they enjoy those things which
others are often guilty of crimes to procure:
for which reason they are regarded as men of worth
and honour and note.
Since, then, it is the genius of an aristocracy to
allot the larger part of the government to the best
citizens, they therefore say, that an oligarchy is
chiefly composed of those men who are worthy and honourable:
now it [1294a] seems impossible that where the government
is in the hands of the good, there the laws should
not be good, but bad; or, on the contrary, that where
the government is in the hands of the bad, there the
laws should be good; nor is a government well constituted
because the laws are, without at the same time care
is taken that they are observed; for to enforce obedience
to the laws which it makes is one proof of a good
constitution in the state-another is, to have laws
well calculated for those who are to abide by them;
for if they are improper they must be obeyed:
and this may be done two ways, either by their being
the best relative to the particular state, or the
best absolutely. An aristocracy seems most likely
to confer the honours of the state on the virtuous;
for virtue is the object of an aristocracy, riches
of an oligarchy, and liberty of a democracy; for what
Copyrights
Politics: A Treatise on Government from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.
