We ought to consider as a proof of what I now advance,
that the best lawgivers themselves were those in
the middle rank of life, amongst whom was Solon, as
is evident from his poems, and Lycurgus, for he was
not a king, and Charondas, and indeed most others.
What has been said will show us why of so many free
states some have changed to democracies, others to
oligarchies: for whenever the number of those
in the middle state has been too small, those who were
the more numerous, whether the rich or the poor, always
overpowered them and assumed to themselves the administration
of public affairs; from hence arose either a democracy
or an oligarchy. Moreover, when in consequence
of their disputes and quarrels with each other, either
the rich get the better of the poor, or the poor of
the rich, neither of them will establish a free state;
but, as the record of their victory, one which inclines
to their own principles, and form either a democracy
or an oligarchy.
Those who made conquests in Greece, having all of
them an eye to the respective forms of government
in their own cities, established either democracies
or oligarchies, not considering what was serviceable
to the state, but what was similar to their own; for
which reason a government has never been established
where the supreme power has been placed amongst those
of the middling rank, or very seldom; and, amongst
a few, one man only of those who have yet been conquerors
has been persuaded to give the preference to this
order of [1296b] men: it is indeed an established
custom with the inhabitants of most cities not to
desire an equality, but either to aspire to govern,
or when they are conquered, to submit.
Thus we have shown what the best state is, and why.
It will not be difficult to perceive of the many states
which there are, for we have seen that there are various
forms both of democracies and oligarchies, to which
we should give the first place, to which the second,
and in the same manner the next also; and to observe
what are the particular excellences and defects of
each, after we have first described the best possible;
for that must be the best which is nearest to this,
that worst which is most distant from the medium, without
any one has a particular plan of his own which he
judges by. I mean by this, that it may happen,
that although one form of government may be better
than another, yet there is no reason to prevent another
from being preferable thereunto in particular circumstances
and for particular purposes.
CHAPTER XII
Copyrights
Politics: A Treatise on Government from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.
