________________________________________________
_ 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 is approved of by the majority will prevail
in all or in each of these three different states; and that which
seems good to most of those who compose the community will prevail:
for what is called a state prevails in many communities, which aim at
a mixture of rich and poor, riches and liberty: as for the rich, they
are usually supposed to take the place of the worthy and honourable.
As there are three things which claim an equal rank in the state,
freedom, riches, and virtue (for as for the fourth, rank, it is an
attendant on two of the others, for virtue and riches are the origin
of family), it is evident, that the conjuncture of the rich and the
poor make up a free state; but that all three tend to an aristocracy
more than any other, except that which is truly so, which holds the
first rank.
We have already seen that there are governments different from a
monarchy, a democracy, and an oligarchy; and what they are, and
wherein they differ from each other; and also aristocracies and states
properly so called, which are derived from them; and it is evident
that these are not much unlike each other. _
Read next: BOOK IV: CHAPTER IX
Read previous: BOOK IV: CHAPTER VII
Table of content of Treatise on Government
GO TO TOP OF SCREEN
Post your review
Your review will be placed after the table of content of this book
