Many of the Carthaginian institutions are excellent The superiority of
their constitution is proved by the fact that the common people remain
loyal to the constitution the Carthaginians have never had any
rebellion worth speaking of, and have never been under the rule of a
tyrant.
Among the points in which the Carthaginian constitution resembles
the Lacedaemonian are the following: The common tables of the clubs
answer to the Spartan phiditia, and their magistracy of the 104 to the
Ephors; but, whereas the Ephors are any chance persons, the
magistrates of the Carthaginians are elected according to merit-
this is an improvement. They have also their kings and their
gerusia, or council of elders, who correspond to the kings and
elders of Sparta. Their kings, unlike the Spartan, are not always of
the same family, nor that an ordinary one, but if there is some
distinguished family they are selected out of it and not appointed
by senority- this is far better. Such officers have great power, and
therefore, if they are persons of little worth, do a great deal of
harm, and they have already done harm at Lacedaemon.
Most of the defects or deviations from the perfect state, for
which the Carthaginian constitution would be censured, apply equally
to all the forms of government which we have mentioned. But of the
deflections from aristocracy and constitutional government, some
incline more to democracy and some to oligarchy.
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