And in this manner we speak of every
union or composition of elements as different when the form of their
composition alters; for example, a scale containing the same sounds is
said to be different, accordingly as the Dorian or the Phrygian mode
is employed. And if this is true it is evident that the sameness of
the state consists chiefly in the sameness of the constitution, and it
may be called or not called by the same name, whether the
inhabitants are the same or entirely different. It is quite another
question, whether a state ought or ought not to fulfill engagements
when the form of government changes.
IV
There is a point nearly allied to the preceding: Whether the
virtue of a good man and a good citizen is the same or not. But,
before entering on this discussion, we must certainly first obtain
some general notion of the virtue of the citizen. Like the sailor, the
citizen is a member of a community. Now, sailors have different
functions, for one of them is a rower, another a pilot, and a third
a look-out man, a fourth is described by some similar term; and
while the precise definition of each individual's virtue applies
exclusively to him, there is, at the same time, a common definition
applicable to them all. For they have all of them a common object,
which is safety in navigation.
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