The first governments were kingships, probably for this reason,
because of old, when cities were small, men of eminent virtue were
few. Further, they were made kings because they were benefactors,
and benefits can only be bestowed by good men. But when many persons
equal in merit arose, no longer enduring the pre-eminence of one, they
desired to have a commonwealth, and set up a constitution. The
ruling class soon deteriorated and enriched themselves out of the
public treasury; riches became the path to honor, and so oligarchies
naturally grew up. These passed into tyrannies and tyrannies into
democracies; for love of gain in the ruling classes was always tending
to diminish their number, and so to strengthen the masses, who in
the end set upon their masters and established democracies. Since
cities have increased in size, no other form of government appears
to be any longer even easy to establish.
Even supposing the principle to be maintained that kingly power is
the best thing for states, how about the family of the king? Are his
children to succeed him? If they are no better than anybody else, that
will be mischievous. But, says the lover of royalty, the king,
though he might, will not hand on his power to his children. That,
however, is hardly to be expected, and is too much to ask of human
nature.
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