Whereas we maintain that they are in any case
defective, and that one oligarchy is not to be accounted better than
another, but only less bad.
Not to pursue this question further at present, let us begin by
determining (1) how many varieties of constitution there are (since of
democracy and oligarchy there are several): (2) what constitution is
the most generally acceptable, and what is eligible in the next degree
after the perfect state; and besides this what other there is which is
aristocratical and well-constituted, and at the same time adapted to
states in general; (3) of the other forms of government to whom each
is suited. For democracy may meet the needs of some better than
oligarchy, and conversely. In the next place (4) we have to consider
in what manner a man ought to proceed who desires to establish some
one among these various forms, whether of democracy or of oligarchy;
and lastly, (5) having briefly discussed these subjects to the best of
our power, we will endeavor to ascertain the modes of ruin and
preservation both of constitutions generally and of each separately,
and to what causes they are to be attributed.
III
The reason why there are many forms of government is that every
state contains many elements. In the first place we see that all
states are made up of families, and in the multitude of citizen
there must be some rich and some poor, and some in a middle condition;
the rich are heavy-armed, and the poor not.
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