Neither is it a democracy
when the rich have the government because they exceed in number; as
was the case formerly at Colophon, where the bulk of the inhabitants
were possessed of large property before the Lydian War. But the form
of government is a democracy when the free, who are also poor and
the majority, govern, and an oligarchy when the rich and the noble
govern, they being at the same time few in number.
I have said that there are many forms of government, and have
explained to what causes the variety is due. Why there are more than
those already mentioned, and what they are, and whence they arise, I
will now proceed to consider, starting from the principle already
admitted, which is that every state consists, not of one, but of
many parts. If we were going to speak of the different species of
animals, we should first of all determine the organs which are
indispensable to every animal, as for example some organs of sense and
the instruments of receiving and digesting food, such as the mouth and
the stomach, besides organs of locomotion. Assuming now that there are
only so many kinds of organs, but that there may be differences in
them- I mean different kinds of mouths, and stomachs, and perceptive
and locomotive organs- the possible combinations of these
differences will necessarily furnish many variedes of animals.
Pages:
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162