Last of all I will
speak of tyranny, which I place last in the series because I am
inquiring into the constitutions of states, and this is the very
reverse of a constitution
Having explained why I have adopted this order, I will proceed to
consider constitutional government; of which the nature will be
clearer now that oligarchy and democracy have been defined. For polity
or constitutional government may be described generally as a fusion of
oligarchy and democracy; but the term is usually applied to those
forms of government which incline towards democracy, and the term
aristocracy to those which incline towards oligarchy, because birth
and education are commonly the accompaniments of wealth. Moreover, the
rich already possess the external advantages the want of which is a
temptation to crime, and hence they are called noblemen and gentlemen.
And inasmuch as aristocracy seeks to give predominance to the best
of the citizens, people say also of oligarchies that they are composed
of noblemen and gentlemen. Now it appears to be an impossible thing
that the state which is governed not by the best citizens but by the
worst should be well-governed, and equally impossible that the state
which is ill-governed should be governed by the best. But we must
remember that good laws, if they are not obeyed, do not constitute
good government.
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