And whereas the power of a king is preserved by
his friends, the characteristic of a tyrant is to distrust his
friends, because he knows that all men want to overthrow him, and they
above all have the power.
Again, the evil practices of the last and worst form of democracy
are all found in tyrannies. Such are the power given to women in their
families in the hope that they will inform against their husbands, and
the license which is allowed to slaves in order that they may betray
their masters; for slaves and women do not conspire against tyrants;
and they are of course friendly to tyrannies and also to
democracies, since under them they have a good time. For the people
too would fain be a monarch, and therefore by them, as well as by
the tyrant, the flatterer is held in honor; in democracies he is the
demagogue; and the tyrant also has those who associate with him in a
humble spirit, which is a work of flattery.
Hence tyrants are always fond of bad men, because they love to be
flattered, but no man who has the spirit of a freeman in him will
lower himself by flattery; good men love others, or at any rate do not
flatter them. Moreover, the bad are useful for bad purposes; 'nail
knocks out nail,' as the proverb says. It is characteristic of a
tyrant to dislike every one who has dignity or independence; he
wants to be alone in his glory, but any one who claims a like
dignity or asserts his independence encroaches upon his prerogative,
and is hated by him as an enemy to his power.
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