Some say that the guardians should be friendly towards
those whom they know, fierce towards those whom they do not know. Now,
passion is the quality of the soul which begets friendship and enables
us to love; notably the spirit within us is more stirred against our
friends and acquaintances than against those who are unknown to us,
when we think that we are despised by them; for which reason
Archilochus, complaining of his friends, very naturally addresses
his soul in these words:
For surely thou art plagued on account of friends.
The power of command and the love of freedom are in all men based
upon this quality, for passion is commanding and invincible. Nor is it
right to say that the guardians should be fierce towards those whom
they do not know, for we ought not to be out of temper with any one;
and a lofty spirit is not fierce by nature, but only when excited
against evil-doers. And this, as I was saying before, is a feeling
which men show most strongly towards their friends if they think
they have received a wrong at their hands: as indeed is reasonable;
for, besides the actual injury, they seem to be deprived of a
benefit by those who owe them one. Hence the saying:
Cruel is the strife of brethren,
and again:
They who love in excess also hate in excess.
Thus we have nearly determined the number and character of the
citizens of our state, and also the size and nature of their
territory.
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