- Source
- Aristotle. Aristotelis Politica. Ross, William David, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1957 (printing).
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0086.tlg035.humanitext-grc2:4.1295b
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-29
The author presents the three classes in a city (the rich, the poor, and the middle class) and argues that a city dominated by the middle class is most capable of following reason, avoiding extreme inequalities, and achieving stable and excellent governance.
ἐν ἁπάσαις δὴ ταῖς πόλεσιν ἔστι τρία μέρη τῆς πόλεως, οἱ μὲν εὔποροι σφόδρα, οἱ δὲ ἄποροι σφόδρα, οἱ δὲ τρίτοι οἱ μέσοι τούτων. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ὁμολογεῖται τὸ μέτριον ἄριστον καὶ τὸ μέσον, φανερὸν ὅτι καὶ τῶν εὐτυχημάτων ἡ κτῆσις ἡ μέση βελτίστη πάντων. ῥᾴστη γὰρ τῷ λόγῳ πειθαρχεῖν,1 ὑπέρκαλον δὲ ἢ ὑπερίσχυρον ἢ ὑπερευγενῆ ἢ ὑπερπλούσιον ὄντα, ἢ τἀναντία τούτοις, ὑπέρπτωχον ἢ ὑπερασθενῆ ἢ σφόδρα ἄτιμον, χαλεπὸν τῷ λόγῳ ἀκολουθεῖν·2 γίγνονται γὰρ οἱ μὲν ὑβρισταὶ καὶ μεγαλοπόνηροι μᾶλλον, οἱ δὲ κακοῦργοι καὶ μικροπόνηροι λίαν, τῶν δʼ ἀδικημάτων τὰ μὲν γίγνεται διʼ ὕβριν τὰ δὲ διὰ κακουργίαν. ἔτι δὲ ἥκισθʼ οὗτοι φυγαρχοῦσι καὶ σπουδαρχοῦσιν, ταῦτα δʼ ἀμφότερα βλαβερὰ ταῖς πόλεσιν. πρὸς δὲ τούτοις οἱ μὲν ἐν ὑπεροχαῖς εὐτυχημάτων ὄντες, ἰσχύος καὶ πλούτου καὶ φίλων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν τοιούτων, ἄρχεσθαι οὔτε βούλονται οὔτε ἐπίστανται (καὶ τοῦτʼ εὐθὺς οἴκοθεν ὑπάρχει παισὶν οὖσιν· διὰ γὰρ τὴν τρυφὴν οὐδʼ ἐν τοῖς διδασκαλείοις ἄρχεσθαι σύνηθες αὐτοῖς), οἱ δὲ καθʼ ὑπερβολὴν ἐν ἐνδείᾳ τούτων ταπεινοὶ λίαν. ὥσθʼ οἱ μὲν ἄρχειν οὐκ ἐπίστανται, ἀλλʼ ἄρχεσθαι δουλικὴν ἀρχήν, οἱ δʼ ἄρχεσθαι μὲν οὐδεμίαν ἀρχήν, ἄρχειν δὲ δεσποτικὴν ἀρχήν. γίνεται οὖν δούλων καὶ δεσποτῶν πόλις, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐλευθέρων, καὶ τῶν μὲν φθονούντων τῶν δὲ καταφρονούντων· ἃ πλεῖστον ἀπέχει φιλίας καὶ κοινωνίας πολιτικῆς· ἡ γὰρ κοινωνία φιλικόν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁδοῦ βούλονται κοινωνεῖν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς. βούλεται δέ γε ἡ πόλις ἐξ ἴσων εἶναι καὶ ὁμοίων ὅτι μάλιστα, τοῦτο δʼ ὑπάρχει μάλιστα τοῖς μέσοις. ὥστʼ ἀναγκαῖον ἄριστα πολιτεύεσθαι ταύτην τὴν πόλιν ἐστὶν ἐξ ὧν φαμὲν φύσει τὴν σύστασιν εἶναι τῆς πόλεως.3 καὶ σῴζονται δʼ ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν οὗτοι μάλιστα τῶν πολιτῶν. οὔτε γὰρ αὐτοὶ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων, ὥσπερ οἱ πένητες, ἐπιθυμοῦσιν, οὔτε τῆς τούτων ἕτεροι, καθάπερ τῆς τῶν πλουσίων οἱ πένητες ἐπιθυμοῦσιν· καὶ διὰ τὸ μήτʼ ἐπιβουλεύεσθαι μήτʼ ἐπιβουλεύειν ἀκινδύνως διάγουσιν. διὰ τοῦτο καλῶς ηὔξατο Φωκυλίδης "πολλὰ μέσοισιν ἄριστα· μέσος θέλω ἐν πόλει εἶναι." δῆλον ἄρα ὅτι καὶ ἡ κοινωνία ἡ πολιτικὴ ἀρίστη ἡ διὰ τῶν μέσων, καὶ τὰς τοιαύτας ἐνδέχεται εὖ πολιτεύεσθαι πόλεις ἐν αἷς δὴ πολὺ τὸ μέσον καὶ κρεῖττον, μάλιστα μὲν ἀμφοῖν, εἰ δὲ μή, θατέρου μέρους· προστιθέμενον γὰρ ποιεῖ ῥοπὴν4 καὶ κωλύει γίνεσθαι τὰς ἐναντίας ὑπερβολάς. διόπερ εὐτυχία μεγίστη τοὺς πολιτευομένους οὐσίαν ἔχειν μέσην καὶ ἱκανήν,
Indeed, in all cities there are three parts of the city: those who are extremely well-off, those who are extremely needy, and thirdly, those who are in the middle of these. Since, therefore, it is agreed that what is moderate and in the middle is best, it is clear that also the possession of fortunate assets in a middle amount is best of all. For this possession is easiest to obey reason. But for one who is exceedingly beautiful or exceedingly strong or exceedingly well-born or exceedingly rich, or the opposites of these, exceedingly poor or exceedingly weak or highly dishonored, it is difficult to follow reason. For the former become insolent and rather big-scale rogues , while the latter become wrongdoers and overly petty rogues, and of injustices some come about through insolence, others through wrongdoing. Moreover, these are least of all avoiders of office and seekers of office, both of which are harmful to cities. In addition to these, those who are in excesses of fortunate assets—strength, wealth, friends, and other such things—neither wish to be ruled nor know how to be ruled (and this is present in them right from home when they are children; for because of luxury they are not accustomed to being ruled even in schools); while those who are in extreme deficiency of these are too degraded. So that the latter do not know how to rule, but only how to be ruled with a slavish rule, while the former do not know how to submit to any rule, but only how to rule with a masterly rule. There comes about, then, a city of slaves and masters, but not of free men, with the ones envying and the others despising; things which are farthest removed from friendship and political community. For community is friendly; for people do not even wish to share a journey with enemies. But the city wishes to consist as much as possible of equals and peers, and this is present most of all in those who are in the middle. So that it is necessary for that city to be best governed which consists of those elements from which we say the constitution of the city is naturally formed. And these citizens are preserved most of all in the cities. For neither do they themselves covet other people’s property, as the poor do, nor do others covet theirs, as the poor covet that of the rich; and because they are neither plotted against nor plot against others, they pass their lives without danger. Therefore Phocylides prayed well: “Many things are best for the middle; I wish to be in the middle in the city.” It is clear then that the political community which is through the middle class is also best, and those cities are capable of being well governed in which the middle element is numerous and stronger, preferably than both of the other parts, but if not, than either one of them; for when it is added, it turns the scale and prevents the opposite excesses from coming about. Therefore, it is the greatest good fortune for those who live under a constitution to possess a middle and sufficient property...
- 1295bῥᾴστη γὰρ τῷ λόγῳ πειθαρχεῖν
The feminine singular nominative adjective ῥᾴστη agrees with and refers back to the subject of the previous sentence, ἡ κτῆσις ἡ μέση (the possession of moderate assets). The infinitive πειθαρχεῖν ('to obey/follow reason') indicates that moderate possession makes it easiest to obey reason.
- 1295bὑπέρκαλον δὲ ἢ ὑπερίσχυρον ἢ ὑπερευγενῆ ἢ ὑπερπλούσιον ὄντα ... χαλεπὸν τῷ λόγῳ ἀκολουθεῖν
The accusative participle ὄντα (referring to a general person, or functioning as the subject of the infinitive ἀκολουθεῖν) forms an accusative phrase that functions as the logical subject of the impersonal adjective χαλεπόν. The structure means 'it is difficult for one who is exceedingly beautiful, etc., to follow reason.'
- 1295bἐξ ὧν φαμὲν φύσει τὴν σύστασιν εἶναι τῆς πόλεως
The relative pronoun ὧν (genitive plural) is governed by the preposition ἐξ, and its antecedent is the middle class (τῶν μέσων) implied by the context. The verb φαμὲν ('we say') is inserted, governing an accusative-with-infinitive construction (τὴν σύστασιν τῆς πόλεως εἶναι).
- 1295bπροστιθέμενον γὰρ ποιεῖ ῥοπὴν
The neuter singular nominative present participle προστιθέμενον modifies the subject (the middle element, τὸ μέσον). It functions as a participle of means or condition, meaning 'by being added' (to either the rich or the poor), it turns the scale (ποιεῖ ῥοπὴν).