§17ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἡδίων ἐστὶ καὶ πραοτέρα καὶ δικαιοτέρα, διὰ πλειόνων μὲν ἄν τις ἀποδείξειεν, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τούτων συνιδεῖν ῥᾴδιόν ἐστι·
That it is, therefore, more pleasant, milder, and more just, one could demonstrate through more arguments, but nevertheless it is also easy to perceive through these things.
περὶ δὲ τῶν λοιπῶν, ὅσον αἱ μοναρχίαι πρὸς τὸ βουλεύεσθαι καὶ πρᾶξαί τι τῶν δεόντων διαφέρουσιν, οὕτως ἂν κάλλιστα θεωρήσαιμεν, εἰ τὰς μεγίστας τῶν πράξεων παρʼ ἀλλήλας τιθέντες ἐξετάζειν ἐπιχειρήσαιμεν αὐτάς.
As for the remaining points, how much monarchies differ in deliberating and doing any of the necessary things, we could best view it in this way, if we should attempt to examine the greatest of actions by placing them side by side.
οἱ μὲν τοίνυν κατʼ ἐνιαυτὸν εἰς τὰς ἀρχὰς εἰσιόντες πρότερον ἰδιῶται γίγνονται, πρὶν αἰσθέσθαι τι τῶν τῆς πόλεως καὶ λαβεῖν ἐμπειρίαν αὐτῶν· §18οἱ δʼ ἀεὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐπιστατοῦντες, ἢν καὶ τὴν φύσιν καταδεεστέραν ἔχωσιν, ἀλλʼ οὖν ταῖς γʼ ἐμπειρίαις πολὺ τῶν ἄλλων προέχουσιν.
Now, on the one hand, those who enter office annually become private citizens before they perceive anything of the city's affairs or gain experience in them; on the other hand, those who always superintend the same affairs, even if they have a rather deficient nature, yet at least in experience they far surpass the others.
ἔπειθʼ οἱ μὲν πολλῶν καταμελοῦσιν εἰς ἀλλήλους ἀποβλέποντες, οἱ δʼ οὐδενὸς ὀλιγωροῦσιν, εἰδότες ὅτι πάντα δεῖ διʼ αὑτῶν γίγνεσθαι.
Furthermore, the former neglect many things by looking to one another, while the latter neglect nothing, knowing that everything must be done through themselves.
πρὸς δὲ τούτοις οἱ μὲν ἐν ταῖς ὀλιγαρχίαις καὶ ταῖς δημοκρατίαις διὰ τὰς πρὸς σφᾶς αὐτοὺς φιλοτιμίας λυμαίνονται τοῖς κοινοῖς· οἱ δʼ ἐν ταῖς μοναρχίαις ὄντες, οὐκ ἔχοντες ὅτῳ φθονήσουσι, πάντων, ὡς οἷόν τʼ ἐστί, βέλτιστα πράττουσιν.
In addition to these, those in oligarchies and democracies damage the public interest because of their rivalries with one another; but those who are in monarchies, having no one to envy, do everything in the best possible way.
§19ἔπειθʼ οἱ μὲν ὑστερίζουσι τῶν πραγμάτων· τὸν μὲν γὰρ πλεῖστον χρόνον ἐπὶ τοῖς ἰδίοις διατρίβουσιν, ἐπειδὰν δʼ εἰς τὰ συνέδρια συνέλθωσιν, πλεονάκις ἄν τις αὐτοὺς εὕροι διαφερομένους ἢ κοινῇ βουλευομένους· οἱ δʼ οὔτε συνεδρίων οὔτε χρόνων αὐτοῖς ἀποδεδειγμένων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς ἡμέρας καὶ τὰς νύκτας ἐπὶ ταῖς πράξεσιν ὄντες οὐκ ἀπολείπονται τῶν καιρῶν, ἀλλʼ ἕκαστον ἐν τῷ δέοντι πράττουσιν.
Furthermore, the former lag behind in affairs; for they spend most of their time on private matters, and when they meet in assemblies, one would find them disagreeing more often than deliberating in common; the latter, on the other hand, having neither assemblies nor appointed times set for them, but being occupied with affairs both day and night, do not let opportunities slip by, but perform each thing at the proper time.
§20ἔτι δʼ οἱ μὲν δυσμενῶς ἔχουσι, καὶ βούλοιντʼ ἂν καὶ τοὺς πρὸ αὑτῶν ἄρχοντας καὶ τοὺς ἐφʼ αὑτοῖς ὡς κάκιστα διοικῆσαι τὴν πόλιν, ἵνʼ ὡς μεγίστην δόξαν αὐτοὶ λάβωσιν· οἱ δὲ διὰ παντὸς τοῦ βίου κύριοι τῶν πραγμάτων ὄντες εἰς ἅπαντα τὸν χρόνον καὶ τὰς εὐνοίας ἔχουσιν.
Moreover, the former are ill-disposed, and would wish both the rulers before them and those after them to govern the city as badly as possible, so that they themselves may win the greatest glory; but the latter, being masters of affairs through their whole life, also hold their goodwill for all time.
§21τὸ δὲ μέγιστον· τοῖς γὰρ κοινοῖς οἱ μὲν ὡς ἀλλοτρίοις, οἱ δʼ ὡς ἰδίοις προσέχουσι τὸν νοῦν, καὶ συμβούλοις χρῶνται περὶ αὐτῶν οἱ μὲν τῶν ἀστῶν τοῖς τολμηροτάτοις, οἱ δʼ ἐξ ἁπάντων ἐκλεξάμενοι τοῖς φρονιμωτάτοις, καὶ τιμῶσιν οἱ μὲν τοὺς ἐν τοῖς ὄχλοις εἰπεῖν δυναμένους, οἱ δὲ τοὺς χρῆσθαι τοῖς πράγμασιν ἐπισταμένους.
And the greatest point: for to public affairs the former pay attention as if they were another's, but the latter as if they were their own, and for advisers concerning them, the former use the boldest of the citizens, but the latter choose the most prudent from all, and the former honor those who are able to speak among the crowds, but the latter those who know how to manage affairs.
§22οὐ μόνον δʼ ἐν τοῖς ἐγκυκλίοις καὶ τοῖς κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἑκάστην γιγνομένοις αἱ μοναρχίαι διαφέρουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ πλεονεξίας ἁπάσας περιειλήφασιν.
And monarchies differ not only in everyday routine and daily happenings, but they have also encompassed all the advantages in war.
καὶ γὰρ παρασκευάσασθαι δυνάμεις καὶ χρήσασθαι ταύταις, ὥστε καὶ λαθεῖν καὶ φθῆναι, καὶ τοὺς μὲν πεῖσαι, τοὺς δὲ βιάσασθαι, παρὰ δὲ τῶν ἐκπρίασθαι, τοὺς δὲ ταῖς ἄλλαις θεραπείαις προσαγαγέσθαι, μᾶλλον αἱ τυραννίδες τῶν ἄλλων πολιτειῶν οἷαί τʼ εἰσίν.
For to prepare forces and to use them, so as both to escape notice and to anticipate, and to persuade some, to force others, to buy from some, and to win over others by other flatteries, sole rulers are more capable than other forms of government.
καὶ ταῦτʼ ἐκ τῶν ἔργων ἄν τις οὐχ ἧττον ἢ τῶν λόγων πιστεύσειεν.
And one might believe this from deeds no less than from words.
§23τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ τὴν τῶν Περσῶν δύναμιν ἅπαντες ἴσμεν τηλικαύτην τὸ μέγεθος γεγενημένην οὐ διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀνδρῶν φρόνησιν, ἀλλʼ ὅτι μᾶλλον τῶν ἄλλων τὴν βασιλείαν τιμῶσι· τοῦτο δὲ Διονύσιον τὸν τύραννον, ὅτι παραλαβὼν τὴν μὲν ἄλλην Σικελίαν ἀνάστατον γεγενημένην, τὴν δʼ αὑτοῦ πατρίδα πολιορκουμένην, οὐ μόνον αὐτὴν τῶν παρόντων κινδύνων ἀπήλλαξεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μεγίστην τῶν Ἑλληνίδων πόλεων ἐποίησεν· ἔτι δὲ Καρχηδονίους καὶ Λακεδαιμονίους, §24τοὺς ἄριστα τῶν ἄλλων πολιτευομένους, οἴκοι μὲν ὀλιγαρχουμένους, παρὰ δὲ τὸν πόλεμον βασιλευομένους.
For on the one hand, we all know that the power of the Persians became so great in size not because of the wisdom of the men, but because they honor kingship more than others; on the other hand, we know that Dionysius the tyrant, having taken over the rest of Sicily in a state of ruin and his own homeland under siege, not only delivered it from its present dangers, but also made it the greatest of Greek cities; and furthermore, we know the Carthaginians and Lacedaemonians, who are governed best of all others, being oligarchies at home, but ruled by kings in war.
ἔχοι δʼ ἄν τις ἐπιδεῖξαι καὶ τὴν πόλιν, τὴν μάλιστα τὰς τυραννίδας μισοῦσαν, ὅταν μὲν πολλοὺς ἐκπέμψῃ στρατηγούς, ἀτυχοῦσαν, ὅταν δὲ διʼ ἑνὸς ποιήσηται τοὺς κινδύνους, κατορθοῦσαν.
And one could also point out that even the city that most hates tyrannies, when it sends out many generals, meets with misfortune, but when it faces dangers through one man, succeeds.