§8.10πολιτείας δʼ ἐστὶν εἴδη τρία, ἴσαι δὲ καὶ παρεκβάσεις, οἷον φθοραὶ τούτων.
There are three kinds of constitution, and an equal number of deviations, which are, as it were, corruptions of them.
εἰσὶ δʼ αἱ μὲν πολιτεῖαι βασιλεία τε καὶ ἀριστοκρατία, τρίτη δὲ ἀπὸ τιμημάτων, ἣν τιμοκρατικὴν λέγειν οἰκεῖον φαίνεται, πολιτείαν δʼ αὐτὴν εἰώθασιν οἱ πλεῖστοι καλεῖν.
The constitutions are kingship, aristocracy, and a third based on property assessments, which it seems appropriate to call timocracy, but which most people are accustomed to call simply "constitution".
τούτων δὲ βελτίστη μὲν ἡ βασιλεία, χειρίστη δʼ ἡ τιμοκρατία.
Of these, kingship is the best, and timocracy is the worst.
παρέκβασις δὲ βασιλείας μὲν τυραννίς· ἄμφω γὰρ μοναρχίαι, διαφέρουσι δὲ πλεῖστον·
The deviation from kingship is tyranny; for both are monarchies, but they differ most widely.
ὁ μὲν γὰρ τύραννος τὸ αὑτῷ συμφέρον σκοπεῖ, ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τὸ τῶν ἀρχομένων.
For the tyrant looks to his own advantage, but the king to that of his subjects.
οὐ γάρ ἐστι βασιλεὺς ὁ μὴ αὐτάρκης καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ὑπερέχων· ὁ δὲ τοιοῦτος οὐδενὸς προσδεῖται· τὰ ὠφέλιμα οὖν αὑτῷ μὲν οὐκ ἂν σκοποίη, τοῖς δʼ ἀρχομένοις·
For he is not a king who is not self-sufficient and superior in all goods; and such a ruler needs nothing more; therefore, he would not look to his own interests, but to those of his subjects.
ὁ γὰρ μὴ τοιοῦτος κληρωτὸς ἄν τις εἴη βασιλεύς.
For a king who is not of this sort would be a mere king by lot.
ἡ δὲ τυραννὶς ἐξ ἐναντίας ταύτῃ· τὸ γὰρ ἑαυτῷ ἀγαθὸν διώκει.
Tyranny is the exact opposite of this; for it pursues the good for itself.
καὶ φανερώτερον ἐπὶ ταύτης ὅτι χειρίστη· κάκιστον δὲ τὸ ἐναντίον τῷ βελτίστῳ.
And it is more obvious in the case of tyranny that it is the worst; and the opposite of the best is the worst.
μεταβαίνει δʼ ἐκ βασιλείας εἰς τυραννίδα· φαυλότης γάρ ἐστι μοναρχίας ἡ τυραννίς, ὁ δὲ μοχθηρὸς βασιλεὺς τύραννος γίνεται.
And transition takes place from kingship to tyranny; for tyranny is the bad form of monarchy, and the bad king becomes a tyrant.
ἐξ ἀριστοκρατίας δὲ εἰς ὀλιγαρχίαν κακίᾳ τῶν ἀρχόντων, οἳ νέμουσι τὰ τῆς πόλεως παρὰ τὴν ἀξίαν, καὶ πάντα ἢ τὰ πλεῖστα τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ τὰς ἀρχὰς ἀεὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς, περὶ πλείστου ποιούμενοι τὸ πλουτεῖν· ὀλίγοι δὴ ἄρχουσι καὶ μοχθηροὶ ἀντὶ τῶν ἐπιεικεστάτων.
From aristocracy to oligarchy transition occurs through the wickedness of the rulers, who distribute the goods of the city contrary to worth, keeping all or most of the goods for themselves, and offices always for the same persons, making wealth their chief concern; thus a few bad men rule instead of the most decent.
ἐκ δὲ τιμοκρατίας εἰς δημοκρατίαν· σύνοροι γάρ εἰσιν αὗται· πλήθους γὰρ βούλεται καὶ ἡ τιμοκρατία εἶναι, καὶ ἴσοι πάντες οἱ ἐν τῷ τιμήματι.
And from timocracy to democracy transition occurs; for these are close borders, since timocracy also aims at being a rule of the majority, and all who meet the property qualification are equal.
ἥκιστα δὲ μοχθηρόν ἐστιν ἡ δημοκρατία· ἐπὶ μικρὸν γὰρ παρεκβαίνει τὸ τῆς πολιτείας εἶδος.
Democracy is the least bad of the deviations; for it deviates only a little from the form of constitution.
μεταβάλλουσι μὲν οὖν μάλισθʼ οὕτως αἱ πολιτεῖαι· ἐλάχιστον γὰρ οὕτω καὶ ῥᾷστα μεταβαίνουσιν.
In this way, then, constitutions change most of all; for thus they change least and most easily.
ὁμοιώματα δʼ αὐτῶν καὶ οἷον παραδείγματα λάβοι τις ἂν καὶ ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις.
One might find likenesses and, as it were, models of them also in households.
ἡ μὲν γὰρ πατρὸς πρὸς υἱεῖς κοινωνία βασιλείας ἔχει σχῆμα· τῶν τέκνων γὰρ τῷ πατρὶ μέλει·
For the community of a father with his sons has the form of kingship; for the father cares for his children.
ἐντεῦθεν δὲ καὶ Ὅμηρος τὸν Δία πατέρα προσαγορεύει· πατρικὴ γὰρ ἀρχὴ βούλεται ἡ βασιλεία εἶναι.
This is why Homer addresses Zeus as "father"; for kingship aims at being a paternal rule.
ἐν Πέρσαις δʼ ἡ τοῦ πατρὸς τυραννική· χρῶνται γὰρ ὡς δούλοις τοῖς υἱέσιν.
But among the Persians, the rule of the father is tyrannical; for they use their sons as slaves.
τυραννικὴ δὲ καὶ ἡ δεσπότου πρὸς δούλους· τὸ γὰρ τοῦ δεσπότου συμφέρον ἐν αὐτῇ πράττεται.
The rule of a master over slaves is also tyrannical; for the master's advantage is what is secured in it.
αὕτη μὲν οὖν ὀρθὴ φαίνεται, ἡ Περσικὴ δʼ ἡμαρτημένη· τῶν διαφερόντων γὰρ αἱ ἀρχαὶ διάφοροι.
Now this rule indeed seems correct, but the Persian one is mistaken; for different kinds of rule are appropriate to different kinds of people.
ἀνδρὸς δὲ καὶ γυναικὸς ἀριστοκρατικὴ φαίνεται· κατʼ ἀξίαν γὰρ ὁ ἀνὴρ ἄρχει, καὶ περὶ ταῦτα ἃ δεῖ τὸν ἄνδρα· ὅσα δὲ γυναικὶ ἁρμόζει, ἐκείνῃ ἀποδίδωσιν.
The relation of husband and wife seems to be aristocratic; for the husband rules according to worth, and in those matters which a husband should, but whatever is suitable for a wife he assigns to her.
ἁπάντων δὲ κυριεύων ὁ ἀνὴρ εἰς ὀλιγαρχίαν μεθίστησιν· παρὰ τὴν ἀξίαν γὰρ αὐτὸ ποιεῖ, καὶ οὐχ ᾗ ἀμείνων.
But if the husband controls everything, he changes it into an oligarchy; for he does this contrary to worth, and not in so far as he is better.
ἐνίοτε δὲ ἄρχουσιν αἱ γυναῖκες ἐπίκληροι οὖσαι· οὐ δὴ γίνονται κατʼ ἀρετὴν αἱ ἀρχαί, ἀλλὰ διὰ πλοῦτον καὶ δύναμιν, καθάπερ ἐν ταῖς ὀλιγαρχίαις.
And sometimes wives rule when they are heiresses; then the rule is not based on virtue, but due to wealth and power, just as in oligarchies.
τιμοκρατικῇ δʼ ἔοικεν ἡ τῶν ἀδελφῶν· ἴσοι γάρ, πλὴν ἐφʼ ὅσον ταῖς ἡλικίαις διαλλάττουσιν· διόπερ ἂν πολὺ ταῖς ἡλικίαις διαφέρωσιν, οὐκέτι ἀδελφικὴ γίνεται ἡ φιλία.
The relation of brothers resembles timocracy; for they are equal, except in so far as they differ in age; wherefore, if they differ greatly in age, their friendship is no longer brotherly.
δημοκρατία δὲ μάλιστα μὲν ἐν ταῖς ἀδεσπότοις τῶν οἰκήσεων (ἐνταῦθα γὰρ πάντες ἐξ ἴσου), καὶ ἐν αἷς ἀσθενὴς ὁ ἄρχων καὶ ἑκάστῳ ἐξουσία.
Democracy is found especially in those households which have no master (for there all are on an equal footing), and in those where the ruler is weak and everyone has authority.