§6.1319aὥστε ἀναγκαῖον συμβαίνειν ὅπερ ἐστὶν ὠφελιμώτατον ἐν ταῖς πολιτείαις, ἄρχειν τοὺς ἐπιεικεῖς ἀναμαρτήτους ὄντας, μηδὲν ἐλαττουμένου τοῦ πλήθους.
Consequently, it results in what is most beneficial in constitutions, namely, that the respectable citizens rule without making mistakes, while the multitude suffers no disadvantage.
ὅτι μὲν οὖν αὕτη τῶν δημοκρατιῶν ἀρίστη, φανερόν, καὶ διὰ τίνʼ αἰτίαν, ὅτι διὰ τὸ ποιόν τινα εἶναι τὸν δῆμον·
It is clear, therefore, that this is the best of democracies, and for what reason, namely, because the common people are of a certain quality.
πρὸς δὲ τὸ κατασκευάζειν γεωργὸν τὸν δῆμον τῶν τε νόμων τινὲς τῶν παρὰ πολλοῖς κειμένων τὸ ἀρχαῖον χρήσιμοι πάντως, ἢ τὸ ὅλως μὴ ἐξεῖναι κεκτῆσθαι πλείω γῆν μέτρου τινὸς ἢ ἀπό τινος τόπου πρὸς τὸ ἄστυ καὶ τὴν πόλιν (ἦν δὲ τό γε ἀρχαῖον ἐν πολλαῖς πόλεσι νενομοθετημένον μηδὲ πωλεῖν ἐξεῖναι τοὺς πρώτους κλήρους· ἔστι δὲ καὶ ὃν λέγουσιν Ὀξύλου νόμον εἶναι τοιοῦτόν τι δυνάμενος, τὸ μὴ δανείζειν εἴς τι μέρος τῆς ὑπαρχούσης ἑκάστῳ γῆς), νῦν δὲ δεῖ διορθοῦν καὶ τῷ Ἀφυταίων νόμῳ, πρὸς γὰρ ὃ λέγομέν ἐστι χρήσιμος·
To make the people agricultural, some of the laws established in many states from ancient times are entirely useful, either not to allow anyone to possess more land than a certain measure, or to possess it from a certain distance from the town and city. (Indeed, in ancient times, it was legislated in many cities that it should not be allowed to sell the original allotments; and there is also what they call the law of Oxylus which has a similar effect, namely, not to lend money on any part of the land belonging to each person.) But now it is necessary to correct this also by the law of the Aphytaeans, for it is useful for the purpose of which we speak.
ἐκεῖνοι γάρ, καίπερ ὄντες πολλοὶ κεκτημένοι δὲ γῆν ὀλίγην, ὅμως πάντες γεωργοῦσιν· τιμῶνται γὰρ οὐχ ὅλας τὰς κτήσεις, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τηλικαῦτα μόρια διαιροῦντες ὥστʼ ἔχειν ὑπερβάλλειν ταῖς τιμήσεσι καὶ τοὺς πένητας.
For they, although being numerous and possessing little land, nevertheless all engage in agriculture; for they assess properties not as a whole, but by dividing them into such small portions that even the poor can exceed the required assessments.
μετὰ δὲ τὸ γεωργικὸν πλῆθος βέλτιστος δῆμός ἐστιν ὅπου νομεῖς εἰσι καὶ ζῶσιν ἀπὸ βοσκημάτων·
After the agricultural multitude, the best people are where there are herdsmen and they live from livestock.
πολλὰ γὰρ ἔχει τῇ γεωργίᾳ παραπλησίως, καὶ τὰ πρὸς τὰς πολεμικὰς πράξεις μάλισθʼ οὗτοι γεγυμνασμένοι τὰς ἕξεις καὶ χρήσιμοι τὰ σώματα καὶ δυνάμενοι θυραυλεῖν.
For they have many things similar to agriculture, and in respect of military operations, they are most of all trained in their habits, useful in body, and capable of living in the open air.
τὰ δʼ ἄλλα πλήθη πάντα σχεδόν, ἐξ ὧν αἱ λοιπαὶ δημοκρατίαι συνεστᾶσι, πολλῷ φαυλότερα τούτων·
Almost all the other multitudes, from which the remaining democracies are composed, are far inferior to these.
ὁ γὰρ βίος φαῦλος, καὶ οὐθὲν ἔργον μετʼ ἀρετῆς ὧν μεταχειρίζεται τὸ πλῆθος τό τε τῶν βαναύσων καὶ τὸ τῶν ἀγοραίων ἀνθρώπων καὶ τὸ θητικόν, ἔτι δὲ διὰ τὸ περὶ τὴν ἀγορὰν καὶ τὸ ἄστυ κυλίεσθαι πᾶν τὸ τοιοῦτον γένος ὡς εἰπεῖν ῥᾳδίως ἐκκλησιάζει·
For their life is mean, and there is no element of virtue in any of the occupations which the multitude of mechanics, market-people, and day-laborers engage in. Furthermore, because all this class of people loiters about the market-place and the town, they easily, so to speak, attend the assembly.
οἱ δὲ γεωργοῦντες διὰ τὸ διεσπάρθαι κατὰ τὴν χώραν οὔτʼ ἀπαντῶσιν οὔθʼ ὁμοίως δέονται τῆς συνόδου ταύτης.
On the other hand, those who engage in agriculture, because they are scattered through the countryside, neither meet together nor feel the same need for this kind of assembly.
ὅπου δὲ καὶ συμβαίνει τὴν χώραν τὴν θέσιν ἔχειν τοιαύτην ὥστε πολὺ τῆς πόλεως ἀπηρτῆσθαι, ῥᾴδιον καὶ δημοκρατίαν ποιεῖσθαι χρηστὴν καὶ πολιτείαν·
And where it happens that the territory has such a position as to be far removed from the city, it is easy to establish both a good democracy and a good constitution.
ἀναγκάζεται γὰρ τὸ πλῆθος ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγρῶν ποιεῖσθαι τὰς ἀποικίας, ὥστε δεῖ, κἂν ἀγοραῖος ὄχλος ᾖ, μὴ ποιεῖν ἐν ταῖς δημοκρατίαις ἐκκλησίας ἄνευ τοῦ κατὰ τὴν χώραν πλήθους.
For the multitude is forced to make their settlements in the fields; so that, even if there is a market-rabble, one ought not to hold assemblies in democracies without the multitude from the countryside.
πῶς μὲν οὖν δεῖ κατασκευάζειν τὴν βελτίστην καὶ πρώτην δημοκρατίαν, εἴρηται· φανερὸν δὲ καὶ πῶς τὰς ἄλλας.
How we ought to construct the best and first democracy has, then, been said; and it is also clear how we should construct the others.
ἑπομένως γὰρ δεῖ παρεκβαίνειν καὶ τὸ χεῖρον ἀεὶ πλῆθος χωρίζειν.
For we must deviate in order, and always separate the worse multitude.
§6.1319bτὴν δὲ τελευταίαν, διὰ τὸ πάντας κοινωνεῖν, οὔτε πάσης ἐστὶ πόλεως φέρειν, οὔτε ῥᾴδιον διαμένειν μὴ τοῖς νόμοις καὶ τοῖς ἔθεσιν εὖ συγκειμένην (ἃ δὲ φθείρειν συμβαίνει καὶ ταύτην καὶ τὰς ἄλλας πολιτείας, εἴρηται πρότερον τὰ πλεῖστα σχεδόν).
But the last kind, because all share in it, is neither easy for every city to bear, nor is it easy to endure unless it is well constructed with laws and customs (and as for what happens to destroy both this and the other constitutions, the greatest part has been said before).
πρὸς δὲ τὸ καθιστάναι ταύτην τὴν δημοκρατίαν καὶ τὸν δῆμον ποιεῖν ἰσχυρὸν εἰώθασιν οἱ προεστῶτες προσλαμβάνειν ὡς πλείστους καὶ ποιεῖν πολίτας μὴ μόνον τοὺς γνησίους ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς νόθους καὶ τοὺς ἐξ ὁποτερουοῦν πολίτου, λέγω δὲ οἷον πατρὸς ἢ μητρός· ἅπαν γὰρ οἰκεῖον τοῦτο τῷ τοιούτῳ δήμῳ μᾶλλον.
To establish this democracy and make the people strong, those who lead them are accustomed to take in as many as possible, and to make citizens not only those who are legitimate but also bastards and those born of either parent being a citizen, I mean for example of a father or a mother; for all this is more suited to such a people.
εἰώθασι μὲν οὖν οἱ δημαγωγοὶ κατασκευάζειν οὕτω, δεῖ μέντοι προσλαμβάνειν μέχρι ἂν ὑπερτείνῃ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν γνωρίμων καὶ τῶν μέσων, καὶ τούτου μὴ πέρα προβαίνειν·
The demagogues, then, are accustomed to construct it in this way; they ought, however, to take in only until the multitude exceeds the notable and the middle classes, and not to go beyond this point.
ὑπερβάλλοντες γὰρ ἀτακτοτέραν τε ποιοῦσι τὴν πολιτείαν, καὶ τοὺς γνωρίμους πρὸς τὸ χαλεπῶς ὑπομένειν τὴν δημοκρατίαν παροξύνουσι μᾶλλον, ὅπερ συνέβη τῆς στάσεως αἴτιον γενέσθαι περὶ Κυρήνην·
For by exceeding they make the constitution more disorderly, and provoke the notable to bear the democracy with difficulty, which happened to become the cause of the faction at Cyrene.
ὀλίγον μὲν γὰρ πονηρὸν παρορᾶται, πολὺ δὲ γινόμενον ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς μᾶλλόν ἐστιν.
For a little evil is overlooked, but when it becomes great, it is more in view.
ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα κατασκευάσματα χρήσιμα πρὸς τὴν δημοκρατίαν τὴν τοιαύτην, οἷς Κλεισθένης τε Ἀθήνησιν ἐχρήσατο βουλόμενος αὐξῆσαι τὴν δημοκρατίαν, καὶ περὶ Κυρήνην οἱ τὸν δῆμον καθιστάντες.
Furthermore, such measures as those which Cleisthenes used at Athens when he wished to increase the democracy, and those used by those who established the democracy at Cyrene, are also useful for such a democracy.
φυλαί τε γὰρ ἕτεραι ποιητέαι πλείους καὶ φατρίαι, καὶ τὰ τῶν ἰδίων ἱερῶν συνακτέον εἰς ὀλίγα καὶ κοινά, καὶ πάντα σοφιστέον ὅπως ἂν ὅτι μάλιστα ἀναμειχθῶσι πάντες ἀλλήλοις, αἱ δὲ συνήθειαι διαζευχθῶσιν αἱ πρότερον.
For other more numerous tribes and phratries must be created, and the private religious rites must be combined into a few common ones, and every device must be contrived so that all may be mixed together as much as possible, and the former associations broken up.
ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὰ τυραννικὰ κατασκευάσματα δημοτικὰ δοκεῖ πάντα, λέγω δʼ οἷον ἀναρχία τε δούλων (αὕτη δʼ ἂν εἴη μέχρι του συμφέρουσα) καὶ γυναικῶν καὶ παίδων, καὶ τὸ ζῆν ὅπως τις βούλεται παρορᾶν· πολὺ γὰρ ἔσται τὸ τῇ τοιαύτῃ πολιτείᾳ βοηθοῦν· ἥδιον γὰρ τοῖς πολλοῖς τὸ ζῆν ἀτάκτως ἢ τὸ σωφρόνως.
Furthermore, all tyrannical measures appear to be democratic, I mean for example the lack of authority over slaves (which might be advantageous up to a point) and women and children, and the overlooking of living as one pleases; for there will be many who support such a constitution; for to live disorderly is more pleasant to the majority than to live temperately.
ἔστι δὲ τοῦ νομοθέτου καὶ τῶν βουλομένων συνιστάναι τινὰ τοιαύτην πολιτείαν οὐ τὸ καταστῆσαι μέγιστον ἔργον οὐδὲ μόνον, ἀλλʼ ὅπως σῴζηται μᾶλλον· μίαν γὰρ ἢ δύο ἢ τρεῖς ἡμέρας οὐ χαλεπὸν μεῖναι πολιτευομένους ὁπωσοῦν.
But it is not the greatest or sole task of the legislator and of those wishing to establish such a constitution to set it up, but rather to ensure that it is preserved; for to remain under any kind of government for one or two or three days is not difficult.
διὸ δεῖ, περὶ ὧν τεθεώρηται πρότερον, τίνες σωτηρίαι καὶ φθοραὶ τῶν πολιτειῶν, ἐκ τούτων πειρᾶσθαι κατασκευάζειν τὴν ἀσφάλειαν, εὐλαβουμένους μὲν τὰ φθείροντα, τιθεμένους δὲ τοιούτους νόμους, καὶ τοὺς ἀγράφους καὶ τοὺς γεγραμμένους,
Therefore, from what has been observed before, namely what are the preservations and destructions of constitutions, one must try to construct security from these, guarding against what destroys them, and establishing such laws, both unwritten and written,