It now remains for us to speak of what is called a polity, and also of a tyranny. But we have thus arranged a polity, because though neither this, nor the aristocracies of which we have just spoken are degenerations, yet in reality all of them are deviations from the most upright polity. In the next place, they are enumerated with those forms of government, which are their degeneracies, as we said at the beginning. And it is reasonable that mention should be made of a tyranny in the last place, because this is in the least degree of all governments, a polity. But the business of the present treatise is concerning a polity; and therefore we have observed this arrangement. For the power of it will be more apparent, since what pertains to a democracy and an oligarchy has been discussed. For a polity in short, is a mixture of an oligarchy and a democracy. And it has been usual to call those states which incline to a democracy, polities; but those which rather incline to an oligarchy, aristocracies, because it is more usual for the more opulent to be men of family and education. Again, rich men appear to have those things, for the sake of which those who injure others act unjustly, whence, also, these are called worthy, good, and illustrious men. Since, therefore, it is the intention of an aristocracy to confer superiority on the best of the citizens, hence they say that oligarchies are rather composed of men of probity. It appears, however, to be among the number of things impossible, that the legislation of a city should not be good, which is governed not by bad, but by the best of men; or in a similar manner that the legislation being good, it should not be governed by the best of men. Good legislation, however, does not consist in the laws being well established, if they are not obeyed. Hence, this must be considered as one proof of good legislation, viz. that the established laws are obeyed; but another proof is, that the laws are well calculated for those who are to abide by them; for it is possible to obey those that are badly established. But this happens in a twofold respect. For they may either be the best for those who are subservient to them, or they may be simply the best. An aristocracy, however, appears to be especially that form of government which distributes honours according to virtue. For the boundary of an aristocracy, indeed, is virtue; but of an oligarchy, wealth; and of a popular government, liberty. That, however, which is approved of by the majority, is ratified in all these states. For in an oligarchy, in an aristocracy, and in a democracy, that which appears to be right to the greater part of those who partake of the polity, will have the supreme power. In most cities, therefore, there is what is called the form of a polity; for the mixture of the people alone regards the rich and the poor, wealth and liberty. For nearly in most governments, the rich appear to possess the place of the worthy and the good. Since, however, there are three things which contend for equality in a polity, viz. liberty, wealth and virtue; (for the fourth, which is called nobility, is consequent to two of these; since nobility is wealth and virtue derived from ancestors) it is evident that the mixture of these two, the rich and the poor, must be called a polity, but the mixture of the three, an aristocracy, more than any other form of government, except that which is truly so, and which ranks as the first. We have shown, therefore, that there are other species of a polity, besides a monarchy, a democracy, and an oligarchy; and it is also evident what kind of governments these are, and in what aristocracies differ from each other, and polities from an aristocracy, and that these are not remote from each other.
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