SEDITIONS, therefore, are produced not about small affairs, but from them; but men are seditious about things of great consequence. Small dissentions, however, especially acquire strength, when they are between persons of the first distinction in the state, as happened to be the case with the Syracusians in ancient times. For their polity was changed in consequence of a quarrel between two young men, who were magistrates, from an amatory cause. For one of them being absent, the other, being his associate, seduced his mistress. But he on his return being indignant at this, persuaded the wife of his associate to come and live with him; whence all the citizens taking the part either of the one or the other, the whole city was in a state of sedition. Hence, it is necessary to guard against things of this kind at their commencement, and to dissolve the dissentions of leading and powerful men. For the error takes place in the beginning; but the beginning is said to be the half of the whole, so that a small error in this is analogous to the errors in the other parts. And, in short, the dissensions of men of note involve the whole city in their consequences; as happened to be the case in Hestiæa after the Median war, from the dissentions of two brothers about their paternal estate. For he who was the poorer, in consequence of the other having concealed the property and the treasure which his father had discovered, engaged the popular party on his side; but the other who was very wealthy, engaged the rich to take his part. And at Delphi, a quarrel about a wedding was the beginning of all the seditions that afterwards took place. For the bridegroom, being terrified by some unlucky omen, as soon as he came to the bride, departed without marrying her; which the relations and friends of the bride resenting, conveyed into his pocket, as he was sacrificing, some of the sacred utensils of the temple, and afterwards slew him as a sacrilegious person. At Mitylene also, a dispute arising about the inheritance of two virgins that were orphans, was the beginning of great evils, and of the war between the Mitylenians and the Athenians, in which Paches took their city. For Timophanes, a wealthy man, leaving two daughters, Doxander, who was circumvented in procuring them in marriage for his two sons, raised a sedition, and excited the Athenians to attack them, being the host of that city. Among the Phoceans likewise, there was a dissention, concerning a right of inheritance, between Mnasis, the father of Mnasis, and Euthucrates the father of Onomarchus, and this sedition was the beginning to the Phoceans of the sacred war. The polity too of Epidamnus was changed through a quarrel that arose from an intended marriage. For a certain person having contracted his daughter in marriage, the father of the young man to whom she was contracted, being archon, punished him by a fine, on which account he, resenting the affront, caused all those to rebel that had no share in the polity.
A government also may be changed into an oligarchy, a democracy, and a polity properly so called when either the magistrates, or some part of the city acquire a certain renown, or an increase of power. Thus the court of Areopagus at Athens having acquired renown during the Median war, appears to have rendered the polity more strong and vigorous. And again, the nautical mob having become the cause of victory at Salamis, and through this power at sea having gained the lead in the state, made the democracy stronger. In Argos, likewise, the nobles becoming renowned by the battle in Mantinia against the Lacedæmonians, endeavoured to dissolve the democracy. And at Syracuse, the common people becoming the cause of the victory in the war with the Athenians, changed the government from a polity into a democracy. In Chalcis also, the common people having destroyed the tyrant Phocis, together with the nobles, immediately seized the government. And again at Ambracia in a similar manner, the people having expelled the tyrant Periander with his party, took the government into their own hands. And, in short, it is necessary not to be ignorant of this, that those who have been the causes of power to a state, whether they are private persons, or magistrates, or certain tribes, or any part whatever of the citizens, will excite sedition. For either those who envy the honours these persons have acquired, will begin to be seditious, or they, through the transcendency they have obtained, will not be willing to remain in the same condition with their equals. Polities likewise suffer commotions, when those parts of the city which seem to be contrary to each other become equalized; as, for instance, the rich and the common people; but the middle part is either minute, or nothing at all. For if any one of the parts of a city very much surpasses the rest, so as to be evidently stronger, the remaining parts will not be willing to sustain the danger. Hence, those who excel in virtue, will not, as I may say, be the causes of sedition; for they will be few when compared to the many. Universally therefore, in all polities, the beginnings and causes of seditions and mutations, subsist after this manner. But polities are changed, at one time through violence, and at another through fraud. Through violence indeed, by employing compulsion either immediately from the beginning, or afterwards. For fraud is twofold; since at one time indeed, the people being at first deceived, willingly change the polity; but afterwards are unwillingly forced to retain the alteration. As when, for instance, the four hundred deceived the people, by telling them that the king of Persia would supply them with money for the war against the Lacedæmonians; and having thus deceived them, they endeavoured to obtain possession of the supreme power. But at another time, the people are deceived, when they are at first persuaded, and afterwards consent to be governed. In short, therefore, in all polities, it happens that mutations are effected by the above-mentioned means.
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