YOUNG SOCRATES: What do you mean?
YOUNG SOCRATES: On what principle of division?
STRANGER: I am speaking of the three forms of government, which I mentioned at the beginning STRANGER: On the same principle as before, al-of this discussion—monarchy, the rule of the few, though the name is now discovered to have a two-and the rule of the many.
fold meaning. For the distinction of ruling with law or without law, applies to this as well as to the rest.
YOUNG SOCRATES: True.
YOUNG SOCRATES: Yes.
STRANGER: If we divide each of these we shall have six, from which the true one may be distin-STRANGER: The division made no difference when guished as a seventh.
we were looking for the perfect State, as we showed before. But now that this has been separated off, YOUNG SOCRATES: How would you make the and, as we said, the others alone are left for us, the division?
principle of law and the absence of law will bisect them all.
STRANGER: Monarchy divides into royalty and tyranny; the rule of the few into aristocracy, which YOUNG SOCRATES: That would seem to follow, has an auspicious name, and oligarchy; and democ-from what has been said.
racy or the rule of the many, which before was one, must now be divided.
STRANGER: Then monarchy, when bound by good 125
Statesman
prescriptions or laws, is the best of all the six, and YOUNG SOCRATES: You are quite right, and we when lawless is the most bitter and oppressive to should choose that above all.
the subject.
STRANGER: The members of all these States, with YOUNG SOCRATES: True.
the exception of the one which has knowledge, may be set aside as being not Statesmen but partisans, STRANGER: The government of the few, which is
—upholders of the most monstrous idols, and them-intermediate between that of the one and many, is selves idols; and, being the greatest imitators and also intermediate in good and evil; but the govern-magicians, they are also the greatest of Sophists.
ment of the many is in every respect weak and unable to do either any great good or any great evil, YOUNG SOCRATES: The name of Sophist after when compared with the others, because the offices many windings in the argument appears to have are too minutely subdivided and too many hold been most justly fixed upon the politicians, as they them. And this therefore is the worst of all lawful are termed.
governments, and the best of all lawless ones. If they are all without the restraints of law, democ-STRANGER: And so our satyric drama has been racy is the form in which to live is best; if they are played out; and the troop of Centaurs and Satyrs, well ordered, then this is the last which you should however unwilling to leave the stage, have at last choose, as royalty, the first form, is the best, with been separated from the political science.
the exception of the seventh, for that excels them all, and is among States what God is among men.
YOUNG SOCRATES: So I perceive.