Whatever good may happen to the
steersman when he is a sailor, or to the master of the exercises when
he himself makes one at the games, is not intentional, or the object
of their power; thus in all political governments which are
established to preserve and defend the equality of the citizens it is
held right to rule by turns. Formerly, as was natural, every one
expected that each of his fellow-citizens should in his turn serve the
public, and thus administer to his private good, as he himself when in
office had done for others; but now every one is desirous of being
continually in power, that he may enjoy the advantage which he makes
of public business and being in office; as if places were a
never-failing remedy for every complaint, and were on that account so
eagerly sought after.
It is evident, then, that all those governments which have a common
good in view are rightly established and strictly just, but those who
have in view only the good of the rulers are all founded on wrong
principles, and are widely different from what a government ought to
be, for they are tyranny over slaves, whereas a city is a community of
freemen.
CHAPTER VII
Having established these particulars, we come to consider next the
different number of governments which there are, and what they are;
and first, what are their excellencies: for when we have determined
this, their defects will be evident enough.
It is evident that every form of government or administration, for the
words are of the same import, must contain a supreme power over the
whole state, and this supreme power must necessarily be in the hands
of one person, or a few, or many; and when either of these apply their
power for the common good, such states are well governed; but when the
interest of the one, the few, or the many who enjoy this power is
alone consulted, then ill; for you must either affirm that those who
make up the community are not citizens, or else let these share in the
advantages of government.
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