others out of desire for what they possess, or as a favor to some one, or
because they ask money and do not receive it, oppress others under the
pretext that the latter are rebellious or are guilty of harboring some
design or uttering some statement against the supreme ruler. Therefore it
is not right to pay immediate or ready attention to them, but to enquire
into absolutely everything. If you are slow in believing anybody, you
will suffer no great harm, but if you are hasty, you may make a mistake
which can not easily be repaired.

"Now it is both right and necessary for you to honor the excellent both
among the freedmen and among the rest of your associates. This will
afford you great renown and security. They must, however not have any
extraordinary powers but all carefully moderate their conduct, that
so you may not be ill spoken of through them. For everything they do,
whether well or ill, will be accredited to you, and the estimate of
yourself to be made by all men will depend upon what you permit these
persons to do.

"Do not, then, allow the influential either to make unjust gains or to
concern themselves with blackmail: and let no one be complained of for
'having influence', even if he is otherwise irreproachable. Defend the
masses vigorously when they are wronged and do not attend too easily to
accusations against them. Examine every deed on its merits, not being
suspicious of every one who is prominent nor believing every one who is
lower in the social scale. Those who are active and are the authors of
any useful device you must honor, but the idle or such as busy themselves
with petty foolishness you must hate. Thus your subjects will be inclined
to the former conduct because of the benefits attached and will refrain
from the latter on account of the penalties, and will become better
as individuals and more serviceable for your employment in the public
service.

"It is an excellent achievement also to render private disputes as few as
possible and their settlement as rapid as may be. But it is best of all
to cut short the impetuosity of communities, and, if under guise of some
appeals to your sovereignty and safety and good fortune they undertake to
use force upon anybody or to undertake exploits or expenditures that are
beyond their power, not to permit it. You should abolish altogether their
enmities and rivalries among themselves and not authorize them to create
any empty titles or anything else which