stances to support the dignity of their
office, or to be at leisure to apply to public business. As choosing men
of fortune to be magistrates make a state incline to an oligarchy,
and men of abilities to an aristocracy, so is there a third method of
proceeding which took place in the polity of Carthage; for they have
an eye to these two particulars when they elect their officers,
particularly those of the highest rank, their kings and their generals.
It must be admitted, that it was a great fault in their legislator not
to guard against the constitution's degenerating from an aristocracy;
for this is a most necessary thing to provide for at first, that those
citizens who have the best abilities should never be obliged to do
anything unworthy their character, but be always at leisure to serve the
public, not only when in office, but also when private persons; for if
once you are obliged to look among the wealthy, that you may have men at
leisure to serve you, your greatest offices, of king and general,
will soon become venal; in consequence of which, riches will be more
honourable than virtue and a love of money be the ruling principle in
the city-for what those who have the chief power regard as honourable
will necessarily be the object which the [1273b] citizens in general
will aim at; and where the first honours are not paid to virtue,
there the aristocratic form of government cannot flourish: for it
is reasonable to conclude, that those who bought their places should
generally make an advantage of what they laid out their money for; as
it is absurd to suppose, that if a man of probity who is poor should be
desirous of gaining something, a bad man should not endeavour to do the
same, especially to reimburse himself; for which reason the magistracy
should be formed of those who are most able to support an aristocracy.
It would have been better for the legislature to have passed over the
poverty of men of merit, and only to have taken care to have ensured
them sufficient leisure, when in office, to attend to public affairs.

It seems also improper, that one person should execute several offices,
which was approved of at Carthage; for one business is best done by one
person; and it is the duty of the legislator to look to this, and not
make the same person a musician and a shoemaker: so that where the state
is not small it is more politic and more popular to admit many persons
to have a share in the government; for, as I