st those of the middling rank, or very seldom; and, amongst a few,
one man only of those who have yet been conquerors has been persuaded
to give the preference to this order of [1296b] men: it is indeed an
established custom with the inhabitants of most cities not to desire an
equality, but either to aspire to govern, or when they are conquered, to
submit.

Thus we have shown what the best state is, and why. It will not be
difficult to perceive of the many states which there are, for we have
seen that there are various forms both of democracies and oligarchies,
to which we should give the first place, to which the second, and in
the same manner the next also; and to observe what are the particular
excellences and defects of each, after we have first described the best
possible; for that must be the best which is nearest to this, that worst
which is most distant from the medium, without any one has a particular
plan of his own which he judges by. I mean by this, that it may happen,
that although one form of government may be better than another, yet
there is no reason to prevent another from being preferable thereunto in
particular circumstances and for particular purposes.

CHAPTER XII

After what has been said, it follows that we should now show what
particular form of government is most suitable for particular persons;
first laying this down as a general maxim, that that party which desires
to support the actual administration of the state ought always to be
superior to that which would alter it. Every city is made up of quality
and quantity: by quality I mean liberty, riches, education, and family,
and by quantity its relative populousness: now it may happen that
quality may exist in one of those parts of which the city is composed,
and quantity in another; thus the number of the ignoble may be greater
than the number of those of family, the number of the poor than that of
the rich; but not so that the quantity of the one shall overbalance the
quality of the other; those must be properly adjusted to each other; for
where the number of the poor exceeds the proportion we have mentioned,
there a democracy will rise up, and if the husbandry should have
more power than others, it will be a democracy of husbandmen; and the
democracy will be a particular species according to that class of
men which may happen to be most numerous: thus, should these be the
husbandmen, it will be of these, and the best; if of mechan