upon the power
of the king's being kept within moderate bounds; for by how much the
less extensive his power is, by so much the longer will his government
continue; for he will be less despotic and more upon an equality of
condition with those he governs; who, on that account, will envy him the
less.

It was on this account that the kingdom of the Molossi continued so
long; and the Lacedaemonians from their government's being from the
beginning divided into two parts, and also by the moderation introduced
into the other parts of it by Theopompus, and his establishment of the
ephori; for by taking something from the power he increased the duration
of the kingdom, so that in some measure he made it not less, but bigger;
as they say he replied to his wife, who asked him if he was not ashamed
to deliver down his kingdom to his children reduced from what he
received it from his ancestors? No, says he, I give it him more lasting.
Tyrannies are preserved two ways most opposite to each other, one of
which is when the power is delegated from one to the other, and in this
manner many tyrants govern in their states. Report says that Periander
founded many of these. There are also many of them to be met with
amongst the Persians. What has been already mentioned is as conducive
as anything can be to preserve a tyranny; namely, to keep down those who
are of an aspiring disposition, to take off those who will not submit,
to allow no public meals, no clubs, no education, nothing at all, but
to guard against everything that gives rise to high spirits or mutual
confidence; nor to suffer the learned meetings of those who are at
leisure to hold conversation with each other; and to endeavour by every
means possible to keep all the people strangers to each other; for
knowledge increases mutual confidence; and to oblige all strangers to
appear in public, and to live near the city-gate, that all their actions
may be sufficiently seen; for those who are kept like slaves seldom
entertain any noble thoughts: in short, to imitate everything which the
Persians and barbarians do, for they all contribute to support slavery;
and to endeavour to know what every one who is under their power does
and says; and for this purpose to employ spies: such were those women
whom the Syracusians called potagogides Hiero also used to send out
listeners wherever there was any meeting or conversation; for the people
dare not speak with freedom for fear of such person