the eye. It is, moreover, very-useful in
such a state to do as Clisthenes did at Athens, when he was desirous of
increasing the power of the people, and as those did who established the
democracy in Cyrene; that is, to institute many tribes and fraternities,
and to make the religious rites of private persons few, and those
common; and every means is to be contrived to associate and blend the
people together as much as possible; and that all former customs be
broken through. Moreover, whatsoever is practised in a tyranny
seems adapted to a democracy of this species; as, for instance, the
licentiousness of the slaves, the women, and the children; for this to
a certain degree is useful in such a state; and also to overlook every
one's living as they choose; for many will support such a government:
for it is more agreeable to many to live without any control than as
prudence would direct.

CHAPTER V

It is also the business of the legislator and all those who would
support a government of this sort not to make it too great a work, or
too perfect; but to aim only to render it stable: for, let a state be
constituted ever so badly, there is no difficulty in its continuing a
few days: they should therefore endeavour to procure its safety by
all those ways which we have described in assigning the causes of the
preservation and destruction of governments; avoiding what is hurtful,
and by framing such laws, written and unwritten, as contain those things
which chiefly tend to the preservation of the state; nor to suppose that
that is useful either for a democratic or [1320a] an oligarchic form of
government which contributes to make them more purely so, but what will
contribute to their duration: but our demagogues at present, to flatter
the people, occasion frequent confiscations in the courts; for which
reason those who have the welfare of the state really at heart should
act directly opposite to what they do, and enact a law to prevent
forfeitures from being divided amongst the people or paid into the
treasury, but to have them set apart for sacred uses: for those who
are of a bad disposition would not then be the less cautious, as their
punishment would be the same; and the community would not be so ready to
condemn those whom they sat in judgment on when they were to get nothing
by it: they should also take care that the causes which are brought
before the public should be as few as possible, and punish with the
utm