ll governed we find not one where the rights of a citizen are
open to an indiscriminate multitude. And this is also evident from the
nature of the thing; for as law is a certain order, so good law is of
course a certain good order: but too large a multitude are incapable of
this, unless under the government of that DIVINE POWER which comprehends
the universe. Not but that, as quantity and variety are usually
essential to beauty, the perfection of a city consists in the largeness
of it as far as that largeness is consistent with that order already
mentioned: but still there is a determinate size to all cities, as well
as everything else, whether animals, plants, or machines, for each of
these, if they are neither too little nor too big, have their
proper powers; but when they have not their due growth, or are badly
constructed, as a ship a span long is not properly a ship, nor one of
two furlongs length, but when it is of a fit size; for either from its
smallness or from its largeness it may be quite useless: so is it with
a city; one that is too small has not [1326b] in itself the power of
self-defence, but this is essential to a city: one that is too large is
capable of self-defence in what is necessary; but then it is a nation
and not a city: for it will be very difficult to accommodate a form
of government to it: for who would choose to be the general of such
an unwieldy multitude, or who could be their herald but a stentor? The
first thing therefore necessary is, that a city should consist of such
numbers as will be sufficient to enable the inhabitants to live
happily in their political community: and it follows, that the more the
inhabitants exceed that necessary number the greater will the city be:
but this must not be, as we have already said, without bounds; but what
is its proper limit experience will easily show, and this experience is
to be collected from the actions both of the governors and the governed.
Now, as it belongs to the first to direct the inferior magistrates and
to act as judges, it follows that they can neither determine causes
with justice nor issue their orders with propriety without they know the
characters of their fellow-citizens: so that whenever this happens not
to be done in these two particulars, the state must of necessity be
badly managed; for in both of them it is not right to determine too
hastily and without proper knowledge, which must evidently be the case
where the number of the