g war and victory the end of
his government. But how contrary to reason this is, is easily proved by
argument, and has already been proved by facts (but as the generality of
men desire to have an extensive command, that they may have everything
desirable in the greater abundance; so Thibron and others who have
written on that state seem to approve of their legislator for having
procured them an extensive command by continually enuring them to
all sorts of dangers and hardships): for it is evident, since the
Lacedemonians have now no hope that the supreme power will be in their
own hand, that neither are they happy nor was their legislator wise.
This also is ridiculous, that while they preserved an obedience to their
laws, and no one opposed their being governed by them, they lost the
means of being honourable: but these people understand not rightly
what sort of government it is which ought to reflect honour on the
legislator; for a government of freemen is nobler than despotic power,
and more consonant to virtue. Moreover, neither should a city be thought
happy, nor should a legislator be commended, because he has so trained
the people as to conquer their neighbours; for in this there is a
great inconvenience: since it is evident that upon this principle every
citizen who can will endeavour to procure the supreme power in his own
city; which crime the Lacedaemonians accuse Pausanias of, though he
enjoyed such great honours.

Such reasoning and such laws are neither political, useful nor true: but
a legislator ought to instil those laws on the minds of men which are
most useful for them, both in their public and private capacities. The
rendering a people fit for war, that they may enslave their inferiors
ought not to be the care of the legislator; but that they may not
themselves be reduced to slavery by others. In [1334a] the next place,
he should take care that the object of his government is the safety
of those who are under it, and not a despotism over all: in the third
place, that those only are slaves who are fit to be only so. Reason
indeed concurs with experience in showing that all the attention which
the legislator pays to the business of war, and all other rules which
he lays down, should have for their object rest and peace; since most
of those states (which we usually see) are preserved by war; but, after
they have acquired a supreme power over those around them, are ruined;
for during peace, like a sword,