144 ARISTOTLE'S POLITICS.
asserts that equals are entitled to an equal share in the government ~
there is justice in their ruling and justice in their being ruled : and
therefore in their all equally ruling by turns. ' And here law stelis
in ; for the order of their rule is determined by Ian.'
- 4, j. &h piv 0"ua ye pi 6oxci %wau&ai 6iop[(civ^6 vripas, 036' &6p~r0~ bV
6;vairo yvop[(civ. AX' iniT$es ,rai&bcras 6 V+OS i$iur?ui rh hoi,+
8lKatOTdT?) yVLp7) KpbflV Kd 81OlKf;V TOAS $JXOVTaS. ;Ti 6' &UVOp6o~,,8o,
6i6ouiv, 0" ri hv 6d& ncipwpivois +ivov &at rirv Krrpbwv.
dXX& piv K.T.X. 'But surely if there are cases which the laa
cannot determine, then neither can an individual judge of them.'
T& Xotrrd, \That remains over and above Ian..
The connexion of the whole passage is as follow: Instead of
one man ruiing with absolute potver, the law should rule, and
there should be ministers and interpreters of the law. To this it
is answered that the interpreter of the lam is no more able to
decide causes than the law itself. To this again the retort is
made, that the law trains up persons ~vho supply what is wanting
in the laiv itself, to the best of their judgment.
16, j.^6 piV OU'V TdV Vd,UOV KfhtiWV ~PXClV dOKfi KfhflktV ZPXflV TbV e€bV Kill
TbV U0;V pdVOUS, 6 6' n"V6pOTOv K€XflhV TPOUd6~Uk KO; 6llpiOV.
This is a reflection on the aoppuoAeis. The rule of Iaa ii
the rule of God and Reason : in the rule of the absolute king an
element of the beast is included.
The reading of TAU VO;V (instead of T&V v~~ou), which has the greater
RIS. authority, gives no satisfactory sense because it transposes the
natural order of ideas. It has been therefore rejected. Schneider
and Bekker, 2nd Edit., who are foliowed in the text, retain
vu'puv in the beginning of the clause and read rbv Bcbv ai T& voh
Y YO US, a very ingenious and probable emendation, partly deriveti
from a correction voiiv which is found in the margin of two or
three RISS. instead of Gedv.
- S, &TE 8jXov &i TA %&aiov hrobns rb pluov &~oSuru'^6 yhp v6pS 7"
p/vov.
'And so, because men cannot judge in their own case, but are
impelled this way and that, they have recourse to the mean, which
is the Ian.'
