64 ARISTOTLE'S POLITICS.
- Here the Spartan is spoken of as B mixed constitution ; in iv.
c. 9. So un-
critical writers of the last century extol the English constitution as
comprehending the elements of every other. It was thought by
other nations as well as by ourselves to be an ideal which Europe
should copy. But so far from being the fulfilment of a perfect design,
it was really the growth of accident ; the merit lay not in any wisdom
of our ancestors, but in the \villingness of the people to conform to cir-
cumstances which was so wanting among the Spartans.. , With the
criticisms of Aristotle on the Lacedaemonian constitution it is
interesting to compare the very similar criticism of Plato in the
Laws, iv. 712 D, E, ai prju ~uuvnBu ye, f &, riu iu hrdaipovr ~0x1-
rriau O~K bo oar +pricfrv o;ros, rjurrua rrpouayopcdrru a;+ 6ri wa'l ybp
rupauui6r Gorti por 7TpOUfOlKiU~l~ rb ylrp rSv i$dpou Bavpaurdv &E rvpav-
ULKAV iu a6ri ylyour. ai rrs iuior; poi +aivcrac aauSv ri)u sdxcov Gqpo-
rparoup;ug pdXior' iorm'vac. rd 6' a: pi $rhr dprurorparh aLrrju cfuar
nawdnoaru drorrov. ai piu 84 ,!?ncrrXria yc 6rh Binv i iuriu Cu atra ai
dpxaiordrq molv rai apAs advrov du6piaou ai ipbv atrfv Xeyoplq.
iy& 6i oh uSu c'[ai+urp hu iporq6'cis Zurws, Zarp rbou, OCK bo G~oprud-
ptvos rirrtiv ds rohw iuri rSu sohr.rrriu.
- Here the Spartan is spoken of as B mixed constitution ; in iv.
7, as a combination of aristocracy and democracy.*cp. cic. de Rep. ii. 23.
- iu 81 roin UI;JIOLE 6pqrar io;rors As 6;ou uLyrriu8ar riv dpiorqu aoh-
rciau ir 8qpoKparlas KQ~ rupavvlSos.
- iu 81 roin UI;JIOLE 6pqrar io;rors As 6;ou uLyrriu8ar riv dpiorqu aoh-
an imaginary tyrant who is to mould the state to virtue.This is not really said, though in Laws (iv. 710ff.)Plato sketchese. I 9. +lptrv Zpxowas. i
+lprrv=' to vote for,' used here as in Plato and Demosthenes ;
with the accusative of the person.
- aipOCUTal piU $p rdwrs hYbayKfS, dXX' iK To; 7Tpwrov rip{paros, ffra
lrdXiu loous i~ roi Grvripov, cfi i~ rSu rpirou. nXju 06 a~orv iadvayKfS
?ju rois C'K rGu rpirou 4 +tr(iprov, i~ %2 70; rerdprou r8v ~c~dprov pduo~s
irdvayucs rois npbrors rai roir Brvrlpo~s.
The general meaning is that the higher the qualification of the
elected, the lower may be the qualification of the electors, or, vice
ver&, the lower the qualification of the elected, the higher must be
the qualification of the electors ; they should balance one another.
- aipOCUTal piU $p rdwrs hYbayKfS, dXX' iK To; 7Tpwrov rip{paros, ffra
'