rich; or, on the
contrary; those who are very poor, or very weak, or very mean, with
difficulty obey it; for the one are capricious and greatly flagitious,
the other rascally and mean, the crimes of each arising from their
different excesses: nor will they go through the different offices
of the state; which is detrimental to it: besides, those who excel in
strength, in riches, or friends, or the like, neither know how nor are
willing to submit to command: and this begins at home when they are
boys; for there they are brought up too delicately to be accustomed to
obey their preceptors: as for the very poor, their general and excessive
want of what the rich enjoy reduces them to a state too mean: so that
the one know not how to command, but to be commanded as slaves, the
others know not how to submit to any command, nor to command themselves
but with despotic power.

A city composed of such men must therefore consist of slaves and
masters, not freemen; where one party must hate, and the other
despise, where there could be no possibility of friendship or political
community: for community supposes affection; for we do not even on the
road associate with our enemies. It is also the genius of a city to be
composed as much as possible of equals; which will be most so when the
inhabitants are in the middle state: from whence it follows, that that
city must be best framed which is composed of those whom we say are
naturally its proper members. It is men of this station also who will be
best assured of safety and protection; for they will neither covet what
belongs to others, as the poor do; nor will others covet what is theirs,
as the poor do what belongs to the rich; and thus, without plotting
against any one, or having any one plot against them, they will live
free from danger: for which reason Phocylides wisely wishes for the
middle state, as being most productive of happiness. It is plain, then,
that the most perfect political community must be amongst those who are
in the middle rank, and those states are best instituted wherein these
are a larger and more respectable part, if possible, than both the
other; or, if that cannot be, at least than either of them separate;
so that being thrown into the balance it may prevent either scale from
preponderating.

It is therefore the greatest happiness which the citizens can enjoy to
possess a moderate and convenient fortune; for when some possess too
much, and others nothing at