cclesia no longer the
agent of your wishes, but it and those who lead it will be now and then
tyrants and not your servants--if to make laws not according to the will
of the people is tyranny. And you can punish the ecclesiasts by
dismissing them after a time, of course; but you will only elect others
who will be tyrants again in the same way as their predecessors."

"But the Nomothetae, Socrates, will prevent them."

"Hardly," I replied. "For your leaders of the Ecclesia, who are
democrats and will not consult the people, and whom you praise, will ask
the Nomothetae for their opinion three times; and when thereby they are
quite satisfied that their proposal is displeasing to the Nomothetae it
will forthwith become law. So that the conclusion is this: that the
leaders of the Ecclesia will in most cases have authority to do what they
like without consulting anybody. And these leaders, Askoithios and his
friends, are few in relation to the mass of the citizens, are they not?"

"They are not many, certainly."

"That is something to be thankful for," I said. "They then, being few,
will rule for the time; and when the few rule, that is oligarchy. Is it
not? Unless perhaps you will say that when your enemies are in power in
the Ecclesia, it is oligarchy; but when your friends are in power, then
it is democracy?"

"Socrates, you are right, for once. That is precisely what I do say."

THE TUTOR'S EXPEDIENT

"Come in" said the Senior Tutor of St. Boniface: and two scholars came
in. (He knew they were scholars, because this was his hour for seeing
scholars.) One was a heavy-looking young man in a frock coat and tall
hat. The other was a spruce youth, who looked as if nature had intended
him for an attorney's clerk; as, indeed, nature had.

"Scholars, I presume, gentlemen?" inquired the Tutor. The young men
bowed. "In what subjects, may I ask? You, sir" (turning to the spruce
youth) "Mr.--I forget your name--eh? Oh, thanks--is it Classics?
History? Natural Science, perhaps?"

"Oh no, sir; I hold a 'Daily Thunderer' Scholarship."

"Exactly: I remember now. You read all through _Tit-Bits_ for a whole
year, and the 'D. T.' pays you--l,200 pounds, isn't it? The task is a
little dear at the price, it always seemed to me: but still,
_Tit-Bits_--"

"It isn't quite that, sir," put in the youth; "it was for the
'Encyclop--'"

("I _knew_ it was dear at the price," the Tutor murmured.)

'"--aedia Pan