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What do you mean, Socrates? said Glaucon. The first two modes of

payment are intelligible enough, but what the penalty is I do not

understand, or how a penalty can be a payment.

You mean that you do not understand the nature of this payment

which to the best men is the great inducement to rule? Of course

you know that ambition and avarice are held to be, as indeed they

are, a disgrace?

Very true.

And for this reason, I said, money and honour have no attraction

for them; good men do not wish to be openly demanding payment for

governing and so to get the name of hirelings, nor by secretly

helping themselves out of the public revenues to get the name of

thieves. And not being ambitious they do not care about honour.

Wherefore necessity must be laid upon them, and they must be

induced to serve from the fear of punishment. And this, as I

imagine, is the reason why the forwardness to take office,

instead of waiting to be compelled, has been deemed

dishonourable. Now the worst part of the punishment is that he

who refuses to rule is liable to be ruled by one who is worse

than himself.