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Thus much of the origin,-let us next consider the evils of

oligarchy. Would a man who wanted to be safe on a voyage take a

bad pilot because he was rich, or refuse a good one because he

was poor? And does not the analogy apply still more to the State?

And there are yet greater evils: two nations are struggling

together in one-the rich and the poor; and the rich dare not put

arms into the hands of the poor, and are unwilling to pay for

defenders out of their own money. And have we not already

condemned that State in which the same persons are warriors as

well as shopkeepers? The greatest evil of all is that a man may

sell his property and have no place in the State; while there is

one class which has enormous wealth, the other is entirely

destitute. But observe that these destitutes had not really any

more of the governing nature in them when they were rich than now

that they are poor; they were miserable spendthrifts always.