legislators
have been
of a
middle
condition;
for
example,
Solon, as
his own
verses
testify;
and
Lycurgus,
for he was
not a
king; and
Charondas,
and almost
all
legislators.
These
considerations
will help
us to
understand
why most
governments
are either
democratical
or
oligarchical.
The reason
is that
the middle
class is
sel- dom
numerous
in them,
and
whichever
party,
whether
the rich
or the
common
people,
transgresses
the mean
and
predominates,
