Phaedrus — Plato

p. 365her purchaser ; nor must I forget to tell of the liberty and equality of the two sexes in relation to each other. Why not, he said, as ^Eschylus remarks, utter the word which rises to our lips ?

Yes, I replied ; that is what I am now doing ; and I must say that no one who does not know would believe, how much greater is the liberty which animals who are under the dominion of men have in a democracy than in any other State : for truly, the she-dogs, as the proverb says, are as good as their she-mistresses, and the horses and asses come to have a way of marching along with all the rights and dignities of freemen ; and they will run at anybody whom they meet in the street if he does not get out of their way : and all things are just ready to burst with liberty.

You tell me, he said, my own dream ; for that which you describe often happens to me when I am taking a country walk. And above all, I said, and as the result of all, see how sensitive the citizens become ; they chafe impatiently at the least touch of authority, and at length, as you know, they ce^se to care even for the laws, written or unwritten ; for they will have no one over them. Yes, he said, that I know quite well.

And this, my friend, I said, is the fair and glorious beginning out of which springs tyranny. Glorious indeed, he said. But what is the next step?

The ruin of oligarchy is the ruin of democracy ; the same disorder intensified by liberty dominates over democracy, the truth being that the excessive increase of anything often causes a reaction in the opposite direction ; and this is the , case not only in the seasons and in vegetable and ani- ^ ^ mal forms, but above all in forms of government. That is very likely.

For excess of liberty, whether in States or individuals, seems only to pass into excess of slavery. Yes, that is the natural order. Then tyranny naturally arises out of democracy, and the most aggravated form of tyranny and slavery out of the most 'extreme form of liberty. Yes, he said, there is reason in all that. That, however, was not, as I believe, your question, — ^you 2p. 366rather desired to know what is that disorder which is generated alike in oligarchy and democracy, and enslaves both ? True, he replied. Well, I said, I meant to refer to the class of idle spendthrifts, of whom the more courageous are the leaders and the more timid the followers, the same whom we were comparing to drones, some stingless, and others having stings. A very just comparison, he said.

These two classes are the plagues of every city in which they are generated, being what phlegm and bile are to the body. And the good physician and lawgiver of the State ought, like the wise bee-master, to keep them at a distance and prevent, if possible, their ever coming in ; and if they have anyhow found a way in, then he should have them and their cells cut out as speedily as possible. Yes, indeed, he said, that he should.

Then, in order that we may see more clearly what we are doing, let us imagine democracy to be divided into three classes, which also exist in fact ; for liberty creates drones quite as much in the democratic as in the oligarchical State. That is true. But in the democracy they are more intensified. How is that ?

The reason is, that in the oligarchical State, as they are disqualified and driven from power, they cannot train or gather strength ; whereas in a democracy they are almost the entire ruling power, and the keener sort speak and act, while the rest sit buzzing about the bema ^* and will not suffer a word to be said on the other side ; and hence there is hardly anything in these States which is not their doing. Very true, he said.

Then there is another class which is divided from the multitude. What is that ? The richest class, which in a nation of traders is generally the most orderly. That may be assumed. They are the most squeezable persons and yield the largest amount of honey to the drones. >* The platform from which a speaker addressed an assembly.