Phaedrus — Plato

p. 368What tale ? The tale is that he who has tasted the entrails of a single human victim minced up with the entrails of other victims is destined to become a wolf. Did you never hear that ? O yes.

And the protector of the people is like him, having a mob entirely at his disposal, he is not restrained from shedding the blood of kinsmen ; by the favorite method of false accusation he brings them into court and murders them, making the life of man to disappear, and with unholy tongue and lips tasting the blood of kindred ; some he kills and others he banishes, at k66 ^^^ samt time proclaiming abolition of debts and partition of lands: and after this, what can be his destiny but either to perish at the hands of his enemies, or from being a man to become a wolf — that is a *' tyrant? ** That is inevitable.

This, I said, is he who begins to make a party against the rich. The same. And then he is driven out, and comes back, in spite of his enemies, a tyrant full made. That is clear. And if they are unable to drive him out, or get him condemned to death by public opinion, they form the design of putting him out of the way secretly. Yes, he said, that is the usual plan.

Then comes the famous . request of a body-guard, which is made by all those who have got thus far in their career, ** Let not the people's friend,*' as they say, " be lost to them.*' Exactly. This the people readily grant ; all their fears are for him — they have no fear for themselves. Very true.

And when a man who is wealthy and is also accused of being an enemy of the people sees this, then, my friend, as the oracle said to Croesus, — " By pebbly Hermas' shore he flees and rests not, and is not ashamed to be a coward.""* 31 Part of the reply made by the oracle of Apollo at Delphi to Croesus, king of Lydia, when he inquired of the god whether he should go to war with Cyrus, king of Persia.

p. 369And quite right too, said he, for, if he were ashamed, he would never be ashamed again. Yes, I said, and he who is caught is put to death. ^ Inevitably. And he, the protector of whom we spake, is not fallen in his might, but himself the overthrower of many, is to be seen standing up in the chariot of State with the reins in his hand, no longer protector, but tyrant absolute. No doubt, he said.

And now let us tell of the happiness of the man, and also of the State, in which this sort of creature is generated. Yes, he said, let us tell of that. At first, in the early days of his power, he smiles upon every one and salutes every one ; he to be called a tyrant, who is making promises in public and also in private ! liberating debtors, and distributing land to the people and to his followers, and wanting to be kind and good to every one.

That is the regular thing. But when he has got rid of foreign enemies, and is reconciled with some of them and has destroyed others, and there is nothing to fear from them, then he is always stirring up ^ some war or other, in order that the people may re- ' quire a leader. Yes, that may be expected of him.

Has he not also another object, which is that they may be impoverished by payment of taxes, and thus compelled to devote themselves to their daily wants, and therefore less likely to plot against him ? Clearly.

Yes, and if he suspects any of them of having notions of freedom, and of being disloyal to him, he has a good pretext for destroying them by giving them up to the enemy ; and for all these reasons the tyrant is always compelled to be getting up a war. That is inevitable. Now he begins to grow unpopular. That is the necessary result.

Then some of those who joined in setting him up, and who are in power — that is to say, the most courageous of them — speak their minds to him and to one another, and cast in his teeth the things which are being done. *3 Note the fate of Polemarchus, Republic, I., note i. ^4

p. 370Yes, that is to be expected. And the tyrant, if he means to rule, must get rid of them ; he cannot stop while he has a friend or an enemy who is good for anything. That is plain. And therefore he must use his eyes and see who is valiant, who is high-minded, who is wise, who wealthy ; happy man, he is the enemy of them all, and must seek occasion against them whether he will or no, until he has made a purgation of the State.

Yes, he said, and a rare purgation. Yes, I said, not the sort of purgation which the physicians make of the body ; for they take away the worse and leave the better part, but he does the opposite. I suppose that he cannot help himself, he replied. What a blessed alternative, I said, to be compelled to dwell only with the many bad, and hated by them, or not to live at all. Yes, that is the alternative.

And the more detestable he is in his actions the more bodyguards and the greater devotion in them will he require? Certainly. And who are the devoted band, and where will he procure them? They will flock to him, he said, of their own accord, if he pays them. By the dog ! I said, you are again introducing drones out of other lands and of every sort. Yes, he said, that I am. But will he not desire to get them on the spot ? How do you mean ?

He will emancipate the slaves and enroll them in his bodyguard ? To be sure, he said, and he will be able to trust them best of all. What a blessed fellow, I said, must this tyrant be ; when he has put to death the others he has only these for his trusted ^^ friends. Yes, he said, and they are his friends.

Yes, I said, and these are the new citizens whom he has called into existence, who admire him and live with him, while the good hate and avoid him.