Timaeus — Plato

Then you must further imagine the same thing to happen to the son which has aheady happened to the father: — he is drawn into a perfectly lawless life, which by his seducers is termed perfect liberty ; and his father and friends take part with his moderate desires, and the opposite party assist the opposite ones.

As soon as these dire magicians and tyrant-makers find that they are losing their hold on him, they 573 contrive to implant in him a master passion, to be lord over his idle and spendthrift lusts — a sort of monstrous winged drone — that is the only image which will adequately describe him. Yes, he said, that is the only adequate image of him.

And when his other lusts, amid clouds of incense and perfumes and garlands and wines, and all the pleasures of a dissolute life, now let loose, come buzzing around him, nourishing to the utmost the sting of desire which they implant in his drone-like nature, then at last this lord of the soul, having Madness for the captain of his guard, breaks out into a frenzy ; and if he finds in himself any good opinions or appetites in process of formation 1, and there is in him any sense of shame remaining, to these better principles he puts an end, and casts them forth until he has purged away temperance and brought in madness to the full.

Yes, he said, that is the way in which the tyrannical man is generated. And is not this the reason why of old love has been called a tyrant? I should not wonder. Further, I said, has not a drunken man also the spirit of a tyrant? He has. And you know that a man who is deranged and not right in his mind, will fancy that he is able to rule, not only over men, but also over the gods? That he will.

And the tyrannical man in the true sense of the word comes into being when, either under the influence of nature, or habit, or both, he becomes drunken, lustful, passionate? O my friend, is not that so? ' Or, ' opinions or appetites such as are deemed to be good.'

The picture of the tyrannical man. 283 Assuredly. Republic IX. Such is the man and such is his origin. And next, how Socrates, does he Hve? Ade.mantus. Suppose, as people facetiously say, you were to tell me. I imagine; I said, at the next step in his progress, that there will be feasts and carousals and revellings and courtezans, and all that sort of thing; Love is the lord of the house within him, and orders all the concerns of his soul.

That is certain. Yes ; and every day and every night desires grow up many and formidable, and their demands are many. They are indeed, he said. His revenues, if he has any, are soon spent. True. Then comes debt and the cutting down of his property. Of course.

When he has nothing left, must not his desires, crowding His desires in the nest hke young ravens, be crying aloud for food; and ^reat^rand 574 he, goaded on by them, and especially by love himself, who his means is in a manner the captain of them, is in a frenzy, and would fain discover whom he can defraud or despoil of his property, in order that he may gratify them? Yes, that is sure to be the case.

He must have money, no matter how, if he is to escape horrid pains and pangs. He must. And as in himself there was a succession of pleasures, and He win rob the new got the better of the old and took away their rights, |jj^/her'"' ^"'^ so he being younger will claim to have more than his father and his mother, and if he has spent his own share of the property, he will take a slice of theirs. No doubt he will.

And if his parents will not give way, then he will try first of all to cheat and deceive them. Very true. And if he fails, then he will use force and plunder them. Yes, probably. And if the old man and woman fight for their own, what then, my friend? Will the creature feel any compunction at tyrannizing over them?

p. 284

The early days of the tyrant.

Republic IX. Socrates, Adeimantus. He will prefer the love of a girl or a youth to his aged parents, and may even be induced to strike them.

He turns highwayman, robs temples, loses all his early principles, and becomes in waking reality the evil dream which he had in sleep.

He gathers followers about him.