526 Cicero s Work on the Republic. MAY, 



regulated the administration that resulted from their union, that it was 

 no easy thing, even for the Romans themselves, to determine with as- 

 surance, whether the entire state was to be esteemed an aristocracy, a 

 democracy, or a monarchy." He reasons on the subject at large, and 

 arrives at the same conclusion as Cicero. But we will not, at present, 

 pursue the arguments of Tully any further, because he himself com- 

 pletely proves his propositions in the work now under our consideration, 

 and it would be doinghim injustice to use any other language than his own. 



The interlocutors in the dialogue assemble, as we have previously 

 stated, in the gardens of Scipio. After discussing several topics, which 

 our present design does not call upon us to mention, they at last 

 come to the subject of government. It may be necessary, however, to 

 premise that Cicero, by the word Republic, Respublica, does not mean to 

 convey the idea of a democracy, nor, in fact, of any particular kind of state 

 polity, but employs it to signify almost the same notion as is conveyed 

 by our English word commonwealth. Scipio, who is the principal actor 

 in the colloquy, urged by the solicitations of his friends, commences 

 his dissertation by defining the meaning of the word Republic or Com- 

 monwealth ; for he says that, in the examination of every thing, especial 

 care should be taken that suitable terms be used for the subject under 

 consideration : 



* " The commonwealth is the weal of the community. But the com- 

 munity is not every assemblage of men collected in any manner what- 

 soever, but only an assemblage associated together by an agreement for 

 the observation of laws and for the sake of common advantages. The 

 first cause of this assemblage is not weakness, so much as a certain 

 natural desire of association. For man is not an isolated, wandering, 

 solitary being, but is born with such a disposition, that when living 

 alone with a superfluity of luxuries he sighs for the society of his fellow- 

 mortals." 



Here we are interrupted by one of those deplorable mutilations of the 

 manuscript to which we have alluded, or we should doubtless have 

 found the origin of human society described with all the eloquence for 

 which the orator was so celebrated. Cicero then proceeds to state, in 

 the part which is now remaining, that the community must at all events 

 be under some government if its duration be desired. 



j- " The government must then be placed in the hands of a single 

 person, or of a select number of individuals ; or it must be given to the 

 multitude and the whole body of the people. When the supreme power 

 is vested in a single person we call him a king, and that form of go- 

 vernment a kingdom. When it is committed to a select number of in- 

 dividuals, the state is then said to be governed by the dictates of an 

 aristocracy ; but it is called a democracy when the sovereignty rests 

 in the people. But if men are still influenced by that bond which first 

 united them in society for the sake of the commonwealth, neither of these 

 three kinds (whichever it may be) can be said to be perfect no nor be 

 even excellent, but each is tolerable, and has some reason for a superiority 

 over the others. For a state appears to have some kind of established 

 government, whether the supreme power be vested in a wise and im- 

 partial king, or in an aristocracy of illustrious citizens, or in the people 

 itself/' 



* See Book I. eh. 25. t Book I. ch. 2G. 



