one of which often grows without its being noticed, as for example the number of the poor in democracies and constitutional states. And sometimes this is also brought about by accidental occurrences, as for instance at Tarentum when a great many notables were defeated and killed by the Iapygians a short time after the Persian wars a constitutional government was changed to a democracy, and at Argos when those in the seventh tribe Footnote 1The word to be understood here may be φυλῇ, or possibly ἡμέρᾳ: the seventh day of the month was sacred to Apollo, especially at Sparta, and one account assigns Cleomenes’ victory to that day, in which case the casualties may well have been known afterwards as those who fell on the seventh.
had been destroyed by the Spartan Cleomenes the citizens were compelled to admit some of the surrounding people, and at Athens when they suffered disasters by land the notables became fewer because at the time of the war against Sparta the army was drawn from a muster-roll. Footnote 2i.e. was made up of citizens and not of mercenaries. And this happens also in democracies, though to a smaller extent; for when the wealthy become more numerous or their properties increase, the governments change to oligarchies and dynasties. Footnote 3See 1292b 10 n. And revolutions in constitutions take place even without factious strife, owing to election intrigue, as at Heraea Footnote 4On the Alpheus, in Arcadia. (for they made their magistrates elected by lot instead of by vote for this reason, because the people used to elect those who canvassed); and also owing to carelessness, when people allow men that are not friends of the constitution to enter into the sovereign offices, as at Oreus Footnote 5In Euboea; its secession from Sparta to Athens, B.C., was perhaps the occasion of this revolution. oligarchy was broken up when Heracleodorus became one of the magistrates, who in place of an oligarchyformed a constitutional government, or rather a democracy. Another cause is alteration by small stages; by this I mean that often a great change of institutions takes place unnoticed when people overlook a small alteration, as in Ambracia the property-qualification was small, and finally men hold office with none at all, as a little is near to nothing, or practically the same. Also difference of race is a cause of faction, until harmony of spirit is reached; for just as any chance multitude of people does not form a state, so a state is not formed in any chance period of time. Hence most of the states that have hitherto admitted joint settlers or additional settlers Footnote 6i.e. colonists not from the mother-city, admitted either at the foundation of the colony or later. have split into factions; for example Achaeans settled at Sybaris Footnote 7Sybaris, founded B.C., became very wealthy. The Troezenian population when expelled were received at Croton, which made war on Sybaris and destroyed it B.C. To what exactly τὸ ἄγος refers is unknown. jointly with Troezenians, and afterwards the Achaeans having become more numerous expelled the Troezenians, which was the Cause of the curse that fell on the Sybarites; and at Thurii Sybarites quarrelled with those who had settled there with them, for they claimed to have the larger share in the country as being their own, and were ejected; and at Byzantium the additional settlers were discovered plotting against the colonists and were expelled by force of arms; and the people of Antissa Footnote 8In Lesbos. after admitting the Chian exiles expelled them by arms; and the people of Zancle Footnote 9Later Messana, Messina. after admitting settlers from Samos were themselves expelled; and the people of Apollonia on the Euxine Sea after bringing in additional settlers fell into faction;
Book 5