Once civil war breaks out, both the iron and bronze types pull the constitution towards money-making and the acquisition of land, houses, gold, and silver, while both the gold and silver types—not being poor, but by nature rich or rich in their souls—lead the constitution towards virtue and the old order. And thus striving and struggling with one another, they compromise on a middle way: They distribute the land and houses as private property, enslave and hold as serfs and servants those whom they previously guarded as free friends and providers of upkeep, and occupy themselves with war and with guarding against those whom they’ve enslaved.
I think that is the way this transformation begins.
Then, isn’t this constitution a sort of midpoint between aristocracy and oligarchy?
Absolutely.
Then, if that’s its place in the transformation, how will it be managed after the change? Isn’t it obvious that it will imitate the aristocratic constitution in some respects and oligarchy in others, since it’s between them, and that it will also have some features of its own?
That’s right.
The rulers will be respected; the fighting class will be prevented from taking part in farming, manual labor, or other ways of making money; it will eat communally and devote itself to physical training and training for war; and in all such ways, won’t the constitution be like the aristocratic one?
Yes.
On the other hand, it will be afraid to appoint wise people as rulers, on the grounds that they are no longer simple and earnest but mixed, and will incline towards spirited and simpler people, who are more naturally suited for war than peace; it will value the tricks and stratagems of war and spend all its time making war. Aren’t most of these qualities peculiar to it?
Yes.
Such people will desire money just as those in oligarchies do, passionately adoring gold and silver in secret. They will possess private treasuries and storehouses, where they can keep it hidden, and have houses to enclose them, like private nests, where they can spend lavishly either on women or on anyone else they wish.
That’s absolutely true.
