The Complete Aristotle (eng.)

these three disorders? Of the first,
moderate possessions and occupation; of the second, habits of
temperance; as to the third, if any desire pleasures which depend
on themselves, they will find the satisfaction of their desires
nowhere but in philosophy; for all other pleasures we are dependent
on others. The fact is that the greatest crimes are caused by
excess and not by necessity. Men do not become tyrants in order
that they may not suffer cold; and hence great is the honor
bestowed, not on him who kills a thief, but on him who kills a
tyrant. Thus we see that the institutions of Phaleas avail only
against petty crimes.
    There is another objection to them. They are chiefly designed to
promote the internal welfare of the state. But the legislator
should consider also its relation to neighboring nations, and to
all who are outside of it. The government must be organized with a
view to military strength; and of this he has said not a word. And
so with respect to property: there should not only be enough to
supply the internal wants of the state, but also to meet dangers
coming from without. The property of the state should not be so
large that more powerful neighbors may be tempted by it, while the
owners are unable to repel the invaders; nor yet so small that the
state is unable to maintain a war even against states of equal
power, and of the same character. Phaleas has not laid down any
rule; but we should bear in mind that abundance of wealth is an
advantage. The best limit will probably be, that a more powerful
neighbor must have no inducement to go to war with you by reason of
the excess of your wealth, but only such as he would have had if
you had possessed less. There is a story that Eubulus, when
Autophradates was going to besiege Atarneus, told him to consider
how long the operation would take, and then reckon up the cost
which would be incurred in the time. ‘For,’ said he, ‘I am willing
for a smaller sum than that to leave Atarneus at once.’ These words
of Eubulus made an impression on Autophradates, and he desisted
from the siege.
    The equalization of property is one of the things that tend to
prevent the citizens from quarrelling. Not that the gain in this
direction is very great. For the nobles will be dissatisfied
because they think themselves worthy of more than an equal share of
honors; and this is often found to be a cause of sedition and
revolution. And the avarice of mankind is insatiable; at one time
two obols was pay enough; but now, when this sum has become
customary, men always want more and more without end; for it is of
the nature of desire not to be satisfied, and most men live only
for the gratification of it. The beginning of reform is not so much
to equalize property as to train the nobler sort of natures not to
desire more, and to prevent the lower from getting more; that is to
say, they must be kept down, but not ill-treated. Besides, the
equalization proposed by Phaleas is imperfect; for he only
equalizes land, whereas a man may be rich also in slaves, and
cattle, and money, and in the abundance of what are called his
movables. Now either all these things must be equalized, or some
limit must be imposed on them, or they must an be let alone. It
would appear that Phaleas is legislating for a small city only, if,
as he supposes, all the artisans are to be public slaves and not to
form a supplementary part of the body of citizens. But if there is
a law that artisans are to be public slaves, it should only apply
to those engaged on public works, as at Epidamnus, or at Athens on
the plan which Diophantus once introduced.
    From these observations any one may judge how far Phaleas was
wrong or right in his ideas.
VIII
    Hippodamus, the son of Euryphon, a native of Miletus, the same
who invented the art of planning cities, and who also laid out the
Piraeus—a strange man, whose fondness for distinction led him into
a general eccentricity of life, which made some think him affected
(for he would wear flowing hair and expensive ornaments; but these
were worn on a cheap but warm garment both in winter and summer);
he, besides aspiring to be an adept in the knowledge of nature, was
the first person not a statesman who made inquiries about the best
form of government.
    The city of Hippodamus was composed of 10,000 citizens divided
into three parts—one of artisans, one of husbandmen, and a third of
armed defenders of the state. He also divided the land into three
parts, one sacred, one