The Complete Aristotle (eng.)

kinds of military forces—the cavalry, the heavy
infantry, the light armed troops, the navy. When the country is
adapted for cavalry, then a strong oligarchy is likely to be
established. For the security of the inhabitants depends upon a
force of this sort, and only rich men can afford to keep horses.
The second form of oligarchy prevails when the country is adapted
to heavy infantry; for this service is better suited to the rich
than to the poor. But the light-armed and the naval element are
wholly democratic; and nowadays, where they are numerous, if the
two parties quarrel, the oligarchy are often worsted by them in the
struggle. A remedy for this state of things may be found in the
practice of generals who combine a proper contingent of light-armed
troops with cavalry and heavy-armed. And this is the way in which
the poor get the better of the rich in civil contests; being
lightly armed, they fight with advantage against cavalry and heavy
being lightly armed, they fight with advantage against cavalry and
heavy infantry. An oligarchy which raises such a force out of the
lower classes raises a power against itself. And therefore, since
the ages of the citizens vary and some are older and some younger,
the fathers should have their own sons, while they are still young,
taught the agile movements of light-armed troops; and these, when
they have been taken out of the ranks of the youth, should become
light-armed warriors in reality. The oligarchy should also yield a
share in the government to the people, either, as I said before, to
those who have a property qualification, or, as in the case of
Thebes, to those who have abstained for a certain number of years
from mean employments, or, as at Massalia, to men of merit who are
selected for their worthiness, whether previously citizens or not.
The magistracies of the highest rank, which ought to be in the
hands of the governing body, should have expensive duties attached
to them, and then the people will not desire them and will take no
offense at the privileges of their rulers when they see that they
pay a heavy fine for their dignity. It is fitting also that the
magistrates on entering office should offer magnificent sacrifices
or erect some public edifice, and then the people who participate
in the entertainments, and see the city decorated with votive
offerings and buildings, will not desire an alteration in the
government, and the notables will have memorials of their
munificence. This, however, is anything but the fashion of our
modern oligarchs, who are as covetous of gain as they are of honor;
oligarchies like theirs may be well described as petty democracies.
Enough of the manner in which democracies and oligarchies should be
organized.
VIII
    Next in order follows the right distribution of offices, their
number, their nature, their duties, of which indeed we have already
spoken. No state can exist not having the necessary offices, and no
state can be well administered not having the offices which tend to
preserve harmony and good order. In small states, as we have
already remarked, there must not be many of them, but in larger
there must be a larger number, and we should carefully consider
which offices may properly be united and which separated.
    First among necessary offices is that which has the care of the
market; a magistrate should be appointed to inspect contracts and
to maintain order. For in every state there must inevitably be
buyers and sellers who will supply one another’s wants; this is the
readiest way to make a state self-sufficing and so fulfill the
purpose for which men come together into one state. A second office
of a similar kind undertakes the supervision and embellishment of
public and private buildings, the maintaining and repairing of
houses and roads, the prevention of disputes about boundaries, and
other concerns of a like nature. This is commonly called the office
of City Warden, and has various departments, which, in more
populous towns, are shared among different persons, one, for
example, taking charge of the walls, another of the fountains, a
third of harbors. There is another equally necessary office, and of
a similar kind, having to do with the same matters without the
walls and in the country—the magistrates who hold this office are
called Wardens of the country, or Inspectors of the woods. Besides
these three there is a fourth office of receivers of taxes, who
have under their charge the revenue which is distributed among