Thalia   

from all those outrages which a king is wont to commit. There,
places are given by lot, the magistrate is answerable for what he
does, and measures rest with the commonalty. I vote, therefore, that
we do away with monarchy, and raise the people to power. For the
people are all in all."
Such were the sentiments of Otanes. Megabyzus spoke next, and
advised the setting up of an oligarchy:- "In all that Otanes has
said to persuade you to put down monarchy," he observed, "I fully
concur; but his recommendation that we should call the people to power
seems to me not the best advice. For there is nothing so void of
understanding, nothing so full of wantonness, as the unwieldy
rabble. It were folly not to be borne, for men, while seeking to
escape the wantonness of a tyrant, to give themselves up to the
wantonness of a rude unbridled mob. The tyrant, in all his doings,
at least knows what is he about, but a mob is altogether devoid of
knowledge; for how should there be any knowledge in a rabble,
untaught, and with no natural sense of what is right and fit? It
rushes wildly into state affairs with all the fury of a stream swollen
in the winter, and confuses everything. Let the enemies of the
Persians be ruled by democracies; but let us choose out from the
citizens a certain number of the worthiest, and put the government
into their hands. For thus both we ourselves shall be among the
governors, and power being entrusted to the best men, it is likely
that the best counsels will prevail in the state."
This was the advice which Megabyzus gave, and after him Darius
came forward, and spoke as follows:- "All that Megabyzus said
against democracy was well said, I think; but about oligarchy he did
not speak advisedly; for take these three forms of government-
democracy, oligarchy, and monarchy- and let them each be at their
best, I maintain that monarchy far surpasses the other two. What
government can possibly be better than that of the very best man in
the whole state? The counsels of such a man are like himself, and so
he governs the mass of the people to their heart's content; while at
the same time his measures against evil-doers are kept more secret
than in other states. Contrariwise, in oligarchies, where men vie with
each other in the service of the commonwealth, fierce enmities are apt
to arise between man and man, each wishing to be leader, and to
carry his own measures; whence violent quarrels come, which lead to
open strife, often ending in bloodshed. Then monarchy is sure to
follow; and this too shows how far that rule surpasses all others.
Again, in a democracy, it is impossible but that there will be
malpractices: these malpractices, however, do not lead to enmities,
but to close friendships, which are formed among those engaged in
them, who must hold well together to carry on their villainies. And so
things go on until a man stands forth as champion of the commonalty,
and puts down the evil-doers. Straightway the author of so great a
service is admired by all, and from being admired soon comes to be
appointed king; so that here too it is plain that monarchy is the best
government. Lastly, to sum up all in a word, whence, I ask, was it
that we got the freedom which we enjoy?- did democracy give it us,
or oligarchy, or a monarch? As a single man recovered our freedom
for us, my sentence is that we keep to the rule of one. Even apart
from this, we ought not to change the laws of our forefathers when
they work fairly; for to do so is not well."
Such were the three opinions brought forward at this meeting;
the four other Persians voted in favour of the last. Otanes, who
wished to give his countrymen a democracy, when he found the
decision against him, arose a second time, and spoke thus before the
assembly:- "Brother conspirators, it is plain that the king who is
to be chosen will be one of ourselves, whether we make the choice by
casting lots for the prize, or by letting the people decide which of
us they will have to rule over them, in or any other way. Now, as I
have neither a mind to rule nor to be ruled, I shall not enter the
lists with you in this matter. I withdraw, however, on one