Thirteen Declamations

III. BY PACHYMERES

...of her. And I say this not to curry favor with you, but because it is the truth; and what I was conscious of in my own mind then, these things I now present as clearly as possible.

For in my contemplations, I found that other forms of government were wanting. Aristocracy, on the one hand, possesses a degree of utility and is justly praised by those who do not wish public affairs to depend upon a single opinion; yet, on the other hand, it is naturally blamed because it does not allow all citizens to be aware of what the "best men" The Greek term is aristoi, from which we get "aristocracy." are doing, so that the common interest might truly be common in reality. Monarchy, however, provides no room for praise at all, but stands entirely contrary to justice. For how could common justice be maintained in a city where a single opinion and a single vote hold power? Where the will of one man leads everyone wherever he wishes, and if anyone should dare to even mutter a sound footnote 1 in secret, the penalty is death footnote 2? What useful thing could occur for the benefit of the community under such a man? For he is but one person, and he ignores even the fact that nature itself paired the senses in every living creature, as the condition of being "alone" is everywhere considered a defect. If something seems good footnote 3 to him, there is no one to judge it; if it is the opposite, there will be no one to correct it. And if a passion of the soul or an irrational desire should intervene footnote 4, what counselor will prevent the harm? For everyone’s opinion depends on that one man’s will; each person seeks to endear himself to the ruler by praising his whims as if they were excellent and wise, while they fear becoming estranged from him if they should contradict him in any way footnote 5. To recount the things that happen on every occasion in monarchies would require a time of its own, and more time than the water allowed in my clock footnote 6. Clearly—

In Declamation VII: "the law was violated in some way." In Declamation XII: "it was necessary to be silent in some way." Alexander of Aphrodisias A famous commentator on Aristotle from the 2nd century AD. in Problems 1.9: "some eunuchs desire sexual pleasures in some way." I recall a passage in Libanius A famous 4th-century Greek teacher of rhetoric. where the word poson (quantity) causes trouble (Vol. IV, p. 628): "for it was not enough to drink to satiety, but he was already eager to scatter my poson (quantity)." Manuscript 3017 correctly reads ponon (toil). The variation oinon (wine) is a correction made to fit the sense of the passage.

6. Further on, page 8, he says: "let him speak in this water of mine." The note says: "he may use my water for this," quoting the words of Apuleius in his Apology The "water" refers to the clepsydra, a water-clock used in ancient courts to time speeches. To "speak in someone's water" meant to use the time allotted to them..