[569c]
into the fire1 of enslavement to slaves,
and in exchange for that excessive and unseasonable liberty2
has clothed itself in the garb of the most cruel and bitter servile
servitude.3” “Yes
indeed,” he said, “that is just what happens.”
“Well, then,” said I, “shall we not be fairly
justified in saying that we have sufficiently described the transformation
of a democracy into a tyranny and the nature of the tyranny
itself?” “Quite sufficiently,” he said.
1 As we say, “Out of the frying-pan into the fire.” Cf. Anth. Pal. ix. 17. 5ἐκ πυρὸς ὡς αἶνος 'πεσες ἐς φλόγα, Theodoret, Therap. iii. p. 773καὶ τὸν καπνὸν κατὰ τὴν παροιμίαν, ὡς ἔοικε, φύγοντες, εἰς αὐτὸ δὴ τὸ πῦρ ἐμπεπτώκαμεν. See Otto, p. 137; also Solon 7 (17) (Anth. Lyr.,Bergk-Hiller, 9 in Edmonds, Greek Elegy and Iambus, i. p. 122, Loeb Classical Library)εἰς δὲ μονάρχου δῆμος ἀιδρείῃ δουλοσύνην ἔπεσεν, Herod. iii. 81τυράννου ὕβριν φεύγοντας ἄνδρας ἐς δήμου ἀκολάστου ὕβριν πεσεῖν, and for the idea Epist. viii. 354 D.
2 Cf. Epist. viii. 354 D.
3 For the rhetorical style Cf. Tim. 41θεοὶ θεῶν, Polit. 303 C σοφιστῶν σοφιστάς, and the biblical expressions, God of Gods and Lord of Lords, e.g.Deut. x. 17, Ps. cxxxvi. 2-3, Dan. xi. 36, Rev. xix. 16. Cf. Jebb on Soph.O. T. 1063τρίδουλος.
Plato. Plato in Twelve Volumes, Vols. 5 & 6 translated by Paul Shorey. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1969.
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