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1312a]
[1]
as somebody killed Sardanapallus
1 when he saw him combing
his hair with his women (if this story told by the narrators of legends
is true—and if it did not happen with Sardanapallus, it might quite
well be true of somebody else), and
Dion attacked the younger Dionysius
2 because he despised
him, when he saw the citizens despising him and the king himself always drunk.
And contempt has led some even
of the friends of monarchs to attack them, for they despise them for trusting
them and think they will not be found out. And contempt is in a manner the
motive of those who attack monarchs thinking that they are able to seize the
government; for they make the attempt with a light heart, feeling that they have
the power and because of their power despising the danger, as generals
commanding the armies attack their monarchs; for instance Cyrus attacked
Astyages
3 when he
despised both his mode of life and his power, because his power had waned and he
himself was living luxuriously, and the Thracian Seuthes attacked Amadocus
4 when his general. Others again attack monarchs for more than
one of these motives, for instance both because they despise them and for the
sake of gain, as Mithridates
5 attacked Ariobarzanes.
6 And it is men of bold nature
and who hold a military office with monarchs who most often make the attempt for
this reason; for courage possessing power is boldness,
[20]
and they make their attacks thinking that with
courage and power they will easily prevail. But with those whose attack is prompted by ambition the
motive operates in a different way from those spoken of before; some men attack
tyrants because they see great profits and great honors belonging to them, but
that is not the reason that in each case leads the persons who attack from
motives of ambition to resolve on the venture; those others are led by the
motive stated, but these attack monarchs from a wish to gain not monarchy but
glory, just as they would wish to take part in doing any other uncommon deed
that makes men famous and known to their fellows. Not but what those who make the venture from this motive
are very few indeed in number, for underlying it there must be an utter
disregard of safety, if regard for safety is not to check the enterprise; they
must always have present in their minds the opinion of
Dion, although it is not easy for many men to
have it;
Dion marched with a small
force against Dionysius, saying that his feeling was that, whatever point he
might be able to get to, it would be enough for him to have had that much share
in the enterprise—for instance, if it should befall him to die as soon
as he had just set foot in the country, that death would satisfy him.
And one way
in which tyranny is destroyed, as is each of the other forms of constitution
also, is from without,