James Adam, The Republic of Plato

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563E - 566D Such is the seed which developes into Tyranny, excessive freedom generating excessive servitude, in accordance with a common law. The drones wax more numerous and violent, and ruin the democracy in course of time as once they ruined oligarchy. A democratical State contains three classes of citizens (1) the drones, stinging as well as stingless, (2) the rich who serve as drones' provender, (3) the Demos, with whom the sovereignty lies. The most active members of the drone-fraternity become leaders of the Demos against the rich. By dint of extortion and calumny the propertied classes are at last compelled in self-defence to form an oligarchical party. Hence arise impeachments etc., and the people range themselves under a single Champion. As in the fable he who tasted human flesh became a wolf, so this Champion of the People, as soon as he spills the blood of fellow-citizens, is doomed to become a tyrant. Civil war begins; the Champion is either driven from the city, and returns a full-fledged tyrant, or receives a bodyguard to protect him from secret assaults, and thus achieves his end.

ff. 29 αὕτη μὲν τοίνυν κτλ. In his account of the genesis of tyranny, as in his description of the tyrant himself, Plato has borrowed several features from the career of the most conspicuous tyrant of his own age, Dionysius I of Syracuse. See on 564 A, and for other historical references 566 B al.

καλὴ καὶ νεανική: ‘fair and proud.’ For νεανική cf. IV 425 C.

νόσημα: viz. the drones, as explained in 564 B (ἐκεῖνο τοίνυν κτλ.).

ἐξουσίας κτλ. See on 557 B. For τῷ ὄντι cf. VI 497 D note