Earliest known fact in the history of the City-State, — government by kings, 64. The Homeric king; one of many chieftains, not a constitutional monarch, 64-68. (Question as to the existence of the State in the Homeric age, 65-67.) The Homeric king as sacrificer, 69; as commander of the host, 71; as judge, 72. Undefined character of his power, 73. The Roman Rex; a magistrate with clearly defined powers, expressed in technical terms, 75. Imperium, 76. Customary limits to his power; the Senate as advising body, 76; provocatio, 77. The Spartan monarchy in historical times; a survival of the earliest form, 78-80. Herodotus' account of it, 80. Degenerate character of this kingship; the form survives, while the power has almost disappeared, 81-83.
CHAPTER IV
The Rise of Aristocratic Government
King, aristocracy, and people the earliest factors in the City-State, 85. Kings give way to aristocracies, 87. Aristotle's explanation of this, 87. Example in the Odyssey of a monarchy in danger, 88. Grote's explanation; the small size of City-States made the bad rule of kings obvious, 90. A further consideration: kingship, which is the political expression of an aristocratic society, becomes inadequate as aristocracies narrow, 91, 92. What the Greeks meant by ἀριστοκρατία; its ethical meaning and character in early times, 93. Narrowing tendencies seen in (1) degeneracy of the idea of high birth, 98; (2) deterioration in the use of wealth, 100.
Examples of change from monarchy to aristocracy; Athens, 103; Rome, 105. Imperium in the hands of the Roman aristocracy; limitations placed upon it, 108. Imperium militiæ and imperium domi, 110. Political order and system due to the intelligence of the aristocracies, 111.
