ABSTRACT
The structure of the Politics presents a difficult and muchdiscussed problem. Most modern scholars hold (1) that Books VII., VIII. should come before Books IV-VI., and some hold (2) that Book VI. should come before Book V. (1) The last chapter of Book III. announces a transition to the discussion of the best constitution, and such a discussion is found in Book VII.; and the firstsentence of Book VII. exists in a mutilated form as the last sentence of Book III., as token of the intention either of Aristotle or of some early editor to connect the two books. Further, Book IV. refers back to a discussion of the ideal constitution1 while Books VII., VIII. nowhere distinctly refer back to Books IV-VI.2 On the other hand, after the classification of constitutions in Book III. and the discussion of monarchy (and incidentally of aristocracy) in the latter part of that book, we should expect Aristotle to go on to discuss the other types, as he does in Books IV.-VI.; Books VII., VIII., which are mainly occupied with questions of education rather than of constitution, would seriously interrupt the continuity of the thought, (2) Book VI. continues the line of thought of the end of Book IV., on the proper organisation of the various forms of government, and Book V. (on revolution) interrupts this. On the other hand, Book VI. several times refers back to Book V.,3 and Books IV., V. fulfil in the proper order the programme laid down at the beginning of Book IV.;4 Book VI. seems to be an afterthought in which Aristotle further develops the subjects of Book IV.
