Aristocracy in the strict sense has already been dealt with in Book III, to which reference is made in this chapter. But since the essential thing about an aristocratic constitution is that it is composed of the best men, the word is often loosely applied to any constitution, such as that of Carthage and Sparta, which officially or unofficially attaches importance to choosing the best men, even when it is oligarchical in its pursuit of wealth, or democratic in its concern for the common people. Such constitutions show a mixture of aims, but they are not formally mixed constitutions like polity, which also, when it inclines towards oligarchy, is apt to get the epithet ‘aristocratic’.
1293a35 There are besides democracy and oligarchy two constitutions, one1 of which is generally recognized and has been included as one type in the list of four – monarchy, oligarchy, democracy, and what goes by the name of aristocracy. The other makes a fifth on that list, and is called by the name which is common to them all, for men call it ‘polity’; but since it is rarely found in practice it is overlooked by the typologists of constitutions, who therefore, like Plato, give a list of only four in their Constitutions. Now the aristocracy which we dealt with earlier2 in this work is aptly named, for this name is justly given only to that constitution which is composed of those who are without qualification best in virtue, not simply to one composed of those who are good in relation to some assumed situation. For only in the former type of aristocracy are good man and good citizen one and the same without qualification;3 the good men in other cases are good only in relation to their own constitution.
1293b7 However, the name aristocracy is used of some constitutions to mark a distinction both from oligarchically run constitutions and from what we call polity – that is to say, it describes a constitution in which election to office depends on merit, not only on wealth. This constitution differs from the other two,4 and is called aristocratic. For even in constitutions which do not publicly promote virtue there are nevertheless persons of good reputation who are regarded as respectable men. So where, as at Carthage, the constitution has a threefold aim, wealth, virtue and the good of the people, it is aristocratic; so too is that of Sparta, where there is a dual purpose only, virtue and the good of the people, and thus a mixing of the two (democracy and virtue). So we may say that apart from aristocracy properly so called, which is the best, there are these two5 and also a third which occurs when what we call polity inclines rather towards oligarchy.6